The Sunday Gospel Fr Silvester O’Flynn OFM Cap. Two great prophets stride into our liturgical readings for the Second Sunday of Advent, Isaiah and John the Baptist. We usually think of prophets as people who foretell the future but that is only partially true. The real meaning of prophecy is revealing and proclaiming God’s presence…
China claims papal critique over Uyghurs has ‘no factual basis at all’ Following Pope Francis’ mention in passing of the Uyghurs as persecuted in a new book, the Chinese foreign ministry said the claim is groundless. “I think often of persecuted peoples: the Rohingya, the poor Uighurs, the Yazidi – what ISIS did to them…
Dear Editor,I write this email with great frustration, sadness, and disappointment, yet I feel compelled to express my feelings publicly in the hope that those in positions of authority, the media, politicians, bishops, and doctors, will act. I am living in Dundrum, County Dublin, a suburb of the capital. In recent days our community has…
Wristbands to help find missing people with dementia Wristbands which can help locate missing people with dementia have given families “peace of mind”, according to a BBC report. The bracelets, developed by emergency services and charities in Somerset, store essential information about the wearer including their name and next of kin. The information can be…
More than a third of Irish people plan to attend Mass this Christmas, when Covid-19 restrictions are lifted according to new research. In news that will bring cheer to priests and parishioners alike, almost a quarter of 18-24-year olds say they expect to attend a religious ceremony over Christmas while for older people this rises…
Cardinal Vincent Nichols of Westminster said he will not “walk away” from leadership of the church amid pressure to resign over his handling of child abuse cases. Cardinal Nichols, president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales, has faced calls from sexual abuse survivors, lawyers and the media to step down since an…
In 2020, the Shrine of Our Lady of Fatima in Portugal has lost scores of pilgrims and, with them, large amounts of revenue, amid coronavirus travel restrictions which have kept foreigners away. Pandemic Spokeswoman Carmo Rodeia told CNA November 18 that the low number of pilgrims has had “a profound impact on donations” to the…
Almost half the women presenting for early abortion services at a family planning clinic were already mothers, according to the clinic’s report. The Irish Family Planning Association’s (IFPA) 2019 annual report, which covers the first year of abortion services, analysed data from 177 clients for insight into who is having abortions. The IFPA report states…
The reconstruction of a church in Beirut severely damaged by the massive explosion that rocked the city this summer is a sign of hope to the area’s inhabitants, said a local priest. Fr Nicolas Riachy is pastor of the Church of the Saviour in Beirut, Lebanon. He told Aid to the Church in Need (ACN)…
A Dominican sister was shot in the leg as her humanitarian relief team came under gunfire from paramilitaries in Mexico’s southern Chiapas state. Dominican Sister María Isabel Hernández Rea, 52, was struck in the leg November 18 while attempting to take food to a group of indigenous Tzotzil people displaced from a hamlet in the…