In the wake of the brutal slaying of three police officers in Chile, an act that shocked the conscience of the South American nation, the country’s Catholic bishops stressed the themes of violence and public fear in an April 30 meeting with Chilean President Gabriel Boric. Archbishop René Rebolledo of La Serena, who heads the…
Addressing the annual meeting of the Joint Managerial Body, the umbrella organisation for faith-based secondary schools in Ireland, Professor Eamonn Conway of the University of Notre Dame Australia said that three out of ten teachers under 29 years of age report not “witnessing” to Catholic ethos at all or doing so only to a limited…
The US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) released a new report last week highlighting the countries with the worst religious persecution in the world. This year, the countries topping USCIRF’s list of the world’s most egregious religious freedom violators were Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Burma, China, Cuba, Eritrea, India, Iran, Nicaragua, Nigeria, North Korea, Pakistan, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan,…
For the first time, an Arab Christian woman has been elected as the rector of an Israeli university — the University of Haifa. The announcement of Professor Mouna Maroun’s appointment was made earlier in April amid tensions with Iran and while anti-Israel protests were mounting at universities around the world. Ms Maroun belongs to the…
If you were to boil down the vision for a renewed ‘synodal’ Church in Ireland to one key aim, it would be listening. True listening means treating each person as an individual beloved by God, who has called each by name. That may sound pious, but it requires courage as well as humility, particularly when…
Muslim extremists set on fire several homes of Christians in Minya, a province in southern Egypt, in a continuation of anti-Christian violence less than two weeks before Orthodox Christians celebrate Easter. According to The New Arab, when anti-Christian fanatics failed to dispossess Christians of their homes in retribution for attempting to build a church in…
The Archbishop of Kinshasa, Cardinal Fridolin Ambongo, a consistent critic of the Congolese government and adviser to the Pope, has evoked the wrath of the Public Prosecutor General’s Office in the country as a consequence of several statements in sermons about the running of the country. The cardinal, who does not hold back with his…
A pathway running from the base to the summit of Croagh Patrick in Co. Mayo has been officially opened after the completion of a three-year building project carried out by hand. Thousands of tonnes of rock and soil were removed from the Reek to make it safe and accessible, as well as protecting the mountain.…
In a wide-ranging interview, Pope Francis’s top diplomat said a recent vote by the European Parliament to style abortion as a fundamental right constitutes a “radical attack” on human life. “When life is attacked in such a radical way, you truly have to ask what kind of future we want to build,” said Italian Cardinal…
When asked to open up about her most memorable moments in her life Riverdance dancer and captain Amy-Mae Dolan shared that getting the opportunity to perform in front of the Pope was one of the most career-defining highlights in her decorated Irish dancing career. Ms Dolan, who is from Aghyaran in Castlederg, Co. Tyrone, recalled…