A Cork priest who died early last year left estate worth over €1m in his will. Fr John Cotter, the former parish priest of St Patrick’s Church on Cork’s Lower Glanmire Road, died on February 2, 2017, leaving a total estate of €1,160,008. One of nine children, Fr Cotter was born in Rossmore, Co. Cork,…
Due to a lack of priests the Diocese of Clogher is reducing the number of Masses by 15%. Effective from the first weekend of October, the changes come on foot of a recent pastoral letter by diocesan administrator Msgr Joseph McGuinness which highlighted the fact there are just 58 priests in active ministry in the…
The Notebook Fr Conor McDonough An awful lot has happened in the Church since the World Meeting of Families just two short weeks ago. When that fact is combined with the muted response to the event itself on the part of many Irish people, there is a danger that believers who participated joyfully in…
A lighthouse that hooks For those in the family with an interest in Irish history, the famous Hook Lighthouse will be offering special guided tours as a part of Culture Night on September 21. For the third year running, you’ll be able to access one of the oldest lighthouses in the world extra late as…
Pat O’Kelly With the RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra bringing Mahler’s Resurrection Symphony to the National Concert Hall and Irish National Opera unveiling its production of Offenbach’s The Tales of Hoffmann simultaneously in Dublin’s O’Reilly Theatre tomorrow evening, it can be safely said that the 2018/19 ‘classical’ season is well underway. It actually began at…
Dear Editor, A leaked Irish cabinet document has revealed that the Government expects the number of Irish abortions to rise similar to other countries, after abortion legalisation. In the UK, the number of abortions increased by over 600% in the first five years after the passage of the 1967 Abortion Act. One in five UK…
Hannah Brockhaus Pope Francis has called for all the presidents of the Catholic bishops’ conferences of the world to meet at the Vatican in February to discuss the issue of sexual abuse of minors. A statement from the Pope’s cardinal advisory board today said, “The Holy Father Francis, hearing the Council of Cardinals, decided…
Pope Francis has said the answer to division and scandal should be silence and prayer, and asked the Lord for the grace to discern when it is better to speak or to remain quiet. “With people who do not have good will, with people who seek only scandal, who seek only division, who seek only…
A new crisis pregnancy centre in Buenos Aires will welcome women facing difficult pregnancies, offering resources, counselling, and medical support. The ‘Home of the Motherly Embrace’ is being opened in response to a July proposal by a group of priests who work in the poorest areas of the cities. The goal is to meet the…
A top Chilean cardinal who has been summoned by civil prosecutors to testify over allegations that he covered up clerical sexual abuse has told the priests of his archdiocese that the “crimes” of the Church have contributed to a “climate of tension” being lived in the country. According to local media, Cardinal Ricardo Ezzati of…