A Dutch Catholic newspaper warned churches will continue to close in the Netherlands, where half of all Catholic parishes have already been dissolved amid plummeting church participation. “It’s never good to panic, but there are grave concerns about the way things are going here,” said Peter Doorakkers, an editor at the Katholiek Nieuwsblad weekly. “It’s…
Christian persecution around the world is a growing problem, says a new report from an agency that documents abuses against Christians across the globe. Worldwide, the report states, 260 million Christians are facing persecution. This marks a 6% increase from the previous year. The annual report from Open Doors, released on January 15, ranked North Korea first…
A Catholic priest in Co. Tyrone cancelled a political party’s meeting at a church hall over their support for abortion. Fr Eugene O’Neill snubbed a booking from pro-abortion party Sinn Féin to use St Patrick’s Hall in Coalisland after being contacted by pro-life campaigners. The parish hall had been booked for Deputy First Minister Michelle…
Catholic leaders in Germany have compiled responses from lay Catholics in areas related to who holds power in the Church, sexual morals, the role of priests and the place of women in church offices in preparation for an upcoming synodal assembly to debate Church reforms. More than 940 suggestions and questions had been submitted by…
Chinese officials have evicted members of the clergy, including a bishop, from their homes and are closing Catholic parishes in the Diocese of Fujian. While the officials cited “fire safety standards” as the reason for the evictions, all the clergy and churches affected have refused to join the Communist-controlled Chinese Patriotic Catholic Association. The CPCA,…
Galway’s Joe Canning offers an insightful glimpse of a lived Faith, writes John G. Dwyer Sports stars have a reputation for giving dull interviews. Generally, they are wary of providing hostages to fortune while seldom venturing meaningful insights beyond their own discipline. GAA players may be forgiven for this as they must live a life…
Official Sunday of the Word icon unveiled at Vatican An icon of the encounter with Jesus on the road to Emmaus was chosen as the official logo for the worldwide celebration of the Sunday of the Word of God. The colourful logo is based on an icon written by the late-Benedictine Sr Marie-Paul Farran, a…
From the Underground Church to Freedom by Tomáš Halík (Notre Dame Press, $US35.00 / £39.50) Frank Litton The 1950s were grim in Czechoslovakia. The promise of liberation had not delivered. The state acquiesced in a foreign-based orthodoxy which it imposed with brutality. Censorship stifled thought. It was into this Communist dominated world that…
The Diary of Elizabeth Dillon: A Gateway to the Otherness of the Past edited with an introduction by Brendan O’Cathaoir (Currach Books, €34.99) Frank Callanan This delightful book is considerable editorial feat. The diaries of Elizabeth Dillon are copious running to 38 journals, and have been rendered down by the editor without any…
Dear Editor, It was refreshing to read your comment piece (IC 16/1/20) about the need to set aside old-fashioned political loyalties in the context of next month’s general election. Far too many people with deeply-held religious beliefs are willing to leave them at the door when they go to the polling booth. Both the main…