A return to 50:50 recruitment of Catholics and Protestants into the Police Service of the Northern Ireland (PSNI) is needed to halt expected decline in Catholic officers, according to the Archbishop of Armagh Eamon Martin. Following a meeting of Church leaders with Chief Constable Simon Byrne of the PSNI, the archbishop said that while he…
Chai Brady speaks to an Irish missionary about the tense situation in embattled Bolivia An Irish lay missionary who is serving the local community in Bolivia is living through a political fiasco which has led to protests and violence that kicked off in October after a disputed presidential election. Anne Reilly of Viatores Christi was…
Meath-based priest Fr Ray Kelly has launched his autobiographical book in his parish of Oldcastle this week. Father Ray Kelly Hallelujah – Memoirs of a Singing Priest chronicles his life, humble upbringing and subsequent rise to prominence as well as the importance he places on his priestly vocation. The launch took place in St Brigid’s…
There are few more hotly-debated issues in Church circles than what to do about getting children ready for First Holy Communion, writes Chai Brady That Ireland is becoming less religious – at least in terms of the regular practice of the Faith – is self-evident. What is less clear is how to handle sacramental…
Exclusive Preparing children for Communion and Confirmation will no longer be part of the role of a Catholic school if radical new plans proposed by Dublin priests are acted upon The Irish Catholic can reveal. Archbishop Diarmuid Martin, who will make the ultimate decision on whether to implement the parish-based programme, has received the recommendation…
Understanding the “desperate” situations refugees flee from will help communities combat fear and influence from racist ideologies and politicians, according to the Bishop of Ferns. Returning from a conference about migration in Greece, which is on the frontline of the refugee crisis in Europe, Bishop Denis Brennan said there’s “always a possibility” that politicians will…
A historic Presbyterian Church in Belfast is to re-open next week as a new centre for the celebration of the traditional Mass in Latin. Bishop of Down and Connor Noel Treanor will preside at Solemn Vespers in the former Fortwilliam and Macrory Presbyterian Church this coming Tuesday with the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign…
A leading social justice campaigner has described the failure to use an historic building in Dublin for homeless accommodation that is costing taxpayers almost €200,000 a year as “a mess”. Dublin City Council are paying €16,250 a month for a property on 21 Aungier Street in the city centre despite not being able to convert…
Chai Brady speaks to an Irish priest who combats human trafficking in Vietnam Understanding why people risk their lives and pay extortionate amounts of money to be taken on perilous journeys across Europe is confounding for many people far removed from the causal factors behind the decision, but one priest who works on the…
There is still relentless persecution of Christians who suffer across the world due to violence and intolerance, with South and East Asia becoming ‘hotspots’, a new report has found. Aid to the Church in Need’s ‘Persecuted and Forgotten’, An International report on Christians persecuted and martyred for their Faith 2017-2019’, found that some Christian communities…