Exclusive The chaplain of Dublin Airport has insisted he will continue the Christmas tradition of blessing planes whether that be from the altar or 35,000 feet in the air, following the announcement it is to be banned. The Dublin Airport Authority (DAA) confirmed to The Irish Catholic that due to “changes in security protocols”, the…
Catholic primary schools will continue to follow their own faith-based programmes which require teachers to have a religious education certificate despite pressure to remove the requirement, according to the head of the Catholic Education Partnership (CEP). This comes as the Irish National Teachers’ Organisation (INTO) announced after their annual congress the aim to engage with…
There is a risk Mass becomes “entertainment” rather than a source of nourishment, particularly when several services are watched a day, priests have warned. Watching Mass on RTÉ and on webcam was a great service during Covid and continues to be for the sick and elderly, but it “was never meant to be a substitute…
Schools in Ireland must be “a safe space for children of all religions” but this is not the case if students are given a “one-sided narrative” about the Israel-Hamas conflict in the Middle East, the Jewish Representative Council of Ireland (JRS) has said. The statement comes following antisemitism concerns of Jewish parents, who allege their…
As with most things ecclesiastical, change comes slowly and the last three papal nuncios pushed the Irish hierarchy to reduce the number of dioceses as priests numbers collapsed and attendance began to dwindle. The bishops for the most part resisted and the Vatican had a long running stand-off with them. This new nuncio, Archbishop Luis…
Pope Francis has announced monumental changes to the leadership of dioceses in the West of Ireland in a move that has long been expected, but has come suddenly. There will now only be three bishops in the whole of the West ecclesiastical province of Tuam after the biggest shake-ups of dioceses for almost 1,000 years.…
A priest based in Co. Limerick cathedral has praised the Faith of foreign nationals who he says can “be an example to people in Ireland”. Fr Leo McDonnell of St John’s Cathedral, Limerick warned against anti-immigrant sentiment in the country following large numbers of Ukrainians fleeing war and other asylum seekers from across the world.…
The Church must do more to reach young people “suffering from anxiety” and “swamped with social media”, according to the Auxiliary Bishop-elect of the Archdiocese of Dublin. The Easter message of Christ’s victory over death is an opportunity to bring his personal message of love to youth despite a “much more secular culture”, Bishop-elect Donal…
EXCLUSIVE True witness to the Faith is the answer to declining vocations in Ireland, not married priests, the Vatican’s cardinal for clergy has insisted during a visit to Knock shrine, Co. Mayo. Cardinal Lazzaro You Heung-sik, Prefect of the Dicastery for the Clergy told The Irish Catholic that there are those who call for an…
There is “concern” and “frustration” in the Dublin parish where a tent city of asylum seekers has cropped up due to lack of accommodation, according to the parish priest. Fr Enda Cunningham, Administrator of Westland Row parish, spoke to The Irish Catholic about the controversial settlement of people seeking international protection on Mount Street, outside…