Two millennia of ties to their homeland keep Syria's Christian population from fleeing en masse, according to Aleppo’s Melkite Catholic Archbishop Jean-Clement Jeanbart. Speaking in Washington as part of a visit to raise awareness and funds for his ‘Build to Stay’ initiative, which aims to help Syrian Christians rebuild their lives and livelihoods, he said…

Blessed Junipero Serra was a “working-class missionary” who deserves to be made a saint and to have his record as a defender of native peoples made known, according to Archbishop Jose H. Gomez of Los Angeles. Acknowledging that Pope Francis’ plan to canonise the 18th-century Franciscan in September “has opened old wounds and revived bitter…

Catholic workers in the contested border region between Sudan and South Sudan are launching new efforts to make peace between the two groups that claim the isolated and oil-rich region of Abyei. Although South Sudan became independent from Sudan in 2011, several border areas have remained in dispute. A planned 2005 referendum on the region’s…

It could take 20 years for the Belgian Church to regain its credibility, according to Auxiliary Bishop Jean Kockerols of Mechelen-Brussels, who says the president of Belgium’s bishops’ conference wants Catholics to respect a court judgment against him for failing to act on abuse allegations. Liege’s Appeal Court ruled that Archbishop André-Joseph Léonard of Mechelen-Brussels…

The cause of unity is not optional, says Pope Ecumenical relations and dialogue are not “secondary elements” of the life of the Church, according to Pope Francis. Addressing members of the Anglican-Roman Catholic International Commission, the Holy Father said that “the cause of unity is not an optional undertaking and the differences which divide us…

The systematic reduction in the funding for Essential Needs Payments (ENPs) is placing severe pressure on struggling families throughout the country, according to the Society of St Vincent de Paul (SVP) The ENP budget this year (2015) is €27.9m, a cut of 55% since 2011. John-Mark McCafferty, SVP Head of Social Justice & Policy said…

An Argentinean bishop is leading the call for the beatification of a Co. Limerick missionary who died in December. Fr Liam Hayes, a Divine Word Missionary from Cappamore, had devoted his life to helping the poorest and most vulnerable in Oberá, Argentina. He founded several homes for children and adults with severe physical and intellectual…

The Irish Bishops’ Conference has launched a new website which outlines the Church’s teaching on marriage. The website www.meaningofmarriage.ie will host relevant material which has been published by the Irish Bishops’ Conference, its councils, and by individual bishops, including the pastoral statement The Meaning of Marriage, as well as comments from Pope Francis on the theme…

This year marks the 20th Bealtaine festival. Organised by Age & Opportunity the annual festival celebrates creativity as we age and is believed to be the world’s first of its kind. Bealtaine has grown to be one of the country’s biggest arts festivals, with an estimate 120,000 people taking part in this event. All across…

The Synod Hall in Armagh was packed to capacity as people gathered for a special evening: “Great people, great stories, come and listen.” The evening, organised by the Diocesan Vocations Team, saw two people sharing their vocation stories. The first speaker was Bro. Ronan Lennon, a St John of God Brother who has worked in…