One of Dublin’s historic churches has put out a call to men and women whose weddings were celebrated there to send in photos from the ceremony. Hundreds of weddings have taken place in Newman University Church on St Stephen’s Green, Dublin, since it opened in 1856 as the chapel for the Catholic University of Ireland…
Released in 1937 and directed by Jean Renoir, the talented son of a great French painter, La Grande Illusion set itself deliberately against the trend toward jingoism present in 1930s Europe. Set during WWI, it tells the story of French prisoners of war who continually try to escape from German camps; and about the German…
Australian Cardinal George Pell, former prefect of the Secretariat for the Economy and archbishop of Sydney and of Melbourne, died on January 10 in Rome. He was 81. Sources told OSV News that Cardinal Pell went in for hip replacement surgery January 10 and died of cardiac arrest following complications of the surgery. Beginning at…
Pope Benedict XVI’s interest in the North’s peace process and reconciliation was “greatly appreciated”, a former British ambassador to the Holy See has said. During his eight-year reign, the deceased pope encouraged Irish and UK political leaders in “their tireless efforts towards peace”, Prof. Francis Campbell told The Irish Catholic. “He often cited the example…
One of the oldest Irish nuns worldwide, 102-year-old Irish Sr Anthony Eileen Reidy OSF, died on January 1 in Assisi House, Philadelphia. Born in Cork, where she was a member of St Columbkille Parish, Ballyagram, Sr Reidy had been a professed member of the Sisters of St Francis of Philadelphia for 77 years. She entered…
Archbishop Eamon Martin was one of a number of Irish bishops, along with Irish political leaders, who reflected on the legacy of the late pope following the news of his death on Saturday, December 31. Archbishop Martin said he was “saddened”, remembering the pope-emeritus’ “gentle soul in prayer, asking God, in his great mercy, to…
Starring Catholic convert Alec Guinness as a mild-mannered bank attendant who happens to be in charge of shipments of gold, The Lavender Hill Mob is a whimsical 1951 comedy made by Ealing studios. It gets onto the Vatican’s great films list from 1995 under the ‘art’ section. It is an odd choice for the Vatican’s…
Just a few hours after retired Pope Benedict XVI died in his Vatican residence December 31, Matteo Bruni, director of the Vatican press office, provided a few early details of what to expect in the coming days. The 95-year-old pope’s remains will be in St Peter’s Basilica beginning the morning of January 2 for people…
Pope-emeritus Benedict XVI called for “urgent action” to address the crisis of abuse by clergy in the Church in Ireland, the Primate of All-Ireland has said. His comments come following the news that the former pope died this morning. Archbishop Eamon Martin said he was “saddened”, remembering his “gentle soul in prayer, asking God, in…
The late Pope Benedict XVI’s disgust over the abuse scandals marring the Church was made evident even before his election as pope. In his forceful Way of the Cross meditations, drafted in the weeks before his election as pope in 2005, he wrote for the world to hear: “How much filth there is in the…