Claire Giangravè Only 11 miles away from the Turkish coast, the Greek spearhead-shaped island of Rhodes is accustomed to seeing Muslims docking on its rocky shores. In the past, religious knights took arms against these strangers, but today a handful of friars warmly welcomes them with food and clothes. When Franciscan Friar John Luke…
The return of Rohingya refugees to Myanmar has again stalled after Bangladesh and Myanmar officials failed to fix a start date for actual repatriation. A Joint Working Group responsible for overseeing the repatriation of Rohingya refugees held its second meeting in four months in the Bangladeshi capital Dhaka, but were unable to agree on a date…
Archbishop Eamon Martin and the Church of Ireland Archbishop Richard Clarke will lead people of varying ages and backgrounds on pilgrimage next week. To mark the centenary of World War I Protestants and Catholics will visit historic and poignant sites relating to the war. It will culminate in a reflective visit to the Island of…
Limerick sing song – come along! For enthusiasts of singing, sightseeing and entertainment, the Limerick Sings International Choral Festival will be returning for its sixth year, designed to offer choirs of all traditions an opportunity to come together without the demands of a competition. Limerick City has a long tradition of choral, opera and musical…
In a letter sent to all Catholic parishes over the weekend, Bishop Joseph Toal, who is responsible for safeguarding on behalf of the Bishops of Scotland, has marked the publication of new national safeguarding standards which come into force on Monday May 21. In his letter, Bishop Toal commended the publication of In God’s Image,…
A prominent pro-life group has said that if abortion on demand is introduced, “thousands” more abortions will happen in Ireland every year. Earlier in Dublin today, the LoveBoth campaign gathered together individuals and families whose lives have been saved by the Eighth Amendment. They gave a direct message to Irish people as they go to…
The Holy Spirit helps Catholics to do good works by giving them the gifts they need to be effective ‘salt and light’ in the world, Pope Francis said at the general audience today. Like Jesus said: “You are the salt of the earth… you are the light of the world”, the Pope said, explaining that…
Episode 15 of the podcast brings John Quinn into conversation with Fr Paddy Byrne of Portloaise Parish. This bumper episode features lots of insight, some challenging thoughts and many thought-provoking questions – so grab a cup of tea and settle in! Looking at how we can communicate the Gospel today, Fr Paddy and John look…
A leading pro-life group has condemned the actions of Minister of Health Simon Harris for “cynically” using the issue of abortion pills to argue for the repeal of the Eighth Amendment and has suggested that better solutions to this issue are needed. Speaking at a press conference in Dublin today, LoveBoth spokesperson Caroline Simons said…
All 34 Chilean bishops speaking at a Vatican news conference of Friday about the cover-up of sexual abuse in their country have offered their resignation to Pope Francis, the bishops announced today. Decisions about the bishops’ fate will be decided by Pope Francis in the ensuing weeks, where he can accept or reject the resignations.…