NASA’s new Moon rocket to launch as soon as August NASA’s mission to return to the Moon, the Artemis programme, could launch its first uncrewed test flight as soon as August 29, the space agency said July 20. Artemis-1 is the first in a series of missions as the United States seeks to return humans…
Those in solitary confinement face higher risk of depression, anxiety and self-harm according to a new study from Queen’s University Belfast, writes Liam Fitzpatrick For a British prisoner in solitary confinement to have the same freedom of movement in his cell as a British mouse does in his cage, he would have to be two…
French parliamentarians warned that thousands of historic churches, many dating from the Middle Ages, will have to be sold or demolished unless government officials allocate resources to maintain them. “Like other Western countries, France faces questions over the future of its religious heritage given society’s growing secularisation,” a report for the French Senate said. “As…
Staff reporter Hollywood star Russell Crowe is set to star as the late Fr Gabriel Amorth, widely known as ‘The Vatican’s Chief Exorcist’, in upcoming movie The Pope’s Exorcist. Mr Crowe hit the headlines recently as he took in Rome on a holiday with family, including a trip to the Vatican Museums and the Sistine…
Now is the time for priests and people to plan creatively for a future together, writes Fr Gareth Byrne Unprecedented change is coming in the Archdiocese of Dublin. In April 2021, Archbishop Dermot Farrell formed a taskforce under the title Building Hope. The archbishop asked the Building Hope taskforce to assess the needs of the…
Pope calls for ‘covenant’ between humanity and environment Humanity can no longer ignore the cries of the earth that is suffering due to greed and the excessive consumption of its resources, Pope Francis said. In his message for the World Day of Prayer for Creation, the Pope said the current climate crisis is a call…
The six Irishmen and two of Irish descent whose cause for beatification has gone to Rome Servant of God Fr James McGinn Priest of the Missionary Society of St Columban. Born: November 15, 1911, Butte, Montana, USA. Died: July 4, 1950, Samcheok, Gangwon, South Korea. Fr James ‘Jim’ McGinn was killed in Korea July 4,…
MASKWACIS, Alberta – the first step of Pope Francis’ “penitential pilgrimage” to Canada involved him returning two pairs of children’s moccasins. The little shoes were not among the Indigenous artifacts held in the Vatican Museums, but rather reminders that Chief Marie-Anne Day Walker-Pelletier of the Okanese First Nation in Saskatchewan had left with Pope Francis…
The top representative of Europe’s Catholic bishops said the Vatican is changing its approach to the war in Ukraine because of the unlikelihood of a mediated settlement. He also praised the resilience of Ukrainians in withstanding Russian aggression. “Certain cultural ambiences can make us less sensitive to how things are seen in Ukraine. I myself…
Liam Fitzpatrick Personal Profile Irish weather gets a bad rap. Rainy and gloomy with some very short days, Irish people take pride in complaining about the climate. Father Donal O’Keeffe begs to differ. Amid the culture shock of assimilation to Korean life after living in Ireland for his younger years, he noticed one aspect of…