900-year-old sword found encrusted in shells off Israel A sword believed to have belonged to a crusader who sailed to the Holy Land almost a millennium ago has been recovered from the Mediterranean seabed thanks to a sharp-eyed amateur diver, the Israel Antiquities Authority has said. Though encrusted with marine organisms, the metre-long blade, hilt…
Bishop of Killala John Fleming will send a report to the Vatican outlining the views of Catholics in his diocese who want the Church to change on so-called “hot button” issues such as the ordination of women and the inclusion of gay people. Dr Fleming (73) gave the commitment as part of a listening process…
Ireland’s Catholic leaders have urged for constructive collective discernment to be used across Ireland’s dioceses as the Church in Ireland commences its two-year Synodal Pathway, which will eventually lead to a National Synodal Assembly in Ireland. Speaking at the launch of a We Are Church online event on the National Synodal Assembly, Bishop Paul Dempsey…
A religious sister who has worked in Muslim-Christian dialogue in Nigeria has said that inter-religious dialogue is vital in defeating those who want to use religious differences in a divisive way. Terrorist attack Sr Kathleen McGarvey OLA was responding to a question about a recent terrorist attack in Norway and the murder of Catholic MP…
A prominent Anglican bishop, once touted as a potential future Archbishop of Canterbury, has entered into full communion with the Catholic Church. The Rt Rev Michael Nazir-Ali, the former bishop of Rochester, England, has joined the Personal Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham. Early reports indicate that Nazir-Ali could be ordained as a Catholic priest as…
The founder of The Chieftains and pioneering traditional musician, Paddy Moloney (83), was described as a person who had a profound devotion to St Kevin’s Church and someone who “loved to come to worship frequently with recently deceased parish priest Fr Oliver Crotty,” by Fr Eamonn Crossan, speaking during Mr Maloney’s Requiem Mass. Reflecting on…
The three seminarians who were abducted from their seminary in Nigeria’s Kaduna state have been released, the chancellor of the local Church confirmed. “Barely 48 hours after their kidnap, our beloved brothers were released by their abductors,” Fr Emmanuel Okolo, chancellor of the Diocese of Kafanchan, said in an October 13 statement. Fr Okolo conveyed…
An inquiry to the HSE has revealed that there are currently 402 GPs contracted to provide abortion in the Republic, a rise on last year’s figure. A paper published by the National Women’s Council earlier this year revealed that, as of April 2020, 373 GPs had signed contracts with the HSE to provide abortions, indicating…
The Taoiseach Micheál Martin announced on Tuesday that all religious worship and weddings can proceed at full capacity from Friday, October 22. However, mask wearing and other protective measures will remain in place. This is the first time Mass can be conducted at full capacity in the South since March 2020, while this has been…
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…