The Archbishop of Cashel and Emly has appealed for the return of the head of a statue outside the cathedral in Thurles that was decapitated recently. The motive for the vandalism of the 14-foot statue of Archbishop Patrick Leahy, which was placed there in tribute in 1911, has not been established. Archbishop Leahy was responsible…
British bishops have made the right to life a priority for Catholics ahead of a general election in which two major political parties have promised to liberalise abortion laws. A statement from the bishops of England and Wales put the right to life at the top of a list of key issues they want Catholic…
The village of Dien Thinh bid farewell last week to two of its sons, victims of a human trafficking tragedy unveiled last month when the bodies of 39 Vietnamese were discovered in a truck in England. Coffins with the bodies of cousins Nguyen Van Hung and Hoang Van Tiep were carried to the village’s Trung…
Young parishioners in Co. Wexford will be given a unique Christmas gift at Masses on Sunday December 15 in Glynn and Barntown. Each child will receive an olive wood Christmas decoration for their Christmas tree at home – a decoration from Bethlehem, the birthplace of Christ which was blessed at the original manger in early…
Most Americans support life imprisonment over the death penalty, according to a Gallup poll, revealing a shift in the majority opinion on this issue for the first time in 34 years. The poll, based on results from telephone interviews conducted in October with a random sample of 1,526 adults in the US, showed 60% prefer…
Questions of Faith In the last two decades or so, there has been a powerful worldwide focus on the impact of global warming. It’s widely accepted that if this problem is not tackled, it will detrimentally affect future generations. Climate activists have shaken up the consumerist status quo, challenging all of us to live in…
A leading social justice campaigner has described the failure to use an historic building in Dublin for homeless accommodation that is costing taxpayers almost €200,000 a year as “a mess”. Dublin City Council are paying €16,250 a month for a property on 21 Aungier Street in the city centre despite not being able to convert…
Wild Stories from the Irish Uplands by John G. O’Dwyer (Currach Books, €14.99) The author is a veteran hiker with over thirty years experience of leading walking and mountaineering groups through the Irish countryside. In this collection of essays he visits a number of well-known uplands across the country and recalls their association with historical…
Letter From America Central American bishops defend Francis over Amazon synod At the close of their annual general assembly, the Central American bishops rose to Pope Francis’s defence amid what they said have been false and hostile attacks following the Synod of Bishops on the Amazon in October. They also advocated for better care…
Two Catholic priests have been convicted of sexually abusing students at an institute that cared for deaf children. The priests have been sentenced to more than 40 years in an Argentine prison. Their victims say one abuser should have been stopped seven years before his arrest, when he was accused of abusing children at a school…
Colm Fitzpatrick
Chai Brady