IC poll finds 68% would support trip Northern bishops have vowed to work to overturn a Vatican decision that would see Pope Francis skipping a historic trip to the North during his planned Irish visit this August. There has been widespread disappointment at the fact that the anticipated papal trip for the World Meeting…
Colm Fitzpatrick explores how former carers can be supported With over 62,000 people having their time caring for family members come to an end every year in Ireland, a new booklet is promising to guide former family carers through experiences of grief and loneliness, as well as provide information on what steps to take next…
Personal Profile Colm Fitzpatrick speaks with a kidney failure sufferer Although organ donation is very rarely spoken about in a religious context, a parish priest is calling on all people to think about this worthy and self-sacrificing act. Fr Patrick Guilfoyle, who is now 72, has been a parish priest based in Tullaroan, Kilkenny,…
Narratives of religious decline in Ireland are overstated, a leading Church number-cruncher has said, as new figures confirm that Ireland’s young adults practice their Faith in surprisingly large numbers. Indeed, Irish young adults remain among the most religious young adults in Europe, with around 24% of young people attending Mass weekly, according to the latest…
Colm Fitzpatrick speaks with the director of an Irish St Pio charity With devotion to Padre Pio still continuing to grow, one woman is providing an opportunity for people globally to learn more about the incredible work of this modern saint. Eileen McGuire, who is the director of the Irish Office of St Pio…
Children’s Corner Scientific experiments are an excellent way to learn about the world around you and also allow you to create, imagine, and explore. Although in movies scientists are often wearing long white lab coats and are usually surrounded with test-tubes of bubbling liquids, you don’t actually need any of these things to do…
Personal Profile Colm Fitzpatrick speaks with a pro-life activist and campaigner Although Niamh Uí Bhriain is known for her passionate and vocal activity in the pro-life movement, her initial zeal and enthusiasm for activism has much deeper roots, originating from the influence of her parents when she was growing up. For them, it was…
Bishop Noel Treanor of Down and Connor has been elected as Vice President of COMECE at the 2018 Spring Assembly, which was held in Brussels earlier this month. COMECE, the Commission of Bishops’ Conferences of the European Community, is made up of Bishops delegated by the Catholic Bishops’ Conferences of the 28 Member States of the European…
A key Vatican official has resigned today after mishandling a letter written by former Pope Benedict. Monsignor Dario Vigano, Prefect of the Secretariat for Communication, has faced sharp criticism this past week for blurring part of a photograph of a letter authored by the former Pope, and for also withholding another section of it to…
The new Bishop of Ossory has warned all Catholics that if they fail to develop a “culture of vocations” we will no longer have a Church. Dr Dermot Farrell, who was ordained as Bishop of Ossory on Sunday, said that although those in ministry have a role in promoting vocations, the laity have a crucial…