Chai Brady discusses a new film about Pope John Paul II’s call for peace in Drogheda   The road to reconciliation in the North of Ireland was always going to be a long one, but St John Paul II’s visit to Ireland was a catalyst for peace according to a new documentary. Admitting there was…

Chai Brady speaks to director Callum Macrae about the killing of 11 innocent people by British paratroopers in 1971   “Revenge or punishment” are not on the agenda for families of people killed by British troops in Belfast  just months before Derry’s Bloody Sunday, a priest who served in the area at the time has…

WMOF 2018   The country celebrates Thousands of families gathered as the sound of church bells filled the air on the evening of August 21 as people attended events marking the beginning of the World Meeting of Families this year. All 26 of Ireland’s dioceses simultaneously celebrated the opening ceremony – with the lead ceremony…

The Pope in Ireland   Francis arrives back in Ireland Some 38 years after he spent three months in Dublin as a Jesuit priest, Jorge Bergoglio returned to Dublin as Pope. He made history by becoming the first Pope since St John Paul II in 1979 to visit Ireland. Pope Francis was welcomed by high-ranking…

WMOF 2018   For the hundreds of speakers and thousands of pilgrims who attended the World Meeting of Families Pastoral Congress in the RDS last week, it was a roaring success. People from 116 countries arrived in Dublin for the congress which ran from August 22-24 with 37,000 attendees throughout the three days. There was…

The Pope in Ireland   Visiting Áras an Uachtaráín The personal affection of President Michael D. Higgins for Pope Francis was evident when the Holy Father arrived at Áras an Uachtaráin. Mr Higgins has often referenced the Pontiff in his speeches and clearly sees him as a towering figure on the international stage when it comes…

The Pope in Ireland   Meeting the Taoiseach at Dublin Castle Pope Francis has said the clerical abuse of young people in Ireland was a “betrayal of trust” by Church authorities, and remains a source of “pain and shame” for the Catholic community. He also attacked our “throw-away culture” which strips the unborn of the…

The Pope in Ireland   An Taoiseach on Church-State relations Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has said that religion will continue to play an important role in Irish society in the future. In a carefully-worded speech to welcome the Pope to Dublin Castle, Mr Varadkar also said he hoped that the Pope would soon be able to…

The Pope in Ireland Chai Brady and Greg Daly   Meeting new families Highlighting how he is in Ireland to preside over the closing stages of the World Meeting of Families (WMOF) in St Mary’s Pro Cathedral, the Pope praised marriage as being “about a love that gives rise to new life”. Recalling how Christian…