Chai Brady and Róise McGagh Bishops have expressed cautious optimism for a return to public Masses before the Government’s July 20 target. At the same time, there has been a welcome for the decision of the northern Executive to put the reopening of churches as a key priority in easing lockdown in the region.…
Traditionally, the annual blessing of graves at Milltown Cemetery would have taken place on the second Sunday in May. However, because of the current pandemic and subsequent restrictions on movement and gatherings, it was necessary to adopt a different approach to the blessing of the graves this year. To mark the occasion, Bishop Noel Treanor [pictured] privately…
An influential umbrella organisation for bishops across the European Union has warned that restrictions on public Masses and other ceremonies are a risk to religious freedom. In a statement the Commission of the Bishops’ Conferences of the European Union (COMECE) has that basic freedom is at stake in the continent’s battle with the coronavirus. Fr…
Just hours after the publication of a controversial open letter, one of the signatories – the prefect of the Vatican’s Congregation for Divine Worship and Sacraments – said he did not sign it. Cardinal Robert Sarah denied signing the letter, titled ‘Appeal for the Church and the World’, which says the coronavirus has been exaggerated…
Eastertide is the perfect time to contemplate the knowledge that each dawn Christ rises again with us and with us dies each evening, writes John F. Deane I have been and am in lockdown in Leitrim. With my wife Ursula, we are classified as vulnerable. Without WiFi it has been difficult for me to write poetry…
How should the principle of a fair days pay apply to those who nurture, grow, and produce the very food we eat asks David Mullins ‘Social solidarity’ is apparently experiencing something of a renaissance of late. Acts of reciprocal kindness are increasing. Our hard-nosed individualism is being destabilised through a reawakening of a sense…
The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Myanmar (CBCM) has urged the Faithful across the country to join a day of prayer to overcome the Covid-19 pandemic. Pope Francis accepted a proposal from the Higher Committee of Human Fraternity for May 14 to be a day of prayer, fasting and works of charity to call for divine…
More Irish people are anxious to see a return to public Masses than pubs and restaurants with almost a quarter ranking churches in their top five. Amárach research asked people to rate which ventures or destinations they would like to open first, and whether they would feel comfortable or safe in them in terms of…
A Pakistan Catholic figure says the easing of coronavirus restrictions by the country’s leader is a “risky move”. Despite a record spike of new cases in a single day (1,523), Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan last week announced the lifting of the nationwide lockdown. Fr Saleh Diego, vicar general of the Archdiocese of Karachi, hopes…
Reaching out to school students the Primate of All-Ireland drew from Gospel asking them not to be troubled and “trust in God”. Both A-Levels and the Leaving Cert have been cancelled north and south of the border due to the coronavirus pandemic. Over the weekend, Archbishop Eamon Martin of Armagh in his homily for the…