"No cell is so isolated it can exclude the Lord. Tell the prisoners I pray for them. They are in my heart. Pray to the Lord and the Virgin Mary that they can successfully overcome this difficult period of their lives. Tell themÖthat the Lord is not standing outside of their cell, outside the prison.…

Vatican – The newly-appointed Vatican Secretary of State, Archbishop Pietro Parolin is recuperating after his recent surgery, the Holy See Press Office has said. In a statement last weekend, the office said: "As is known, he recently underwent a surgical procedure, which took place in Padua in the department of hepatobiliary surgery in the university…

United Nations – Archbishop Francis Chullikatt, the Apostolic Nuncio and Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the United Nations has called on the international community to seize the opportunity in disarming weapons of mass destruction. During an address to the UN General Assembly last week, the archbishop said recent moves on chemical weapons in…

Germany – The Vatican has announced that the Vicar General of the German Diocese of Limburg will administer the troubled diocese following the removal of Bishop Franz-Peter Tebartz-van Elst, whose €31 million spend on his house caused uproar in the country. According to the Vatican press office, Pope Francis authorised "a period of leave outside…

Pope Francis welcomed the Burmese opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi to the Vatican on Monday. The Vatican Press Office reported the Popeís delight at greeting Ms Suu Kyi, "one of the most significant personalities in Asia in the area of peace, democracy and peaceful coexistence", a woman who spent 15 years under house arrest…

RTÉ broadcaster Marty Whelan has spoken of the strength he gained from his faith following the recent death of his mother. Speaking on the last episode of Beyond Belief for this season, to be broadcast on RTÉ 1 next Monday night, Whelan says: “I am a believer, absolutely. I have a great faith in God.”…

The Church of Ireland has become embroiled in a major internal row following allegations of sectarianism from one of its leading prelates. Last week, as he addressed annual diocesan synods of his Church, Archbishop Michael Jackson of Dublin related his own “bitter experience” of sectarianism within his Church, stressing that “sectarianism is alive” in the…

Sunday service plan ‘solid and sensible’

Hundreds of people gathered in Belfast city centre last Saturday to ‘Witness to Life’ during an event marking the first anniversary of the establishment of a Marie Stopes clinic there. Organised by the pro-life group Precious Life, the event drew participants from across Ireland who back Precious Life’s campaign to force the closure of the…