There are growing calls for a priest who was killed while facing down a “hail of bullets” to anoint a wounded parishioner in Belfast to be recognised as a martyr. Fr Hugh Mullan was one of the ten people shot dead by the British Army during the Ballymurphy Massacre in 1971. Last week an inquest…
A synagogue in Belfast received “intimidating” phone calls telling them to condemn Israel or face a picket, following increased violence in the Middle East between Israel and Hamas in Gaza. Speaking in a personal capacity, Michael Black who is the Chairman of the Belfast Jewish community said some members of the community felt afraid to go…
The Irish Catholic Spring Legacy 2021 A Last Act of Mercy Through legacy donations Concern helps families in Africa and Asia move towards self-sufficiency and education, preparing them for shocks like the pandemic, Chai Brady hears Levels of extreme poverty have increased by 7% for the first time in 20 years due to the effects…
Children’s Corner The pandemic has been a stressful time with everyone not being able to socialise or go to school for so long. Despite Ireland beginning to reopen, it can be tough to get back to normal life. Why not make something that helps people relax? Lava lamps are undoubtedly satisfying to observe, there’s something…
A priest and nine other Catholics shot dead by the British Army in Belfast in 1971 “were entirely innocent of any wrongdoings” and killed “without justification,” a fresh inquest has found. The coroner described the use of force by the troops as “disproportionate” and there were emotional scenes as families reacted to the vindication of…
Not one Irish prisoner has been transferred to the State from overseas in the last four years, with a Catholic charity accusing the Government of causing families “anxiety” and not reforming a “broken system”. The Irish Council for Prisoners Overseas (ICPO) expressed concern after the publication of the 2020 annual report on prisoners transferred into…
Church-charity Trócaire has welcomed Pope Francis’ call for universal access to Covid-19 vaccines and a suspension of intellectual property rights on the vaccines. The Pope made the call in a video message to the ‘Vax Live’ concert, an event promoting a more equal global distribution of Covid-19 vaccinations. He said a “variant of this virus…
There is a huge debt to Irish missionaries who have quietly ministered to Irish people incarcerated abroad, writes Chai Brady Pope Francis has often spoke of the need for reform in prison systems, to tackle the root cause of crime and to assist people in their efforts to reintegrate into society after serving their sentence.…
Irish boxing champion Katie Taylor thanked God after she retained her WBC, WBA, IBF and WBO lightweight titles after her victory over Natasha Jones at the Manchester Arena. After the win on social media, Katie said: “Thanking God for a hard fought victory. Thank you all for the support!” The star has always been very vocal about…
Westminster’s approval of regulations giving the North’s Secretary of State Brandon Lewis power to direct the commissioning of abortion has been dubbed “outrageous” and should be “challenged”. Precious Life said it should not be up to pro-life groups to defend devolution after the Abortion (Northern Ireland) Regulations 2021 were approved by MPs in Westminster in a 431-89…