The president of the Polish bishops’ conference confirmed the country’s Catholic Church will resist “LGBT ideology” as equality campaigners demanded the dismissal of an archbishop who branded gays and lesbians a “rainbow pestilence”. “People belonging to so-called sexual minority circles are our brothers and sisters for whom Christ gave his life,” Archbishop Stanislaw Gadecki of…
Dr David Carey discusses how to foster good behaviour in children Children are not born with a neural template to engage peacefully with others. This is a skill that must be learned by interacting with the environment, aided by parents and caregivers, including, often very importantly, teachers. If we take some time to look…
Over 1,000 young people will descend on Kildare this weekend to celebrate one of Ireland’s biggest faith festivals. The Youth 2000 Summer festival – taking place in Clongowes Wood College from August 18-22 – will see young people gather to celebrate their Faith in a fun and vibrant way. “It’s the biggest, most exciting youth…
The standing committee of the Panamanian bishops’ conference has expressed its concern over a migration reform bill, asking that it be humane and respectful of the rights of immigrants and refugees. They urged that immigrants and refugees not be seen as a threat, or blamed for the social ills affecting the country. The bishops released…
Personal Profile Madison Duddy I think that as Irish people, it’s part of our DNA to go out, and missionary work isn’t just about evangelisation. We evangelise through our development work with people,” says Sr Geraldine Henry, the Mission Development Coordinator for the Daughters of Charity of St Vincent de Paul. Belfast-born Sr Henry…
Catholics must accompany the excluded and discarded – Pope Christians are called to tend to the wounds of the suffering and the downtrodden just like the apostles who brought comfort and healing to those in need, Pope Francis said. The Church does not close its eyes when confronted with the sufferings of others but instead…
Notebook Fr Bernard Healy One drawback of Pope Francis’s pungent criticisms of the failings of clergy is the accusation that he is more inclined to criticise priests than encourage. In fairness to the Holy Father, it’s hardly his fault that his more colourful sayings make bigger headlines than the many positive things he has…
Bursting Out in Praise: Spirituality & Mental Health by Gavin Thomas Murphy (Messenger Publications, €4.95 / £4.50) The author has bipolar disorder, but he has put his own experience of this, and his own solutions to it in his own life, at the heart of this brochure, which many families may value for its non-technical language…
Dear Editor, Having just returned from the youth festival in Medjugorje, which I attended with my 13-year-old daughter, I can honestly say it was a fantastic experience! Over 60,000 young people from over 80 countries attended a five-day festival and clearly demonstrated how alive the Faith was, and is, in this small village in southern…
Caritas volunteer helps in flood rescue mission A 52-year-old Caritas volunteer helped rescue more than two dozen families from a recent flood in Karachi, Pakistan. Francis Javed, a father of six who works as a cobbler, told ucanews.com that he received a phone call from Caritas Pakistan Karachi at 11am on July 30. They warned…