Dear Editor, – I cannot be alone in finding the shadow boxing between Church and State over the issue of First Holy Communion and Confirmation amusing. The bishops are acting responsibly within their competence and are also acting with due regard for the common good. It is unprecedented for a democratic government to try to…
The Catholic actor who portrays Jesus in the hit crowd-funded series The Chosen has revealed how handing his life over to providence lifted a weight from his mind. The show now has 250 million views online, but it is success that Jonathan Roumie does not take for granted. He met the Pope at the Vatican…
Actor Shia LaBeouf has been cast as Padre Pio for a film which will focus on the life of the Italian saint. Veteran actor Willem Dafoe is also set to receive a role in the movie. A former Disney Channel star, Mr LaBeouf, 35, recently appeared in a video with a group of Franciscans, as…
Mayo-born Fr Michael Murtagh was “thrilled” by his county’s win over Dublin in the All-Ireland semi-final, which he attended in Croke Park. Based in the Dublin parish of Ballyroan, Fr Murtagh admits to a bit of banter with parishioners before and after the game. “I’ve two bears in the church,” Fr Murtagh explained. “I got…
As a wave of wildfires devastated parts of Greece, a Catholic archbishop said different policies might be needed to help prevent recurrences. “We must be much more sensitive and careful when it comes to ecology and preparedness – we don’t have many forests in Greece anyway, and much of what we have is now destroyed,”…
A plaque in memory of the late bishop of Derry Edward Daly has been unveiled at a hospital in Ethiopia to mark the fifth anniversary of his death. Unveiled by the Children in Crossfire charity – which Bishop Daly supported strongly – the plaque was placed in St Luke’s Hospital, Wolisso, Ethiopia. Crossfire’s founder, Derry…
The attorney general of Sri Lanka has requested the chief justice appoint a special trial-at-bar to hear cases against 25 suspects accused of involvement in the 2019 Easter attacks that killed 279 people, including 37 foreign nationals in three cities. The 23,270 charges filed include conspiracy, preparation, aiding and abetting, collection of explosives and weapons,…
An English bishop called on Catholics of his diocese to pray for the victims of a shooting spree in which a 3-year-old girl and four others were murdered. Bishop Mark O’Toole of Plymouth, a diocese that covers the southwest corner of England, described the August 12 massacre as “terrible.” “It is with a deep sense…
An anti-Catholic video targeting the election campaign of a potential successor to Angela Merkel has drawn criticism from bishops and politicians in Germany amid growing concerns about a wider erosion of religious freedom in an increasingly secular Europe. The video was published online and shown at an election event of the Social Democratic Party (SPD) in early…
Cardinal Chibly Langlois, Bishop of Les Cayes and president of Haiti’s Bishops’ Conference, has been injured, while a Catholic priest died early in the morning of August 14 after a 7.2 intensity earthquake shook Haiti. Speaking to ACI Prensa, Akim Kikonda, Director for Catholic Relief Services (CRS) in Haiti, said that Cardinal Langlois “is hurt,…