A lawyer for Msgr Mauro Carlino downplayed the suspended Vatican official’s involvement in a controversial London property deal, saying that his role was limited and ultimately benefited the Secretariat of State by saving five million euros. MsgrCarlino was secretary to Cardinal Angelo Becciu when he was “sostituto,” or the second-ranking official, at the Secretariat of…
Cindy Wooden Although dogged for years by rumours of sexual impropriety, Theodore McCarrick was able to rise up the Catholic hierarchical structure based on personal contacts, protestations of his innocence and a lack of Church officials reporting and investigating accusations, according to the Vatican summary of its report released on Tuesday. In choosing then-Archbishop McCarrick…
Ireland’s unofficial chaplain to the showbiz community has warned people to be careful about Covid-19, revealing his own diagnosis. Fr Brian D’Arcy has revealed: “Someone I was in the same room with – properly socially distancing I should add – tested positive. I had no symptoms. I was feeling a bit off but I’d just…
Mindful Living In the Church calendar the season of Advent starts on the fourth Sunday before Christmas; this year advent begins on Sunday, November 29. The word ‘advent’ derives from Latin, via the Old French word ‘to come’ and signals the coming of Jesus into the world, which we recall and celebrate each Christmas. But…
A Catholic bishop in Belarus accused President Alexander Lukashenko of “insult and slander” after the government official charged the Church’s exiled leader with planning to “destroy the country” and called for a bar on foreign clergy. Auxiliary Bishop YuryKasabutski of Minsk said in social media post November 3 that he believed President Lukashenko’s words about…
Old Ireland in Colour by John Breslin and Sarah-Anne Buckley (Merrion Press, €24.95/£22.90) The idea of this book will delight many people, and it should prove to be a huge Christmas time bestseller. The creators have taken a wide range of historical photographs, some very familiar already in monochrome, others little seen. These have been colourised,…
The 4 Corners Festival have announced that their ninth annual gathering will take place online from 31 Jan–7 Feb 2021. The theme will be ‘Breathe’, “emanating from the Hebrew word Ruach which means ‘breath’ or ‘spirit’ – the source of life, inspired by the numerous appearances of that word in the Bible,” according to a…
Personal Profile A veteran of Youth 2000, Máire McAteer has seen the organisation grow and bear much fruit during her time there. “I’ve seen how it has grown. Like everything we have to be patient to see growth. Like, the mustard seed starts so small, but it takes time to grow into the huge bush,…
Archbishop Diarmuid Martin has insisted that the ministry of the 19 priests of Dublin Diocese who died over the last years lives on in their parishes. “We miss them. Yet their memory remains. Their ministry is not forgotten,” he said in a homily at Mass livestreamed from Dublin’s pro-cathedral on Saturday morning. “Much of that…
Louisiana voters by a wide margin November 3 passed a measure declaring there is no state constitutional right to abortion, while Colorado voters defeated a proposal to ban abortion beginning at 22 weeks of pregnancy. Unofficial results show that the Louisiana measure, known as the Love Life Amendment, passed 62.1% to 37.9%. It will add…
Peter Costello
Ruadhán Jones
Chai Brady