A few years ago I was invited by Fr Seán Deegan, a Kiltegan priest, to conduct workshops in the Diocese of Juina in the Mato Grosso, Brazil. This Amazonian diocese has 140,000 Catholics scattered over a region one and a half times the size of Ireland. It has 19 priests, some of whom are on loan.…
Catholic bishops from around the world are calling on the Cameroon government to hold urgent peace talks with the country’s English-speaking separatists and moderates. Church leaders are urging the country’s president, Paul Biya, to enter into negotiations to find a peaceful settlement that addresses the grievances of the Anglophone community. A Swiss NGO has offered…
The Jesuits are completing extensive utility works at their 10.5 acre site in Milltown Park – a prime real estate location in Dublin – following its €66m sale . The Irish Catholic believes the site in the prized residential area of Ranelagh was sold to Ardstone Capital for circa €66m after intense competition, €10m more…
Trócaire has defended its commitment to a low carbon footprint after it came in for criticism for the volume of paper used for their Lenten campaign. Fr Ted Sheehan of Glounthane Parish in Cork has said he has complained to the charity every year for the last four years – asking them to reduce the…
Catholics may feel a sense of déjà vu upon reading Querida Amazonia, Pope Francis’ 16,000-word apostolic exhortation concluding the Synod of Bishops for the Amazon. The topic has been the object of speculation and fevered expectations ever since the gathering of prelates that occasioned it concluded last October in Rome. During the summit, debate over the viri…
Catholic officials in Hong Kong have been forced to cancel all Church programs for the next two weeks and cancel the Ash Wednesday liturgy due to the growing threat of the coronavirus. All public Masses on Sundays and weekdays from February 15-28 and the liturgy of Ash Wednesday have been suspended, said Cardinal John Tong,…
An online publication has rebuked claims that a recent investigative report into an international pro-life group was fuelled by bias. Heartbeat International (HBI) had issued a statement on February 13 which said that an investigation into their crisis pregnancy centres throughout the world by openDemocracy was swayed by pro-choice bias. However, openDemocracy said that HBI’s…
An Irish priest would be prepared to die rather than leave the Faithful in Hong Kong despite the Covid-19 (coronavirus) scare, leading to all Church services in Hong Kong being cancelled. Fr Michael Cuddigan SSC of the Immaculate Heart of Mary Chapel in Central, Hong Kong, said despite increased tensions regarding Covid-19 he won’t be…
Only 32% of Irish people trust religious leaders, according to the 2020 Edelman Trust Barometer. This is the second lowest trust score of leaders ahead of the very wealthy (24%) and behind government leaders (36%), CEOs (38%), journalists (42%) and scientists (79%). The survey took in over 34,000 responses globally and 1,150 from Ireland between…
UNICEF has warned that critical reintegration programmes for children released from armed forces and groups in Sudan may be forced to shut down in March due to lack of funding. Around 900 children are registered for release, but without new funding, UNICEF says they will not be able to provide support as they transition to…
Chai Brady
John L. Allen Jr.