Primate of All-Ireland Archbishop Eamon Martin returned to his native Derry to celebrate the vigil Mass for the Feastday of All the Saints of Ireland on November 6. Here Dr Martin is greeted by students from St Mary’s College at the Mass at St Eugene’s Cathedral.Photo: Stephen Latimer

A delegation of 15 bishops, eight support staff and diocesan personnel have taken part in an information visit to the European Commission and to the European Parliament in Brussels. The group met with First Vice-President of the European Commission, Mr Frans Timmermans, the Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development Mr Phil Hogan as well as…

St Martin de Porres must have had trouble eating toward the end of his life, as he had only two teeth, according to Dr Paulo Miamoto, a member of a Brazilian anthropology and dentistry group that spoke at a presentation on the Dominican saint’s reconstructed face. Thousands of Catholics packed Lima’s Basilica of the Most…

Bishop Jozef De Kesel of Bruges has been named by Pope Francis to succeed Archbishop André-Joseph Léonard as Archbishop of Mechelen-Brussels and the effective leader of Belgium’s Catholic Church. Ordained in 1972, Dr De Kesel is regarded as a protégée of Cardinal Godfried Danneels, who resigned in 2010 shortly before it emerged that he had…

Papal visit to Central African Republic later this month is confirmed The Holy See has confirmed that Pope Francis is to visit the Central African Republic later this month, after doubts were raised about the planned trip when the Pontiff said it was his “hope” that he could visit the conflict-riven country. Despite the country’s instability, the Vatican has announced that the Holy Father will…

Church representatives meeting in Cairo have called for peace and coexistence in the region. The Executive Council of the Middle East Council of Churches urged “heads of state and religious and political decision-makers in the world, Arabs and Muslims” to work for the preservation of religious pluralism, saying it is “the most precious treasure of…

Mediawatch

The Pro Life Campaign has welcomed the result of a University College Cork debate where a motion on the Students’ Union taking a position on abortion was defeated by 36 votes to 31. PLC Deputy Chairperson Cora Sherlock, who spoke at the Philosophical Society-hosted debate, called the result “a positive step forward”, saying, “When people…

Ireland is to host three climate rallies on the eve of the upcoming UN Climate Summit in Paris. The rallies are scheduled to begin at 2pm on November 29, the day before the Taoiseach Mr Enda Kenny addresses the summit. Organised by such organisations as Trócaire, Friends of the Earth, and Stop Climate Chaos, the…