The Pope’s direction to the newly-appointed head of the Vatican department which deals with discipline and defending the Faith to commit “more directly” to areas other than dealing with child abuse has been described as “very concerning”. Pope Francis appointed Archbishop Víctor Manuel Fernández of La Plata, Argentina, head of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of…
Gogglebox Ireland has put out a call for nuns and priests to be a part of their TV show, which focuses on friends and families across the country watching television and filmed to see their reactions. Series producer Gareth McGreevy has said they are hoping to cast clergy and religious as their new ‘Goggleboxers’. Speaking…
It is no secret that Ireland is facing a major drug epidemic. This was once again highlighted by a UN report in March of this year which found the country is the joint fourth highest consumer of cocaine globally – taking into account population size. The Global Report on Cocaine 2023 from the United Nations…
Abortion providers in Ireland have expressed moral doubts about the ‘service’, saying it can be “very, very difficult”, according to a peer reviewed article published last week. The article entitled “I suppose we’ve all been on a bit of a journey’: a qualitative study on providers’ lived experiences with liberalised abortion care in the Republic…
The Church in Ireland is in serious need of radical restructuring, the country’s newest bishop has warned. Paying tribute to the heroic work of priests, Bishop of Ardagh and Clonmacnois Paul Connell also insisted that more focus needs to be put on encouraging young men in parishes to consider a vocation to the priesthood. “Obviously,…
The lead chaplain for prisons in the North of Ireland has said they have found no grounds for a report that Catholic prisoners are experiencing prejudice from members of staff in a Co. Antrim prison. Speaking to The Irish Catholic, the lead chaplain to the Northern Ireland Prison Service Fr Stephen McBrearty said that in…
Catholic teaching on sexuality is not about oppression but “ultimate happiness” a barrister in the North of Ireland has said following a report by the NI Human Rights Commission (NIHCR) criticising the delivery of relationship and sex education (RSE) in schools. In the report the NIHCR noted that some schools were promoting abstinence before marriage as…
Irish bishops have been called to “open the doors” to “vibrant” African priests to re-evangelise Ireland by a bishop from a persecuted diocese in north-east Nigeria. Bishop Oliver Doeme of Maiduguri diocese told The Irish Catholic that Ireland must intensify its devotion to Our Lady to combat “the forces of evil”, after speaking at the All–Ireland…
Irish people should celebrate migrants and asylum seekers and let them know the country would be “poorer without their presence here”, the Archbishop of Dublin has said. Speaking during Ecumenical Bible Week in Dublin City Centre, which ran from May 28-June 4, Archbishop Dermot Farrell spoke about the importance of hope and raised the issue…
Many adults are still learning about and joining the Church despite cultural changes and challenges, writes Chai Brady. The most recent Central Statistics Office (CSO) stats on religious affiliation in Ireland could be pessimistically received considering the large – but foreseeable – decrease in Ireland’s Catholic population. While the 10% drop is significant, from 79%…