Priests ‘unable’ to comply with new Confession law The leader of Tasmania’s Catholic Church has said priests in his archdiocese will not comply with a law that would require them to break the seal of Confession to report suspected child abuse. The law, passed last week, makes religious ministers mandatory reporters of child sexual abuse,…
A Bloody Week: The Irish At Arnhem by Dan Harvey (Merrion Press, €14.95/ £12.99) Joe Carroll Arnhem is the latest in the series of books in which Dan Harvey, a retired Irish army officer, recounts the exploits of Irish combatants in well-known battles. But the attempt to seize the bridge over the Rhine at Arnhem…
Get the food down-low in Wicklow At a time in our history when food is readily available at supermarkets, often pre-made, it can be easy to take this vital source of survival for granted. If you want to develop a deeper connection with the food you consume, why not whisk yourself away to the mindful…
Nóra Quoirin was a special bearer of the Holy Spirit and gifted others with immeasurable love and joy, the priest celebrating her funeral Mass said this week. 15-year-old Nóra, who had special needs, went missing during a family holiday in Malaysia last month, with her body being found after a 10-day search. Local police said…
Zambia’s bishops have urged South African leaders to do more to stop xenophobic attacks, and a South African archbishop has warned of a rising tide of hatred and violence in the country. “Xenophobia and its resultant chaos are not just criminal but cruel, barbaric and abominable,” Zambia’s bishops said in a September 7 statement titled,…
An estimated 20,000 people took to the streets of Belfast on Saturday to oppose moves from Westminster to impose abortion on the North. Holding signs with the simple message ‘not in our name’, protesters heard calls to lobby their politicians in a bid to restore the assembly and executive as a way to stop the…
With Hurricane Dorian leaving widespread destruction in the Bahamas last week, Catholic agencies are coordinating response efforts for those affected by the storm. “The devastation, especially on Abaco and Grand Bahama, is significant,” said Nikki Gamer, media relations manager for Catholic Relief Services. Dorian slammed into the Bahamas as a Category 5 hurricane on September…
‘Seek beauty, find Truth’ – the inspirational words from St John Paul II was the theme for this year’s Legion of Mary young adult conference held in Dublin. Those present heard that the Pontiff’s key to evangelisation was to encourage Catholics that “leaning on God, they continue to reach out, always and everywhere, for all…
Thousands participated in Saturday’s March for Life in the Costa Rican capital, urging that the president not sign a technical regulation for the performance of therapeutic abortion. The event was organised by Wake Up Costa Rica, Democracy in Action, and the Autonomous University of Central America. Joining the march were politicians who urged President Carlos…
RTÉ star Miriam O’Callaghan has said she regularly lights a candle in her local church on the way home from her morning radio show, and prays often to the Virgin Mary. In an interview in the Sunday Independent published over the weekend Ms O’Callaghan said she didn’t always have the habit of lighting a candle,…