Pope Francis said today that the greatest danger modern youth face is not the array of problems that surround them, but rather, the temptation to mediocrity – preferring to stay immobile rather than making a leap toward the next step. Pointing to the Gospel reading from Mark in which a rich young man kneels in…
Archbishop of Armagh, Eamon Martin, today speaking about his disappointment of no papal visit to the North and his excitement for the World Meeting of Families this August.
Papal schedule announced Archbishop of Dublin Diarmuid Martin has said that the visit of Pope Francis to Ireland in August “must not be just a once-off event” and insisted that the Church has to see it as an opportunity for renewal. Speaking as the Vatican announced details of the Pope’s visit, Dr Martin said…
Human rights activists in the North have welcomed a decision by the UK Supreme Court to dismiss an attempt to overturn the region’s laws on abortion. The challenge to the law was brought by the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission (NIHRC) but judges said it would have required the case to have been brought by…
The Irish diplomat credited with enhancing relations between Ireland and the Vatican is to return to Dublin after completing her post in Rome, Emma Madigan – who was appointed Irish Ambassador to the Holy See in 2014 – is to be replaced by Derek Hannon who is expected to present his credentials to Pope Francis…
Left-wing TDs Clare Daly and Richard Boyd-Barrett have complained that voters were “intimidated” when voting in the May 25 abortion referendum by being confronted with religious imagery in Church-owned schools. Speaking in the Dáil last week, Ms Daly said there had been “strategic location of religious iconography” in order to, she had been told “influence…
With just weeks until Pope Francis is in Dublin for the World Meeting of Families, attention is focusing on his teachings and what his message will be to the Church in Ireland. Over the next 4 weeks, The Irish Catholic will publish study guides to the Pope’s landmark documents – this week, Blueprint for the…
Religious freedom groups cheered Monday’s 7-2 Supreme Court decision that a Colorado baker had his rights violated when the state civil rights commission said he was required to bake a cake for a same-sex wedding. The Supreme Court ruled in favour of Masterpiece Cakeshop owner Jack Phillips, saying that the Colorado Civil Rights Commission showed…
The sacraments cannot be treated as mere rituals that can be approached regardless of one’s beliefs or morality, writes Fr John McKeever Many have described the landslide in the abortion referendum result as ‘a wake-up call for ‘the Church’, presumably meaning ‘the hierarchy’. However, the Church in reality is all the baptised, including those…
A prominent pro-life group has criticised proposals made by Labour MP, Stella Creasy, to remove any criminal sanction for those involved with abortion. Commenting on the June 5 Westminster emergency debate on abortion, Dawn McAvoy, co-founder of Both Lives Matter said: “Stella Creasey wants full decriminalisation which would leave abortion largely unregulated. It could allow…