The bishops have rejected claims that Catholic schools do not teach about facts in Relationships and Sexuality Education (RSE) classes. In their latest quarterly statement, the hierarchy responded to criticisms of the way RSE is taught in their schools. Health Minister, Simon Harris, said in a recent Tweet that RSE “must always be based on…
The US bishops have voted to revise what the US Church teaches its adult members about the death penalty in a passage on the issue in the US Catechism for Adults. The full body of bishops approved the revised passage by a vote of 194 to 8 with three abstentions. It now will need the…
Christopher White After three days of intense debate over the role of the laity in overseeing bishops accused of abuse or its cover-up, the US Catholic bishops voted to enact new standards for holding bishops accountable that include lay involvement, although stopped short of making it a mandatory requirement. While three major proposals were…
Launching the 25th anniversary celebrations for the Diocese of Keta-Akatsi, Bishop Gabriel Akwasi Ababio Mante of Jasikan said he was worried how charismatic and Pentecostal movements are affecting Catholics in Ghana. “For Catholics who remain Catholics and yet keep running after Jesus, from one to another crusade or fellowship or prayer camp, I am afraid…
A prominent African cardinal has called for restraint in Sudan, as the ruling junta cracks down on peaceful protesters in the capital city, Khartoum. Cardinal John Olorunfemi Onaiyekan of Abuja, Nigeria, said African religious leaders rejected the brutal response to the protests. He said the use of live ammunition, attacks on medical centres and arrests…
Any levies or taxes introduced by the Government to mitigate carbon emissions should not impact those living in poverty, the President of the Society of St Vincent de Paul (SVP) in Ireland has said. “The vast majority of the people that we visit rely on fossil fuels to heat their homes,” Kieran Stafford told The…
A Christian charity in Northern Ireland has welcomed the decision to clear a Vietnamese man of all criminal charges on account of him being a victim of human trafficking. Hung Van Nguyen (43), who had been living in Co. Tyrone, became the first person to be exonerated under NI’s Human Trafficking and Exploitation (Criminal Justice…
A Bloody Dawn: The Irish At D-Day by Dan Harvey (Merrion Press, €14.95) Joe Carrol The author, a retired army officer, has done extensive research to establish the role played by Irish participants (from the North as well as the South) in the D-Day landings in Normandy on June 6, 1944. He has also included…
The Mexican bishops’ conference has expressed its concern about the immigration and tariffs agreement reached between the governments of the US and Mexico. Mexico has agreed to take measures to reduce the number of migrants to the US, in order to avoid tariffs being imposed. Some 6,000 National Guard troops will be assigned to Mexico’s…
Pontiff releases World Day of the Poor message Pope Francis has challenged Catholics to be a source of hope for those in poverty, especially in the face of divisions in wealth and a throw-away culture. Last week the Pontiff released his message for the third annual World Day of the Poor, which will take…