Pope Francis has sent retired Pope Benedict XVI his prayers and condolences for the death of his brother, Msgr Georg Ratzinger. The monsignor, a musician and the retired Pope’s elder brother, died in Regensburg, Germany, July 1 at the age of 96. In a letter dated July 2, Pope Francis told his predecessor he was…
Supporters of Catholic education should not be passive in the face of threats to an authentic, faithful and confident religious ethos in Irish schooling writes Dr Tom Finegan The term ‘religion’ is mentioned only once in the 139 page Programme for Government (PfG) adopted by Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and the Green Party. On the…
As Congo celebrated 60 years of independence from Belgium, Cardinal Fridolin Ambongo of Kinshasa said the “great dreams” of the people had been shuttered by successive regimes. “We have known successive autocratic regimes that have come to power like the colonialist without any concern for the will of the people, and this continues today: by…
Archives reveal Schonstatt movement founder accused of abuse Documents uncovered from the recently opened archives of the pontificate of Pope Pius XII revealed allegations of sexual abuse and abuse of power against the founder of the Schonstatt movement, Fr Joseph Kentenich. Reports of the apostolic visitation made in the early 1950s written by Dutch Jesuit Father Sebastiaan…
The Sunday Gospel Fr Silvester O’Flynn OFM Cap. “The reason that I talk to them in parables is that they look without seeing and listen without hearing or understanding.” Jesus knew that people would listen to stories and remember them. Parable sounds like parallel. A parable is a story that runs parallel to life, like…
Dear Editor, Thank you so much to all at The Irish Catholic for your wonderful photos [IC 2/07/2020] of people returning to Mass. Although I was a bit nervous myself, I could not be separated from the Sacrament any longer, donning my facemask I left the house for Mass for the first time in so…
Gearing up for Mayo charity 10 km Looking for a day out and some exercise at an event that will help raise funds for the local and wider community in Mayo? Ballyheane Community Council, in partnership with Mayo Mental Health Association and supported by Ballyheane AFC will host a 10 km run/walk/jog. The run will…
Glenmary Challenge editor wins St Francis de Sales Award John Feister, assistant editor of Glenmary Challenge, is the recipient of the 2020 St Francis de Sales Award from the Catholic Press Association of the United States and Canada. The award – named for the patron saint of writers and journalists – recognises “outstanding contributions to…
The Sunday Gospel Fr Silvester O’Flynn OFM Cap. “I bless you, Father, Lord of Heaven and Earth, for hiding these things from the learned and clever and revealing them to mere children.” It’s easy to return thanks when things are going well and we are aware of God’s favours but it takes great Faith to…
The US should appoint a special envoy for Nigeria and the Lake Chad region to “focus like a laser beam” on the attacks by Boko Haram and other Islamic militants, according to one of the main architects of the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998. Former Congressman Frank Wolf said such a move was necessary…