Hopes have been raised that Pope Francis will visit Ireland as part of the celebrations of the ‘World Meeting of Families’ in 2018. The Pontiff announced at the weekend that he had chosen Dublin to host the international gathering, which takes place every three years. Popes have, with only two exceptions, traditionally presided at the…

The Chaldean auxiliary bishop of Baghdad has called on Iraq to return to its constitution, arguing that the country’s fundamental legal and political text “must clarify individual rights and freedoms” and lamenting that as things stand, “it is difficult to change anything and there is a widespread feeling of pessimism”. Dr Shlemon Warduni’s comments came…

The importance of human dignity was at the heart of Pope Francis’ first trip to the U.S., Greg Daly observes

70 new families need charities’ help every month

There has been “a huge reservoir of enthusiasm” for this weekend’s National Eucharistic Congress, according to Elphin’s Bishop Kevin Doran. Speculating that this passion has its roots in the 2012 International Eucharistic Congress, Dr Doran says there’s a striking contrast between the run-in to the Dublin congress, when “people asked whether it was a good…

Fears for staff safety have forced the Health Service Executive (HSE) to conceal the identities of staff who advised changes to a document on challenging pregnancies which has provoked the ire of pro-choice campaigners. Bereavement Care Standards following Pregnancy Loss and Perinatal Death, which details how the management of pregnancies where children were not expected…