If we enter fully into Holy Week our observance of Lent and our celebration of Easter will be deepened beyond measure, writes Fr Martin Browne OSB I got a promotional email from a hotel during the week, trying to interest me in some of their seasonal special offers. It loudly proclaimed that “Easter is for…
Archbishop Wilton Gregory, set to become the new head of the Archdiocese of Washington, promised to serve with truth, love and tenderness in a region where he acknowledged “unrest and anger”, after the downfall of former Washington Cardinal Theodore McCarrick and the Church’s current sex abuse scandal. “I want to offer you hope. I will…
The state of Texas has banned all prison chaplains from its execution chamber, following a Supreme Court decision that halted the execution of a Buddhist man who was denied the presence of his chaplain. Patrick Murphy had been scheduled to die last Thursday. Mr Murphy requested access to a Buddhist minister a month before his…
Dissident republican groups bent on creating friction and curtailing free speech is a “form of fascism”, a Derry-based priest has said. Fr Joe Gormley of Creggan parish told this newspaper that attempts to stop the police from talking to young people about critical issues shows the “fascist element” of dissident republicanism. His comments after the…
Vaping acts as a replacement nicotine source which may precipitate a new public health crisis, writes Hannah Harn Cigarette smoking, which causes nearly 6,000 deaths in Ireland each year, is on the decline. The annual Healthy Ireland Survey found that the prevalence of smoking dropped from 23% in 2015 to 20% in 2018, and…
The majority of people would reject the introduction of female deacons to their parish according to a survey conducted by this paper. Over 1,300 people responded to a social media survey with two-thirds saying they would not support their diocese if this was considered. Overall 979 people voted against the idea, while 361 approved. This…
Brunei has implemented a sharia penal code that punishes such crimes as adultery, sodomy, rape and blasphemy of Muhammad with the death penalty. “Brunei Darussalam has always been practising a dual legal system, one that is based on the Syariah Law and the other on Common Law,” Brunei’s prime minister’s office said at the end of…
The Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS) this week launched #ThePowerofVote campaign, calling on citizens to use their vote in the upcoming European Parliament elections to protect the rights of asylum seekers and refugees. Recent practices in Europe, such as the absence of safe and legal pathways to protection; the extensive use of detention of asylum seekers;…
Inés San Martín When she first heard that Pope Francis wanted her to write the meditations for the world’s most followed Way of the Cross ceremony, Italian Sr Eugenia Bonetti said she was “embarrassed” but soon realised that it could be a “great opportunity”. An opportunity “not for me, but for the many people who through…
Australia’s Catholic population fell by 2.7% between 2011 and 2016, but Catholics are more likely to have a higher education, according to an analysis of census data by the National Centre for Pastoral Research. Analysing statistics from the country’s 2016 census, the centre reported on April 4 in its ‘Social Profile of the Catholic Community…