Judith Sudilovsky After 10 years of systematic work, the Old City of Jerusalem is more accessible to the disabled and the elderly. The pandemic-related shutdown allowed for completion of work of the last, most sensitive mile of the historic stone alleyways of the Via Dolorosa – the Way of the Cross. It took years for…
Climber banned for faking Everest ascent reaches summit An Indian climber banned from Everest after faking a summit of the world’s highest mountain has successfully scaled the peak for real, telling AFP he returned to “prove” himself. Narender Singh Yadav claimed to have reached the top of the world’s highest mountain in May 2016. But…
A Nigerian government official said June 9 that the insurgent group Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) is suspected as the perpetrator of a massacre at a Catholic church last week that left dozens dead. “We have been able to see the footprint of ISWAP in the horrendous attack in Owo and we are after…
Bishops in South Korea have moved ahead to pursue the canonisation of 81 Catholics, including priests, religious and laypeople who were martyred by communist forces during the Korean War. The Special Episcopal Commission to Promote Beatification and Canonisation held its closing session June 7 for preliminary examination of 81 Servants of God, the title accorded…
Pope urges Sicilian priests to be moral guides but to ‘drop the lace’ Pope Francis told priests and bishops from the Italian island of Sicily June 9 to be strong moral guides, and to update their art and vestments in conformity with Church reforms. “In Sicily, people still look to priests as spiritual and moral…
Choral Festival returns to St Patrick’s Cathedral After a two-year postponement due to the worldwide pandemic, the fifth Dublin Choral Festival takes place this year on Saturday June 18, at St Patrick’s Cathedral in Dublin at 8 pm. The theme is ‘Faith, Love, Song and Light’ and features a programme of classical, contemporary, and Celtic…
Dear Editor, One hears repeated reference to the notion of change of ownership of the Church. As written some commentary proposes to wrest the ownership from the ordained ministry and give it to the laity. However, one petition in the Sacrifice of the Mass, to wit, “look not on our sins but on the faith…
Staff reporter A new book on the Holy Land aimed at encouraging pilgrims to follow in the footsteps of Christ will be launched in Dublin next week. An Irish Pilgrimage Guide to the Holy Land by Editor of The Irish Catholic Michael Kelly explores a variety of themes, from an in-depth look at the important sites…
Staff Reporter Rumours that Pope Francis might retire have been fuelled by an announcement that he will be attending a feast initiated by a 13th Century pope who himself resigned. Speculation that the 85-year-old might follow in the footsteps of his predecessor Benedict XVI and step down from his post was prompted in early May when he…
CSO stats show almost half of births outside marriage The latest figures from the CSO revealed 41.5% of births in the fourth quarter of 2021 were outside marriage. The figures showed there were 16,250 births in the fourth quarter of 2021, with 9,512 (58.5%) of those registered as being within marriage or civil partnership. There…