Accused priest tries to stop trial A priest accused of indecently assaulting a young girl over 40 years ago has launched a High Court action aimed at stopping his criminal trial from going ahead. The accused denies a charge that he indecently assaulted the girl in the mid-1970s at her home while watching a film…
Junno Arocho Esteves Pope Francis said his recent visit to the United Arab Emirates, while brief, was a new page in relations between Christians and Muslims at a time when conflict and violence threaten the goal of lasting peace. Recalling his February 3-5 visit to Abu Dhabi, the Pope said during his weekly general…
Colm Fitzpatrick and Chai Brady Tributes are pouring in after a Laois-based priest died yesterday in a “tragic accident” involving his car. Fr John Cummins (52) of Abbeyleix, Co. Laois, died after an incident at his home on the Ballinakill Road yesterday at around 4.30pm. It is understood that no else was injured in…
The View Pól Ó Muirí In the trench warfare that passes for Northern politics, the news that Fianna Fáil and the SDLP were talking of getting spliced caused some interest. Some change, any change, is enough to get people talking. Then it emerged that, no, the parties were not going to marry; they…
Parishioners in Derry are “totally appalled” that a dissident paramilitary group would target their estate with a car bomb, a local priest has said. Fr Joe Gormley of Creggan told The Irish Catholic that the car bomb which exploded in his parish earlier this month has “frightened” residents, and particularly children given their lack of…
Pope Francis has said he is opposed to the idea of optional priestly celibacy in the Latin rite, and he would consider it only for very remote places if a serious need existed. “Personally, I think that celibacy is a gift to the Church,” the Pope said on Monday. “I would say that I do…
Elise Harris At Sunday’s closing Mass for World Youth Day (WYD) in Panama, it was announced that the next edition of the international festival dubbed the ‘Catholic Woodstock’ will take place in Lisbon, Portugal. While there are undoubtedly multiple reasons, it’s hard not to start with the fact Lisbon is less than an hour’s…
A prominent Christian actress was among the winners of the top prize at the Screen Actors Guild Awards last weekend. The superhero movie Black Panther took away the prize for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture. Guyanese-born British actress Letitia Wright (25, pictured), who plays Princess Shuri, the hero’s inventor-sister, has already…
The CEO of a Catholic charity for deaf people has said it is “absolutely critical” the Irish Deaf Society (IDS) continues to advocate for and educate the deaf community. This comes as the IDS announced they will have to close by next month if they don’t receive €300,000 in funding from the HSE. The CEO…
Church leaders have condemned bomb explosions that killed at least 20 people and injured about 100 others inside a Catholic church in the southern Philippines on January 27. They called the attack a “heinous and evil” act of terrorism. Allegedly, the Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the bombing, which occurred during Mass at the…