Pope Francis’s ecumenical visit to South Sudan was a “morale booster” that united the country in happiness, according to Irish missionaries. Hundreds of thousands gathered in Juba, the capital, to greet the Pontiff. He was joined by the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby and Rev. Ian Greenshields, Moderator of the Presbyterian Church of Scotland for…
Brandon Scott in Prague The Church needs the courage to review doctrines and pastoral strategies without losing communion, the Irish delegation to the European assembly of the global Synod has claimed. Delegates from the continent are meeting in Prague, Czechia from February 5-12. The Irish delegation is led by Primate of All-Ireland Archbishop Eamon Martin.…
Although Ireland is seeing a shortage of priests and religious, it is “ripe” for vocations according to an order who have opened a new lay missionary house. Two young women have already entered the house of mission opened by the Franciscan Sisters of the Renewal (CFR) in Drogheda in January. Anywhere the order sets down…
Plans to establish semi-permanent hubs for Ukrainian Catholics in Ireland are ongoing, a Ukrainian Catholic bishop has said. Bishop Kenneth Nowakowski told The Irish Catholic that he is working with the Irish bishops to identify areas to establish pastoral and sacramental care. Liturgical services So far, “we have been having perhaps not regular liturgical services,…
In reply to a Parliamentary Question from Cork South West TD Michael Collins, the HSE revealed that it had compiled a list of 21 events since the introduction of abortion in January 2019 that had taken place in the vicinity of abortion centres. Responding to Deputy Collins’ inquiry, Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly said that…
The Church’s mission is to care for the vulnerable and stand against a culture that seeks to make euthanasia socially acceptable, according to the auxiliary bishop of Armagh. In response to Pope Francis’ message for the World Day of the Sick, which takes place on February 11, Bishop Michael Router said that for some, “illness…
Fermanagh-based priest Fr Joe McVeigh has said that the promotion of Stephen Fulton to grand master in the Orange Order shows “bad form” as the country grapples with violence against women and girls. The appointment of Mr Fulton as district master of Cookstown generated outrage after it emerged that he has a conviction for killing…
Authorities in the UK have dropped charges against a woman arrested for silent prayer in a “buffer zone” that bans pro-life advocacy outside an English abortion clinic. However, Isabel Vaughan-Spruce says the charges still could be revived, leaving her in an ambiguous legal situation. “It can’t be right that I was arrested and made a…
Why does the theology of this Dominican priest who died in 1274 still carry so much influence today, asks Fr Fergus Kerr OP You could graduate today with first-class honours in divinity in most universities knowing next to nothing about Thomas Aquinas. On the other hand, 50 years ago, in Catholic colleges and seminaries, you…
The slow divestment of Catholic schools is down to local demand and not the Church, a senior official in the Department of Education has said. The reconfiguration of school patronage is a “slow burner”, Mr Hubert Loftus told the Joint Oireachtas Committee for Education and Skills. However, he added that this “is not necessarily because…
Ruadhán Jones
Chai Brady