Students Holly Leech and Orla Carty describe a school pilgrimage to Italy
Courtney McGrail
Introducing a flavour of autumnal colour
Come autumn, I love decorating cakes and bakes with autumnal sugar decorations. A single copper oak leaf resting on top of an iced cupcake is the perfect accompaniment to an afternoon tea in October or November. If decorating an entire wreath takes too much time, simply sprinkle these sugar leaves on top of cupcakes, cakes,…
Good things come in small packages
Dear Editor, There was a major statistical error in Mary Kenny’s piece on the rise of strictly Orthodox Jews in Britain (IC 22/10/2015). The UK Jewish community is just under 0.5% of the total population not the 5% she quoted. This amounts to a community of just under 300,000 out of a total UK population…
State funding cut beggars marriage care agency
Staff reporter Savage cuts in State funding for marriage counselling appears to have beggared ACCORD with the Church agency relying on the hierarchy to give assurances to Bank of Ireland about the repayment of substantial debts. ACCORD has been hit by cuts of over 42% in recent years, and just days before the referendum on same-sex…
World News in Brief
Don’t back jihadis, bishop begs British A Syrian archbishop has warned British politicians against backing Islamic militants in his country. Speaking at a meeting in the House of Lords, Greek Melkite Catholic Archbishop Jean-Clement Jeanbart of Aleppo said Syria’s Christians supported Russia’s military intervention because it gave them fresh hope that the four-year war would end in a solution favourable…
Christians under threat, major report reveals
Britain’s Prime Minister David Cameron has hailed a report on Christian persecution as “a voice for the voiceless, from their prison cells and the places far from home where they have sought refuge”. ‘Persecuted and Forgotten?’, a report on Christians oppressed for their Faith 2013-2015 is a major report by Aid to the Church in…
Indonesian Christians flee after arson attack on a church in Aceh
Up to 8,000 Christians – Protestants and Catholics – in Indonesia’s Aceh province have fled their homes following an arson attack on a Christian church. Violent clashes broke out when a group of Islamic fundamentalists attempted to burn down a second church in Aceh Singkil district, leading to one person being killed and dozens being…
There is no manipulation of synod, argues cardinal
The Synod of Bishops on the Family is not being manipulated, rather the distortion rests in how it is being depicted or seen by a number of people, Cardinal Donald Wuerl of Washington has said. “I don’t think the synod itself has been tainted, but the lens through which it is being seen by many,…
Bishops’ small groups call for simpler, more scriptural language
Members of the Synod of Bishops would like the synod’s text to be clear, straightforward, and accessible so people can be encouraged to live the vocation of marriage and family life, and believe Scripture should be more prominent in the synod’s final text, including examples of holy couples and Jesus’ interactions with families. The 13…
Synod Briefs
Those affected by abuse need extra special care – expert Catholics who are too angry, disillusioned or afraid to return to the Church because of clerical sexual abuse need very special care, according to an observer attending the Synod of Bishops. Maria Harries, a member of Australia’s Truth, Justice, Healing Council said in an interview that abuse by clergy has led to a crisis…