In a new interview with the Jesuit province of China, Pope Francis expressed his desire to visit the country and spoke of his admiration for the faith of the Chinese Church and culture, as well as various aspects of his papacy, including criticism and opposition. Asked by Jesuit Fr Pedro Chia, who conducted the interview,…
The first annual Willie Doyle Pilgrimage took place in Knock last Sunday as devotees to the cause were presented with the opportunity to witness the military chaplain to the Royal Dublin Fusiliers’ personal items in the flesh and further advance his cause for canonisation. Attendees gathered to recall the Jesuit’s heroic ministry which routinely involved…
Bishop Robert Reed Here’s a question for you. Is holiness complicated or is it simple? Jesus tells us that holiness shows itself in simplicity, in acts such as giving a cup of cold water to a little one (Mt 10:42), or even in just sitting quietly in trust, like lilies of the field (Mt 6:28).…
The Bishop of Clogher Larry Duffy has paid tribute to the late Canon Joe Mullin, who died on August 8 aged 81. Canon Mullin, former PP of Lisnaskea-Maguiresbridge (Aghalurcher Parish) and from Fintona, Co. Tyrone, was also director of the Clogher Diocesan Pilgrimage to Lourdes for many years. Bishop Duffy said the canon “reached out…
The row over the sale of a very valuable site in south Dublin to a local GAA club has escalated with the local church publicly accusing a local rugby club of deliberately undermining the sale. Foxrock Parish, which manages the site – conservatively valued at €10 million – on behalf of a diocesan trust recently…
You may recognise these often-quoted words from St Teresa of Kolkata, “What can you do to promote world peace? Go home and love your family.” Beautiful, right? Except – does that really sound like the Mother Teresa we know? The one we saw in the streets and slums of Kolkata, bending down to those covered in…
Irish Doctors in the Second World War by PJ Casey, KT Cullen, and JP Duignan (Merrion Press, €29.99/£25.99) This is a comprehensive account of the Irish doctors who served with the Allied forces in World War II. This is for all intents and purposes an untold story, but one that needed to be told for…
Catholics and more generally Christians in the Holy Land have long since begun to raise the tone of condemnation of Israel’s brutal methods against the unarmed civilian population. Very harsh, in this vein, is the position of the Holy Land Justice and Peace Commission: “As Catholics of the Holy Land who share Pope Francis’ vision…
Poland’s most popular shrine could receive a record number of pilgrims in 2024, according to local media. The shrine of Our Lady of Czestochowa, at Jasna Góra Monastery in southern Poland, received as many as 4.5 million pilgrims a year before the COVID pandemic, when annual visitors dropped below 1 million. But pilgrim numbers have bounced back since…
Letter from Rome Last week the Vatican’s Academy for Life issued a new text on a series of bioethical issues, including the provision of food and hydration for patients in a vegetative state, which marks a modest departure from the Vatican’s previously held position on the issue. Published Thursday by the Pontifical Academy for Life…
Brandon Scott
Renata Steffens