Chai Brady discusses the upcoming Synod on Youth As the Church comes closer to a major discussion on young people, it’s worth taking note of the aims and processes behind what it hopes to address: a crisis in reaching youth. The Synod on Youth will be held in the Vatican from October 3-28 on…
People who deny the good work that the Church in Ireland has done are not being fair and instead are being driven by ideology, Bishop Donal McKeown has said. Referring to the Taoiseach’s speech with Pope Francis at Dublin Castle, Bishop McKeown pointed out how Leo Varadkar said “the Church in Ireland has done many…
The number of homeless people in Ireland is far more than 10,000 according to the CEO of a major homeless charity, and Government figures don’t “recognise the scale of the problem”. Speaking at the launch of Merchants Quay Ireland’s (MQI) 2017 Annual Report, outgoing CEO Tony Geoghegan said the figure of 9,846 in emergency accommodation…
Lack of vocations in Ireland is due to orders becoming “sterile” said the Pope during his private address to Jesuits during his visit to Ireland. The text of Pope Francis’ meeting with Jesuits, a regular occurrence during papal trips, was published almost a month after his visit to Ireland for the World Meeting of Families.…
Bishop of Derry Donal McKeown has expressed his hope that next month’s international summit of bishops on the challenges facing young people can breathe fresh life into the Church’s youth ministry in Ireland. Dr McKeown, who along with Archbishop of Armagh Eamon Martin will represent Ireland at the month-long Vatican event, told The Irish Catholic…
A scheme helping asylum seekers access third level education has been criticised by charities, who say it needs to be less restrictive. The Government has announced the continuation of the Pilot Student Support Scheme which was first introduced in 2015 and provides support similar to the current Student Grant Scheme. However the Irish Refugee Council…
In a record-breaking feat, hundreds of people named Cillian have travelled to a small town in Cavan where St Kilian is from. Mullagh was swarmed by 327 Cillians in honour of the saint, who is the patron of those suffering with rheumatism. The Cillians marched through Mullagh Fair led by the Corduff Pipe Band before…
Chai Brady discusses a new film about Pope John Paul II’s call for peace in Drogheda The road to reconciliation in the North of Ireland was always going to be a long one, but St John Paul II’s visit to Ireland was a catalyst for peace according to a new documentary. Admitting there was…
Attacks against Pope Francis in the wake of accusations of abuse cover-ups by a former papal nuncio to the US are “tactical” and politically motivated, according to a well-known Dublin priest. Fr Bryan Shortall OFM Cap., who was present for Francis’ visit to a homelessness shelter in the capital, said the Pontiff’s silence on the…
Chai Brady speaks to director Callum Macrae about the killing of 11 innocent people by British paratroopers in 1971 “Revenge or punishment” are not on the agenda for families of people killed by British troops in Belfast just months before Derry’s Bloody Sunday, a priest who served in the area at the time has…