Staff reporter American actor and Hollywood star Shia LaBeouf went on pilgrimage to the hometown of Padre Pio as part of his preparations to play the Italian saint in an upcoming biopic. Mr LaBeouf, who starred in the Transformers franchise, visited San Giovani Rotondo where Padre Pio lived and served from 1916 until his death…
Family and friends of Belfast teenager Fionntán McGarvey heard of how his “big smile, his love and his friendship, with his talent and sportsmanship,” lit up the sky in their lives during his funeral on Monday. Police have launched a murder investigation after the 18-year-old died last Thursday in the Royal Victoria Hospital. This was…
Staff reporter Following the recent raising of the age of sexual consent in the Philippines from 12 to 16, Irish missionary priest Fr Shay Cullen said they’ve experienced “a big step forward” in fighting child abuse in the Philippines. Based in the Philippines, Columban priest and founder of the Preda Foundation, Fr Cullen and his…
Chongli, a popular resort town and venue for the main skiing events during the upcoming Winter Olympics, holds a history of persecution and massacre of Catholics in the region during the imperial and communist regimes. The attention on China, host of the February 4-20 Winter Games, has focused on the coronavirus pandemic, diplomatic boycotts due…
Shannon Campbell The View Pope Francis captured headlines recently when, in his annual address to the diplomatic corps, he tackled head-on the growing phenomenon of ‘cancel culture.’ He was uncompromising in condemning it as a form of “ideological colonisation” which leads to “one track thinking”, ill-suited to addressing the challenges of our times. Cancel culture…
Pro-life Catholic leaders reacted with shock and disgust at an activist group’s projection of pro-choice messages on the facade of the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington DC, on the eve of the annual March for Life. The group Catholics for Choice took responsibility for the images, which were beamed…
Brandon Scott Independent NUI Senator Rónán Mullen last week called on Minister Stephen Donnelly to honour a commitment given to tender openly for an independent chairperson as part of the three-year review of the 2018 abortion legislation. Commenting on a Department of Health press release of 8 December last, which said “a request for tender…
Staff reporter The Government has decided to add a new public holiday to the national calendar to honour the country’s female patron, St Brigid of Kildare. The fifth Century abbess, who is one of the country’s three patron saints along with St Patrick and St Columba, founded several monasteries of nuns and her feast-day takes…
France’s Catholic bishops urged citizens to use upcoming elections to restore basic freedoms and “rules of civility”. “We are going through tough and perilous times, but fear is always a bad counsellor, whereas hope opens the way to courageous and healthy choices,” said the Permanent Council of the Paris-based bishops’ conference. “The risk of fracturing…
The Catholic Eparchy of Adigrat in Ethiopia has reiterated its urgent calls for dialogue and unhindered humanitarian access in Tigray, as the UN highlighted an opportunity for a peaceful settlement of the conflicts in the northern region. Father Abraha Hagos, director of the Adigrat Catholic Secretariat, said since December, the Church has been unable to…