A priest and a nurse working at a Catholic school in India’s eastern state of Jharkhand have been held in custody after being charged with sexually abusing a nine-year-old girl. Church officials in the state, where the pro-Hindu Bharatiya Janata Party runs the government, say the case was fabricated amid a hostile atmosphere generated toward…
Mothers have a vital role in children’s mental health and families staying together, new research suggests. According to a study by the UK’s Marriage Foundation in conjunction with Lincoln University, a mother’s happiness is nearly twice as important as a father’s when it comes to family life and the chances of a couple staying together.…
The Life and Times of Mary Ann McCracken (1770 – 1866) by Mary McNeill, (Irish Academic Press, €22.95 / £19.99) J. Anthony Gaughan This was first published in 1960. Ever since it has been valued by historians as an excellent biography of Mary Ann McCracken and a definitive account of the United Irishmen. Mary Ann was…
Reforms to RTÉ should not come at a cost to the national broadcaster’s regional public service role, Senator Rónán Mullen has said. Responding to statements that RTÉ is considering selling its Cork Leeside studio, the independent senator said this looked like “a calculated act of limited self-preservation for a model of operations that is already…
A law passed in the Australian state of Victoria last week would require priests to violate the Seal of Confession if anything in the confession gave them reason to suspect occurrences of child abuse. The new law carries a sentence of up to three years in prison if a mandatory reporter does not report abuse to…
The life of a bishop is full of surprises, Pope tells prelates New bishops need to prepare for a life filled with God’s surprises, with daily plans that change at the last minute and, especially, for a life dedicated to spending time with God and with the people, Pope Francis has said. “God surprises us…
Bishop Kevin Doran of Elphin will lead a special Christian Solidarity Pilgrimage to the Holy Land from February 16, 2020 for eight nights. Visiting Bethlehem, Nazareth, Jerusalem and the other sites associated with the life of Jesus, the trip will be a unique opportunity to experience the Holy Land with experienced guides. Co-ordinated by The…
Dear Editor, Chai Brady’s article about missalettes (IC 05/09/19) highlights a situation which has been allowed to continue for far too long and which needs to be seriously addressed. When the ‘New Mass’ in English was introduced in the late 1960s – as a result of the Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy from the Second…
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…