Happiness is not an ‘app’ that can be downloaded, while freedom and our true value can never be bought, Pope Francis has reminded thousands of teenagers. In a homily to a crowd of about 100,000 people gathered for a special Year of Mercy event for youths aged 13 to 16, the Pope urged the assembled…
Religion misused in Brazilian standoff Brazilian Christian leaders have expressed concern about how many members of the country’s Chamber of Deputies invoked religion when voting on April 17 to impeach President Dilma Rousseff. Carlos Moura, executive secretary of the Brazilian bishops’ Justice and Peace Commission, said the commission experienced “an overwhelming feeling of embarrassment and dissatisfaction over the words…
The Archdiocese of New York has rejected allegations that it had been planning to smear the Catholic journalist Michael Voris. Mr Voris, the editor of ChurchMilitant.com, claimed that the archdiocese had been collecting information about his personal life before he became a Catholic “with the aim of publicly discrediting me, this apostolate and the work…
Britain’s House of Commons has voted to declare that a genocide is underway against Christians, Yazidis and others in Syria and Iraq. The vote, by 278 votes to zero, marks the first time the House of Commons has declared a genocide while it was taking place. The motion, moved by Fiona Bruce MP, recognised that…
The four Missionaries of Charity sisters murdered in Yemen last month were models for all Christians, the Auxiliary Bishop of Nairobi has said. Speaking in the Kenyan capital’s Holy Family Basilica at a requiem mass for the souls of India’s Sr Mary Anselm, Rwanda’s Sr Mary Marguerite and Sr Mary Reginette, and Kenya’s Sr Mary…
Contract hitch halts audit of Vatican’s finances The first ever audit of Vatican finances by a major global firm has been cut short after – it is understood – the Holy See’s Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, raised concerns. The audit by Pricewaterhouse Coopers (PwC) was “suspended immediately” on April 12, it has been revealed, when Archbishop Giovanni Angelo Becciu…
Dear Editor, Archbishop Diarmuid Martin is rightly concerned about the “lazy narrative” on the Catholic Church from the main Irish media outlets, particularly RTÉ (IC 07/04/2016). However, this goes much further than a “lazy narrative”. It is now an all-out assault, not just on Catholic/Christian values, but on the very mention of God. For example…
Dear Editor, It is my opinion that a baby in the womb should be fully protected by legal safeguards provided by our Constitution. I cannot reconcile myself with the pro-choice lobby that abortion can be seen as a sensitive intervention in cases of fatal foetal abnormality. When these situations arise perinatal hospice care is the…
Dear Editor, I notice that, while The Irish Catholic is now featuring a great number of advertisements, the Letters Page is more frequently missing. Do you plan to restore the Letters Page? I can assure you that it is very popular – and much missed by your readers. Yours faithfully, Isabella Corr, Greyabbey, Co. Down
Dear Editor, Great prominence and praise is rightly given by the media to Pope Francis’ visit and care to refugees in Lesbos. Our Irish bishops could be more supportive of the leadership of the Holy Father in this vast humanitarian crisis. I wrote to the hierarchy some weeks ago suggesting that vacant religious convents and centres could…