Donal Harrington joins John Quinn for the very first episode of The Irish Catholic Podcast. This new podcast series looks at practical ways of revitalising Catholic parishes in Ireland today. Donal and John discuss what exactly makes a parish welcoming and hospitable; how parishes can engage with young families; and how Parish Pastoral Councils can…
Jacob Zuma’s resignation as president of South Africa is long overdue, the country’s bishops have said, noting that his scandal-plagued presidency fostered corruption and dereliction of duty at all levels of government. “The fact that Mr. Zuma has been allowed to hold on to the highest position in the land despite long-standing and overwhelming evidence…
There is a huge discrepancy in marriage rates between social classes in the North, a new report has revealed. ‘Mind the Gap: Marriage and Family by Social Class in Northern Ireland’, published by the Iona Institute, shows that for many of the more socially disadvantaged in Northern Ireland the dream of walking down the aisle…
Pope Francis often meets on Fridays with survivors of sex abuse, he has said. Speaking to a group of Jesuits in Lima during his visit to Peru last month he revealed that these meetings, which he said do not always become public knowledge, make it clear that the survivors’ process of recovery “is very hard”.…
Over one million Trócaire boxes will be delivered to homes and schools across Ireland this week in order to raise funds for vulnerable people globally. The charity’s Lenten campaign is Ireland’s largest fundraiser and saw €8.5m donated last year. This year’s campaign focuses upon the Koroma family in Freetown, Sierra Leone, who were affected by…
Ireland’s rising rents are “like a fever”, Focus Ireland has said, calling for the Government to implement rules effectively. Commenting on a DAFT report revealing average national rents to be €1,227 per month, with rents on the rise nationwide, Focus Ireland Advocacy Director Mike Allen said Ireland’s housing system is “truly dysfunctional”. “These massive rent…
Few people have considered how communities and nations actually tolerate and encourage human trafficking, particularly as it relates to prostitution, Pope Francis has said. Modern forms of slavery “are far more widespread than previously imagined, even within the most prosperous of our societies”, the Pontiff said during a meeting with an international group of law…
Fr Dermot Meehan has been elected Diocesan Administrator of the Diocese of Achonry, following last Sunday’s installation of Bishop Brendan Kelly as the new Bishop of Galway, Kilfenora and Kilmacduagh. Fr Meehan, who will continue in his ministry as parish Priest of Swinford, Co. Mayo, will now be responsible for the day-to-day running of the diocese and will represent it at plenary meetings of the Irish Episcopal Conference in Maynooth. The Diocese of Achonry, which includes parts of counties Mayo, Roscommon, and Sligo, has a Catholic population of 34,826 and 30 active priests, consists of 23 parishes and 48 churches
A Co. Down folk group has topped the USA Christian album charts with the equivalent of 9,000 album sales. Rend Collective, a Bangor-based Christian band who met through a Bible group formed by the band’s drummer, are planning a US tour after topping Billboard’s Christian album charts for their third time with Good News. Seven…
The US bishops have praised signs of progress against ‘abortion ideology’, in response to a State Department report on new limits to US funding for groups involved in abortion. “Abortion undermines basic human rights, certainly for the child, and it also can wound the mother emotionally and physically,” Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York said.…