The Pope received US President Joe Biden and according to the US President, the Pontiff referred to him as “a good Catholic”. Biden was in Rome for the G20 Heads of State and Government Summit. He met with Pope Francis for 75 minutes on Friday, during which they did not reference abortion, a topic that…
Every Bush Aflame: Science, God, and the Natural World by John Feehan (Veritas, €16.99/£14.61) Dr Christopher Moriarty The first creation story in the Bible – the ‘six day’ account – is remarkable in being, in its essentials, a scientific document. Its writer observed nature and made deductions from his observations. Above all, he postulated the need…
Chinese authorities have kidnapped Catholic Bishop Shao Zhumin of Wenzhou, according to reports emerging from China. The Vatican confirmed Bishop Shao to lead the diocese in September 2016, following the death of his predecessor, Bishop Vincent Zhu Weifang, who was imprisoned for 16 years. The 58-year-old prelate was taken by authorities “on vacation,” adding that…
Cardinal Raymond Burke has maintained that Catholic bishops have a “sacred duty” to apply canon law by advising pro-choice politicians not to receive Holy Communion. Issuing a 2,800-word statement Cardinal Burke recalled his efforts to persuade Catholic politicians to defend the lives of unborn children while serving as the bishop of La Crosse, Wisconsin, and…
Self-driving race cars make history in Indianapolis The winner was not a driver but an algorithm at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, where the top car clocked an average speed of 218km/h, ushering autonomous vehicles into a new era. Setting the record pace over two laps, a team from the Technical University of Munich (TUM) won…
Dear Editor, I am a full-time worker with regular hours who doesn’t finish before 5pm, and prior to the pandemic I had little difficulty locating an evening Mass to attend on weekdays. Since the churches have re-opened however, I have found to my dismay that there is now a dearth of evening Masses (7pm-7.30pm) in…
Pope Francis donates €145,000 to Catholic Church in Syria Pope Francis has donated approximately €145,000 to the Catholic Church in Syria for its charitable work with the poor. Cardinal Leonardo Sandri, prefect of the Congregation of the Eastern Churches, announced that each of the country’s 17 ecclesiastical circumscriptions would receive roughly €8,500. The 77-year-old Argentine…
On the eve of the vital COP-26 summit on tackling climate change – a moment described as a red alert for humanity – Editor Michael Kelly is joined by Maggie Ngwira, Programme Co-ordinator – Climate Challenge Programme Malawi and Jane Mellett Laudato Si’ Officer both of Trócaire the Church’s overseas development agency.
Chai Brady and Brandon Scott Catholic schools should focus on celebrating the saints “instead of the demons” during Halloween parties according to a Rome-based professor of theology. Fr Richard O’Connor, a priest of the Diocese of Kerry who teaches in the Pontifical Angelicum University, told The Irish Catholic that he believed that dressing up as devils, witches…
One of Ireland’s leading psychiatrists has warned that interventions by Britain’s Prince Harry and his wife Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, risk triviliasing the experiences of people who are mentally-ill. Prof. Patricia Casey told The Irish Catholic that she was worried that the couple’s high-profile role and comments about mental health risk making people think that…