Pope Francis prayed on Monday for lasting peace in the North, as the island of Ireland marks the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement. The Pope included the offering in his Regina Coeli prayer on April 10, saying: “With a grateful spirit, I pray to the God of peace that what was achieved in…
Good Friday at 25 Sr Liz Smyth’s Catholic education helped give her anger at the Troubles a productive outlet, Ruadhán Jones hears “We thought it was normal,” says Dominican Sr Liz Smyth, who grew up on the Falls Road in Belfast during the height of the Troubles. What was normal? Burned out buses on the…
Two families are suing the State after they aborted their babies based on alleged wrongful diagnoses, the Minister for Health has admitted. These are the second and third such claims made against the State, after a settlement was made in 2021 with a family whose baby boy was aborted after a wrongful diagnosis. “These were…
The Irish judicial system is “very lenient” on convicted paedophiles and needs to take a stronger line, according to an Irish missionary who fights human trafficking. Too often convicted paedophiles in Ireland get a “slap on the wrist and community service”, Fr Shay Cullen SSC told The Irish Catholic, calling it “ridiculous”. Fr Cullen is…
World famous singer-songwriter Michael Bublé has a “wonderful and personal relationship with my faith”, the star said in an interview at the weekend. Mr Bublé, who used to sleep with a Bible in his bed, also revealed in The Guardian that his love for his fans is inspired by their prayers. Speaking to his son…
Pope Francis has appointed Fr Paul Connell of the diocese of Meath as the new bishop of Ardagh and Clonmacnois. The appointment was announced this morning (Wednesday) by Msgr Julien Kaboré, Chargé d’Affaires of the Apostolic Nunciature in Ireland. Bishop-elect Connell (65) takes up the role after it was left vacant by Archbishop Francis Duffy’s…
School communities across the country have given their backing to Catholic education, as a highly-publicised pilot scheme on converting Catholic schools to secular ones is finding little push for change following “rigorous” consultation. Even Taoseach Leo Varadkar has indicated no desire for change in his own constituency. After dozens of Catholic schools and hundreds of…
Welcoming migrants and refugees to Ireland is our “solemn duty and noble tradition”, said Archbishop Dermot Farrell in his St Patrick’s Day homily. He hit back at those who “stir up hostility” and called out the lie that “some have claimed that they are motivated by a desire to defend our Christian heritage”. The archbishop…
Politicians need to learn that it is voters not the Church leading resistance on schools, writes Ruadhán Jones Almost everyone seems to be in agreement that Ireland needs to have a more pluralist school system, giving parents a choice of multi-denominational and Catholic schools. Bishops are for it, politicians are for it and the general…
A large crowd attended the Belfast Rally for Life to fight the imposition of abortion on the North by the Westminster government. One of the keynote speakers, Down Syndrome rights activist Conor O’Dowd, urged those present to help protect children with Down Syndrome, saying “I am here to fight abortion in Belfast today”. Mr O’Dowd…