Pro-life voters in the North are targeting the SDLP for the party’s refusal to intervene over Westminster’s imposition of abortion on the region. As part of their ‘Fight Back’ campaign Precious Life held protests outside the constituency offices of SDLP leader Colum Eastwood and Mark H Durkin. Organisers say the protests are in response to…
Leaders of Christianity, Judaism, and Islam presented a signed declaration to Pope Francis on Monday expressing their total opposition to euthanasia and any form of physician-assisted suicide, as well as voicing their support of palliative end-of-life care. The document was signed at the Vatican on October 28 by Archbishop Vincenzo Paglia, head of the Pontifical Academy…
Amid an unprecedented, massive uprising of the Lebanese population demanding a sweeping overhaul of the country’s political system, leaders of Catholic, Orthodox and evangelical churches in Lebanon assured the people: “We hear your cry.” In a statement following their emergency meeting last week led by Cardinal Bechara Rai, Maronite patriarch, the Christian leaders said of…
Catholics are being urged to mark the Aid to the Church in Need ‘week of witness’ by praying for those persecuted for their faith. Wednesday, November 27 – known as Red Wednesday – will see many churches and other buildings illuminated in red to recall Christian martyrs and those who have died for their faith.…
The political and economic protests roiling Haiti are causing unprecedented lawlessness and impunity, compounding the suffering of Haitians, said the head of an Italian foundation working there. “I know there are other situations around the world that are difficult and appealing for our attention, but here this is really a potential catastrophic situation,” said Fiammetta…
Ireland’s homeless crisis continues to worsen as Merchant’s Quay Ireland (MQI) has revealed new annual figures showing a 9% increase people accessing their services last year. MQI’s 2018 annual review saw a record number of 11,301 service users. Over 2,000 people availed of the charity’s emergency shelter and they provided 102,658 meals to the homeless…
A Texas judge granted Jeffrey Younger and Dr Anne Georgulas joint managing conservatorship of their son, James Younger, over whose gender identity his parents have argued in court. The decision, given by Judge Kim Cooks of a Texas Family District Court, means that both parents have equal decision-making power in their child’s medical, dental and…
A Ghanaian government official used a Catholic girls’ school celebration to emphasise the need to educate girls as well as boys. “The education of boys has always taken precedence over that of girls, and we normally use social and cultural misconceptions to discriminate against girls in terms of educational access,” Benedicta Tenni Seidu, director of…
Murder on the Missions. A True Story by Jean Harrington (Mercier Press, €14.99) Garrett Sheehan It was the murder of Fr Rufus Halley at Malabang in the province of Lanao del Sur on August 28, 2001 that led to this unputdownable account of the lives and work of Columban Missionaries in the Philippines during…
Fine Gael MEPs have voted against a resolution to step up search and rescue for refugees in the Mediterranean Sea. The European Parliament rejected the vote asking member states to step up efforts to save asylum seekers making the perilous crossing late last week. All of Fine Gael’s MEPs – Mairead McGuinness, Maria Walsh, Frances…