Bishop Xavier Novell Gomà, who resigned as Bishop of Solsona in August, has applied for a civil marriage license with his partner, who is herself a divorcee. However, various reports have revealed that there is no record that Bishop Novell, 52, has been dismissed from the clerical state, or has even requested such an action…
The spokeswoman for France’s bishops’ conference clarified last Wednesday that the country’s Catholic leaders do not intend to contravene the Church’s teaching on the sacrosanct nature of the confessional seal. The clarification comes after Bishop Moulins-Beaufort, the bishops’ conference president, was invited to a meeting with France’s interior minister Gérald Darmanin to discuss the possibility of…
In My Mind’s Eye: Walking Among Ghosts by Brigid Kavanagh; stories and poems compiled and edited by Sean and Declan Kavanagh (€12.00) available online at www.buythebook.ie, or by contacting pettitmaggie955@gmail.com Sean Ryan This 300-plus-page book is an anthology of, and a tribute to, the writing of 95-year-old Brigid Kavanagh, who puts to good use her keen observations of…
Mission Sunday Fr Hugh MacMahon SSC has travelled the world for his missionary work, including assignments in China and Korea. However, it was a location here in Ireland that inspired his recent book, Voices from the Desert. During a visit to the Skellig Islands, he pondered why individuals would choose such an isolated and difficult…
Nearly 20% fewer candidates for the Catholic priesthood have enrolled in Poland’s seminaries this year, when compared to 2020. Fr Piotr Kot, chairman of the Conference of Rectors of Major Seminaries, revealed that 356 seminarians began their studies in 2021. Last year, he said, there were 441 candidates, meaning that “the number is lower by approximately…
Anne Yeats: The Everyday Fantastic National Gallery of Ireland; Exhibition runs until 9 October 2022, Room 11 Admission free (book a free general admission ticket in advance) Anne Yeats was the niece of Jack Butler Yeats, and those who have seen the tremendous show of his painting in the NGI should be sure not to miss…
Pope to meet 500 poor from across Europe in Assisi Pope Francis will visit Assisi, Italy on November 12, where he will spend time with a group of 500 poor people from across Europe, the Vatican announced Friday. The encounter will take place as part of the Catholic Church’s celebration of the 5th annual World…
Dear Editor, thank you for your considered and may I say temperate response to the cringy attention-seeking comparison by Fr Roy Donovan of the Church to the Taliban (The Irish Catholic, October 14, 2021). In Jason Osborne’s article, Fr Donovan is at least clear in admitting that he used the extreme language precisely in order…
US archbishop: Covid vaccines morally permissible, but troops may conscientiously object The archbishop of the US military archdiocese believes that vaccine should not be mandatorily imposed on service members. Archbishop Broglio, of the Archdiocese for the Military Services, underlined in a statement ‘Coronavirus Vaccines and the Sanctity of Conscience’, that “no one should be forced…
Jason Osborne and Chai Brady Prominent Catholic laywomen have described comments from a priest comparing the Church’s treatment of women to the extremists of the Taliban as “very offensive”. Fr Roy Donovan, one of the clerics leading the Association of Catholic Priests, defended his comments this week admitting that it was an “extreme” comparison but…