The Sunday Gospel Fr Silvester O’Flynn OFM Cap. Our Gospel today, John 15:9-17, is a continuation of the statement of Jesus, “I am the vine, you are the branches.” The context is the discourse of Jesus with the disciples at the Last Supper. He has been telling them that his days among them in a…
Russian troops instilling fear in Ukraine border regions A Catholic bishop from eastern Ukraine said tensions remain high despite an announced withdrawal of Russian forces. “Nothing has changed – the great bulk of Russian forces are still here, as fighting flares intermittently and people still die,” said Bishop Stanislav Szyrokoradiuk of Odessa-Simferopol. “The east and…
Dear Editor, Michael Kelly’s call for ‘a more robust approach’ to the Government [IC 22/04/2021] regarding the criminalising of Church services is certainly welcome. As all diplomatic approaches have been ignored, I think one solution could be for the bishops to tell their priests to no longer close the church doors while Mass is going on…
Disney brings fantasy film to Ireland The production company working with Disney to bring a new film to life has set up in Enniskerry, Co. Wicklow. A large film set for the movie Disenchanted – sequel to Disney’s blockbuster Enchanted – is being built in the centre of Enniskerry village, with filming expected to begin…
The Pope is putting greater faith in the local Church and does not believe that the magisterium must intervene to settle every doctrinal, moral and pastoral dispute, writes Fr Declan Marmion SM The Catholic Church is typically structured as a pyramid – the Pope at the top, people at the base. Pope Francis wants to…
The religious persecution exercised by China and North Korea, restrictions on religious freedom in dozens of countries and the continuing threat of violence at the hands of religious fundamentalists belonging to a variety of faiths all have worsened since 2018, said Aid to the Church in Need, a papal foundation and Catholic charity. The problems…
Bishops across the United States on April 20 and 21 responded to the guilty verdict for former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, in the trial for the murder of George Floyd. Two chairs of committees at the US bishops’ conference (USCCB) issued a joint statement last Tuesday evening, after a jury found Chauvin guilty of…
The chairman of the US bishops’ pro-life committee April 20 called on the Biden administration to fund research “that does not rely upon body parts taken from innocent children killed through abortion”. “The bodies of children killed by abortion deserve the same respect as that of any other person,” said Archbishop Joseph Naumann of Kansas…
A Life on Our Planet: My Witness Statement and a Vision for the Future by David Attenborough (Witness Books/Ebury Press, £20.00) When this latest title from Sir David Attenborough arrived, quite by chance, I had been reading in my relaxation time some of his very first books. They recount his adventures in making the Zoo Quest…
Aontú’s Peadar Tóibín TD has urged President Michael D. Higgins to withdraw his recent comments which referred to schools in the North as “parcels of hate”, describing them as a “caricature”. “The idea that schools in the North are responsible for the division in the North is an incredible example of revisionism,” Mr Tóibín said…