Dublin’s Parish Pastoral Workers (PPWs) are among the 82 lay staff asked by Dublin Diocese to consider a voluntary redundancy package which has been described by some PPWs this paper spoke to as ‘generous’. However, the main concern of PPWs appears to be what does the future hold for those who don’t take the redundancy…
The president of the European bishops’ commission has promised persecuted Christians in Nigeria that he will advocate for increased support from the EU. Cardinal Jean-Claude Hollerich, who leads the Commission of the Bishops’ Conferences of the European Union (COMECE), wrote a letter to the Nigerian bishops stating that the commission will advocate for EU assistance…
Utilising personal stories from his interactions with the New York Police Department, Cardinal Timothy Dolan said in a newspaper column that the city’s police officers deserve better treatment and broad support on the job. Writing in the New York Post, Cardinal Dolan said police officers deserve to be recognised for the heroic work they carry…
A cardinal in northern Italy has said that the Covid-19 health crisis has created “immense” poverty in the area, and now is the time to rebuild, to take responsibility, and to share resources. Indications from local charities and soup kitchens show that poverty in Bologna right now is “immense,” Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, the city’s archbishop,…
Pope Francis has sent retired Pope Benedict XVI his prayers and condolences for the death of his brother, Msgr Georg Ratzinger. The monsignor, a musician and the retired Pope’s elder brother, died in Regensburg, Germany, July 1 at the age of 96. In a letter dated July 2, Pope Francis told his predecessor he was…
Supporters of Catholic education should not be passive in the face of threats to an authentic, faithful and confident religious ethos in Irish schooling writes Dr Tom Finegan The term ‘religion’ is mentioned only once in the 139 page Programme for Government (PfG) adopted by Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and the Green Party. On the…
As Congo celebrated 60 years of independence from Belgium, Cardinal Fridolin Ambongo of Kinshasa said the “great dreams” of the people had been shuttered by successive regimes. “We have known successive autocratic regimes that have come to power like the colonialist without any concern for the will of the people, and this continues today: by…
Archives reveal Schonstatt movement founder accused of abuse Documents uncovered from the recently opened archives of the pontificate of Pope Pius XII revealed allegations of sexual abuse and abuse of power against the founder of the Schonstatt movement, Fr Joseph Kentenich. Reports of the apostolic visitation made in the early 1950s written by Dutch Jesuit Father Sebastiaan…
The Sunday Gospel Fr Silvester O’Flynn OFM Cap. “The reason that I talk to them in parables is that they look without seeing and listen without hearing or understanding.” Jesus knew that people would listen to stories and remember them. Parable sounds like parallel. A parable is a story that runs parallel to life, like…
Dear Editor, Thank you so much to all at The Irish Catholic for your wonderful photos [IC 2/07/2020] of people returning to Mass. Although I was a bit nervous myself, I could not be separated from the Sacrament any longer, donning my facemask I left the house for Mass for the first time in so…