Politicians have criticised comments made by well-known RTÉ presenter and satirist Oliver Callan following his statement that the Vatican is “literally the largest homophobic organisation in the world”. During his 9am show on RTÉ Radio 1 on June 12, Mr Callan also said that the Pope is “living in an enclave of total corruption”. Speaking…
Priests must be allowed time off to “recover and recuperate” as more and more is asked of them, the new Auxiliary Bishop of Dublin has said. Before his episcopal ordination on Sunday in St Andrew’s Church in Westland Row parish Fr Donal Roche told The Irish Catholic there is an urgent need to alleviate the pressure on the archdiocese’s priests.…
An enthusiastic Church-led youth group helped to shape new Dublin bishop’s faith and path to priesthood, writes Chai Brady Young priests are “very courageous” and countercultural in following their vocation in modern Ireland, Dublin’s new auxiliary bishop has said, adding that there is a need to alleviate pressure on priests who are tasked with a…
Pope Francis has formally recognised a miracle attributed to the intercession of Blessed Carlo Acutis, a 15-year-old Italian teenager whose birth in 1991 will make him the first ‘millennial’ to become a saint. In a meeting on May 23 with Cardinal Marcello Semeraro, prefect of the Dicastery for Saints’ Causes, the Pope signed decrees advancing…
There is a need to “restore” goodwill towards refugees while considering “the needs of everyone living in local communities”, according to the head of the Church of Ireland, Archbishop John McDowell. In a joint St Patrick’s Day statement two years ago, Archbishop John McDowell and Archbishop Eamon Martin called for parishes to support Ukrainian refugees…
A senior lecturer in Mary Immaculate College has written a letter of protest to the Irish bishops over the apparent appointment of a senior priest in Limerick to the head of the theology department of Mary Immaculate College. Dr Catherine Swift writes: “Pope Francis has written more than once that lay people must bear witness…
Mixed feelings reign among GAA devotee priests after the hullabaloo following Taoiseach Simon Harris’s criticism that the Munster Senior Hurling Championship fixture between Cork and Limerick was shown on the GAA’s pay-per-view service. Fr Harry Bohan AP, former manager of the Clare senior hurling team – a team he played on for eight years –…
An expert on Church history has said the need for a reorganisation of diocesan structures has “reached a critical point”. Prof. John McCafferty, based in the School of History in UCD, told The Irish Catholic that Ireland would be better suited to 10 dioceses, “possibly less”. The much-needed change, he opines, will not be hugely…
After the monumental changes in the West of Ireland, with three bishops now leading six dioceses, some may wonder what the future is for Ireland’s 26 dioceses considering the rapid decline of priestly vocations and practise of the Faith. Speaking to an expert on Church history it is abundantly clear that the established diocesan boundaries,…
Unless there’s an “overnight surge in vocations” more religious orders will relinquish parishes to dioceses, according to the PP of Gardiner Street Parish in Dublin which will soon become part of the Pro Cathedral parish. Speaking to The Irish Catholic Fr Niall Leahy SJ said the Jesuits’ decision regarding Gardiner Street Parish is part of…