In Brief

Ortega regime in Nicaragua shuts Catholic radio stations Nicaraguan police broke into Divine Mercy parish the night of August 1 in the town of Sébaco in the Diocese of Matagalpa to shut down one of the five Catholic radio stations closed that day by the Daniel Ortega regime. On Facebook, the parish broadcast live the…

Click here to subscribe

Legal abortions fall by 90% in Poland in 2021

The number of legal abortions taking place in Poland decreased by 90% in 2021, following a court ruling that banned abortion in the case of a foetal medical diagnosis such as Down syndrome. According to a report by the Polish newspaper Rzeczpospolita, data from the Ministry of Health shows that the number of legal abortions…

Click here to subscribe

Family News

Gorgosaurus skeleton sells for over $6 million at auction The first skeleton of a Gorgosaurus dinosaur to go under the hammer has sold for $6.1 million (€6m) at auction in New York. The specimen is 3 metres tall and 6.7m long, and had been expected to fetch between $5m and $8m. “The result places the…

Click here to subscribe

Vatican Roundup

Pope Francis appoints personal health assistant The Vatican announced August 4 that Pope Francis has appointed a “personal health care assistant”. Pope Francis has selected Massimiliano Strappetti, a Vatican nurse whom the Pope has credited with saving his life, to provide additional assistance as the 85-year-old Pope faces mobility problems. “A nurse, a man with a…

Click here to subscribe

Complaint about hymn but not pornographic pop music

Dear Editor, Yet another attack on Christianity in Ireland has thankfully been quashed due to the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland’s correct decision not to accept a complaint about RTÉ’s broadcasting of popular Christmas carol O Holy Night [The Irish Catholic – July 28, 2022]. In their decision they say: “The broadcaster notes that it is…

Click here to subscribe

Priestly celibacy not reason for abuse crisis – report

Staff reporter There is no “causal link” between priestly celibacy and the abuse of children, according to a recent report. The Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry published the finding in ‘The psychology of individuals who abuse children – Roundtable 1 Findings’. The experts stated that celibacy may involve problems ranging from many of those who are…

Pope set for showdown with Russian Patriarch

Staff reporter The Vatican has confirmed that Pope Francis will visit Kazakhstan in September and attend an inter-religious meeting in the capital city, Nur-Sultan. Francis is expected to meet the Russia Orthodox Patriarch Kirill – a vocal supporter of Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine – and impress upon him the immorality of the Russian operation. “Accepting the…

Click here to subscribe

Future is Bright for Down and Connor

Staff reporter Fr John O’Laverty (30) was ordained to the priesthood for the diocese of Down and Connor in the parish of Bright, Co. Down, on Sunday. Bishop of Down and Connor Noel Treanor, who ordained Fr O’Laverty, said it was a “joyful” day and prayed in his homily that God’s “angelic light” will inspire…

Click here to subscribe