Bishops across Ireland have urged parishioners and clergy to draw young people to religious life in a hope of curbing ongoing priestly decline. In a series of homilies for the annual Chrism Mass, prelates warned that the shortage of priests in the country will soon lead to “significant change” in dioceses and called for a…
Pope Francis has said he was “very saddened” by the destruction of the Notre Dame Cathedral, but was grateful the bravery of shown in extinguishing the flames. While greeting a group of French pilgrims at the weekly general audience, the Pope expressed his “affection and closeness” to the people of France following the devastating April…
A prominent pro-life group has welcomed the Taoiseach’s admission that introducing exclusion zone legislation would restrict free speech. Responding to Sinn Féin TD Louise O’Reilly in the Dáil earlier this week on the issue of exclusion zones outside abortion facilities, the Taoiseach confirmed that the proposed new law was running into difficulties around issues to…
Archbishop Diarmuid Martin has warned the Society of St Vincent de Paul not to shy away from its Catholic identity and values. It comes amidst concerns expressed by some members that the organisation risks drifting away from its religious roots towards a generic ideal of secular charity. In a pointed homily given at a Mass…
Pope Emeritus Benedict has met with some criticism and mockery on social media for writing, in a Bavarian journal, that the sexual revolution of the 1960s was one of the causes of the clerical abuse scandals – ushering in a general ‘collapse’ in morality. I lived through this period of the 1960s – in the…
Tottenham Hotspur footballer Lucas Moura has praised God for his first hat-trick in Europe after defeating Huddersfield 4-0 over the weekend. The 26-year-old Brazilian player was the star of the match in the new Spurs stadium, after scoring three incredible goals against the opposing team. Speaking after the match, the footy whizz told Sky Sports:…
RTÉ documentary came from a strange place, writes David Quinn It is hard to know what the point of Rome v Republic was. The programme aired last week on RTÉ and was presented by former Justice Minister Michael McDowell. It repeated talking points about the Church and its relationship to Irish society and the…
Catholics should see the hand of the Holy Spirit working in the ongoing transition from a clerical to a lay-led Church, a theologian who has just completed extensive research on Vatican II in Ireland, has said. Dr Gary Carville, who graduated with a PhD last month from Dublin City University on the topic of Ireland’s…
The View Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI has published an essay commenting on the sex abuse scandal that has rocked the Catholic Church for some time. The former Pope broke his usual silence in order, in his own words, “to contribute one or two remarks to assist in this difficult hour”. At the heart of…
Realising that the planet is on the brink of a precipice that can only be stopped by the actions of humans who need an “ecological conversion”, is an idea that can’t be understated according to several prominent academics. Over the weekend more than 100 people gathered in the Dromantine Conference Centre in Co. Down for…
Greg Daly
Mary Kenny
David Quinn
Colm Fitzpatrick
Maria Steen
Chai Brady