First US head of CDF group dies age 83 US Cardinal William Levada, former head of the Vatican’s doctrinal congregation and retired archbishop of San Francisco and Portland, Oregon, died on September 26 in Rome. He was 83. When Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger was elected Pope Benedict XVI in 2005, he named then-Archbishop Levada to replace…
The Pope John Paul II Award is merely a gong with no real value unless those doing it “take seriously how the Gospel can help us understand where our society is damaging itself”, Derry’s Bishop Donal McKeown told young people at Knock Shrine on Friday. Speaking at the National Pope John Paul II Award Pilgrimage,…
Feel the buzz in Sligo With a modern awareness of how important bees are for our ecosystems to thrive, perhaps it’s time to learn more about these fascinating creatures. If you’re interested to find out about the ins-and-outs of beekeeping, look no further than Sligo where trained farmer Ailbhe Gerrard can show you the ropes.…
Dear Editor, On reading Fr Collin’s article (IC 26/09/19)) on the re-introduction of the prayer to St Michael after Masses in our churches, I was forcibly reminded of a recent report in your paper that the Head of the Jesuit Congregation has openly declared that Satan is not a real person but a metaphor for…
Youth Space We can open up a space to help people encounter God, writes Gerard Hanley “I’d like to believe in God but he’s probably not real”. This is how I expressed my faith to a friend when I was 13-years-old. I was setting myself up for a life without God. I hadn’t seen,…
Fall and Rise: the story of 9/11 by Mitchell Zuckoff (HarperCollins, £25.00) Felix M. Larkin Not very often do I read a book that I know will live forever in my memory. This is one such book. It tells the stories of a few of the victims of the terrorist attacks in America on September…
China harvesting organs from minority groups, activists say The Chinese government is harvesting organs from religious and ethnic minorities, a human rights organisation told the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva last week. The China Tribunal, which calls itself an “independent, international people’s tribunal” that investigates allegations of organ harvesting in the country, said…
Notebook Fr Bernard Healy As October rolls around again, I return to Rome to resume my studies. My first fortnight back will coincide with two significant events. On Saturday October 5, Pope Francis will be creating 13 new cardinals, and a week later he will be canonising Blessed John Henry Newman, the subject of…
Clergy have called for peace following the attack last month on Fermanagh businessman Kevin Lunney, which saw the Quinn Industrial Holdings director abducted, beaten, and dumped at a Cavan roadside. At a Mass in support of Mr Lunney in Kinawley, Co. Fermanagh, Fr Maurice McMorrow described the attack on the 50-year-old father of six as…
The power of Satan is real, and we must pray to overcome it, writes Fr Pat Collins CM According to Pope Leo XIII’s private secretary, when the Pontiff had a vision of demonic spirits about to mount an attack on the city of Rome he wrote the prayer to St Michael the Archangel. It…