Jenna Marie Cooper Catholics don’t pray that souls in purgatory won’t wind up in hell, because hell is no longer a possibility for them. We do pray because we hope that, through our prayers and sacrifices, the sufferings of their purgation might be eased and their journey to heaven might be hastened. Let us recall…
Archbishop Ladislav Nemet of Belgrade, Serbia, told OSV News that “no child should be a victim of violence,” following a school shooting in that city that left eight children and one security guard dead, with six students and a teacher injured. On May 3, a 13-year-old male student at the Vladislav Ribnikar Elementary School opened…
John Lavenburg A US-government commission tasked with monitoring religious freedom abroad has recommended the State Department designate five new countries as “Countries of Particular Concern (CPCs)” because of their engagement in, or toleration of, “particularly severe” religious freedom violations, including against Christians. In its 2023 report released on May 1, the United States Commission on…
Deacon Greg Kandra May 14, 2023 – Sixth Sunday of Easter Acts 8:5-8, 14-17 Psalm 66:1-3, 4-5, 6-7, 16, 20 I Peter 3:15-18 John 14:15-21 A few years ago, a colleague of mine made a pastoral visit to one of the forgotten corners of the world: Armenia. Here is a country suffering from devastations…
An art exhibit at the European Union’s Parliament building in Brussels, Belgium, has prompted criticism from conservative politicians in Italy for its display of a blasphemous depiction of Jesus Christ and the apostles. The artwork, a series of photographs by lesbian Swedish photographer Elisabeth Ohlson, includes one of a man who is meant to represent…
Dear Editor, Jason Osborne reported [The Irish Catholic – April 27, 2023] that pro-life politicians criticised the review of the State’s abortion law claiming that some of its recommendations violated a promise given at the time of the referendum. Mattie McGrath, for example, said “the report resembles the slippery slope that I and my colleagues warned about…
Tánaiste welcomes international Catholic award winner Tánaiste Mícheál Martin welcomed the winner of the 2022 Spirit of Francis Award from Catholic Extension, Loretta Brennan Glucksman, to thank her for her commitment to peace in Ireland. The Irish-American philanthropist, together with her late husband Lew, has been involved in philanthropic initiatives for over two decades, focusing…
Cultivating the imagination of a toddler is the best way to pass along the Faith, writes Jonathan Lewis Parenting a toddler involves allowing them to transport you into their world of adventure and imagination. Passing along faith to our toddler has involved introducing our child to a Catholic imagination for the world around us. Like a growing gallery wall, each year…
A Co. Tyrone community has been left “numb” by the crash which claimed the lives of three members of the same family, Fr Declan Boland said at the funeral for two siblings. Dan and Christine McKane and their aunt Julia McSorley were killed when the minibus they were travelling in was in a collision with…
During a Dáil debate, TD Paul Murphy requested an amendment to the controversial hate crime bill that would have weakened protection for religious discourse. The amendment, which Mr Murphy said would remove “as a defence for hate speech material that something is a reasonable and genuine contribution to religious discourse”, was turned down during the…