Smoking and vaping have been added to the Confirmation pledge taken by young teens, which formerly only included a reference to alcohol and illicit drugs. Bishop Michael Router, Liaison Bishop with the Irish Bishop’s Drug Initiative, explained the rewording of the pledge on The Joe Finnegan Show on February 16, citing that the decision came…
New data from Amárach Market Research has shown that 63% of unmarried Roman Catholics in Ireland under the age of 35 want to get married in a Catholic Church. Their primary reasoning is religious belief, followed by tradition and cultural significance. Accord Director Tony Shanahan reacted to the data over St Valentine’s weekend, highlighting that…
In a bid to stop members of a breakaway traditionalist society from incurring excommunications through the illicit ordination of new bishops, the Vatican has offered a path forward based on theological dialogue. A February 12 communique published by the Vatican’s Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith and signed by its prefect, Argentine Cardinal Victor…
The Catholic Bishops of Cuba announced on February 12 that they have asked Pope Leo XIV to postpone their upcoming visit to Rome due to the country’s grave situation, which is generating “so much instability and uncertainty.” The bishops had been scheduled to meet Pope Leo XIV on February 20 as part of their periodic…
A member of the federal Religious Liberty Commission has been ousted after a hearing this week that featured tense exchanges on the definition of antisemitism. The ousted member, Carrie Prejean Boller, had defended prominent commentator Candace Owens, who routinely shares antisemitic conspiracy theories. Prejean Boller, a model turned conservative activist who converted to Catholicism last…
At least 69,000 families have been affected and 22 people have died in flooding triggered by extraordinarily heavy rains in northern Colombia. The Church has been working since the beginning of the crisis to deliver food and clothing to people who have lost everything, as well as to provide spiritual and emotional support. About 9,000…
As Valentine’s Day arrives and couples once again flock to Whitefriar Street Church to venerate the relics of St Valentine, the Carmelite prior Fr James Eivers says Ireland’s young Catholics are showing that love and faith must be rooted in depth. Speaking to The Irish Catholic, Fr Eivers praised the growing number of young people…
After a recent meeting with Pope Leo, the CEO of support service and charity for sexual abuse survivors One in Four Ireland has called for a dialogue with the Church on how to better protect children in online spaces. Deirdre Kenny, who has worked with the charity for nearly 20 years, recently traveled to Rome…
In the days leading up to the feast day of St Valentine, which happens to fall on a Saturday this year, the Carmelite priests and staff that occupy Whitefriar Street Church in Dublin city centre will be preparing for one of their busiest weekends of the year, with couples young and old traveling to pray…
On Monday February 2, David Ryan became the first abuse survivor to have a private audience with Pope Leo alone, an experience that he said he will “never forget”. Prior to meeting Pope Leo, Mr Ryan outlined his plan for the meeting: he had questions for the pontiff and wanted to share both his story…