A Catholic priest burned to death on Sunday after bandits set fire to his parish rectory in northern Nigeria. The body of Fr Isaac Achi was found among the charred parish building of Saints Peter and Paul Catholic Church on January 15, according to the Catholic Diocese of Minna, Nigeria. He died after armed bandits…
The positive side to fear of God
Maria Morrow The word “fear” has such a negative connotation to us. We fear our kids getting hurt. We fear spiders. We fear failure. We fear a tragic and untimely death. In other words, we fear the things that we don’t like or want. And sometimes our fears stand in the way of our goals…
Peru’s bishops urge peace amid violent protests
Peru’s bishops have called on the country’s government to stop violence that claimed at least 18 lives in anti-government protests January 9-10 and has left more than 40 people dead and hundreds injured since early December. After expressing their condolences to the families of those killed and promising pastoral accompaniment to the wounded, the bishops…
Court rules Nicaraguan bishop charged with conspiracy will stand trial
A court ruled at a January 10 hearing that a Nicaraguan bishop, who has been detained since August, will stand trial on the charges of spreading false information and conspiracy. Bishop Rolando Álvarez of Matagalpa, who has been accused of “conspiracy to undermine national integrity” and “to spread fake news” appeared wearing a white shirt…
Pope: Cardinal Pell kept the Faith even amid tribulation
Cindy Wooden Pope Francis praised the late Australian Cardinal George Pell as a faithful servant of God and of the Catholic Church, who steadfastly followed the Lord even “in the hour of trial” when he was jailed for sexual abuse before his conviction was overturned by Australia’s highest court. Cardinal Pell died in Rome January…
In Brief
Spanish Christian lawyers demand series promoting paedophilia be axed The Christian Lawyers Foundation in Spain has begun an online petition calling for the cancellation of Scandal, Story of an Obsession, a television series that portrays the relationship between a 42-year-old woman and a 15-year-old boy. For Christian Lawyers, the series promotes “the most absolute whitewashing…
Irish politicians are stoking up Church hatred
Dear Editor, Without a doubt, a number of Irish politicians are continuously stoking up hatred for the Church in their poisonous, insidious speeches in the Dáil. Thank you for highlighting this [The Irish Catholic – January 12, 2023] and to the TDs who call it out. Not a day goes by when there isn’t another…
In Short
Record November homeless figures ‘disappointing’ – McVerry Trust Homelessness hit record levels for the fifth straight month in November 2022, with the Peter McVerry Trust calling the news “disappointing”. The figures, released on January 6, show that 11,542 people are in homeless accommodation across Ireland. The Homeless Report for November 2022 was issued by the…
Vatican Roundup
Old rivalries take centre stage at Vatican trial Francesca Chaouqui, convicted by a Vatican court in 2016 of leaking confidential Vatican documents, was back on the stand before Vatican magistrates January 13, testifying in a long-running trial on financial misconduct. Ms Chaouqui, once a member of the now-defunct Pontifical Commission for Reference on the Economic-Administrative…
C.S. Lewis and the ‘Wee’ County of Louth
The prolific writer had a particular love for one corner of Ireland, writes Fr Paul Clayton-Lea While on a journey back from Australia a few months ago I tuned into one of the offerings on the television and movie menu on the aircraft. It was a new series set in the US, and it opened…











