Tigray, is in the northernmost region of the vast African country, Ethiopia, bordering Eritrea. On November 2, 2020, in the midst of a global pandemic, a fratricidal war broke out. When the Tplf (Tigray People’s Liberation Front) organised and held an electoral round in the region without Addis Ababa’s permission and took possession of regular…

A consistory, originating from the Latin word consistorium meaning ‘assembly place,’ is a formal meeting in the Catholic Church led by the Pope and attended by the College of Cardinals. These gatherings serve two key purposes: to provide consultation on important matters and to carry out symbolic ceremonies. Over centuries, the consistory has become a…

  Tigray, in the north of Ethiopia, is going through a recovery time from a war that lasted two years, from 2020 to 2022. The ‘Tigray War’ has resulted in one million deaths and several food shortages. Last November, six Irish bishops accompanied representatives for Trócaire in a one-week visit to the country. This was…

Matt Letourneau In late 2024 it was announced that the Cistercians were to leave Mount Mellaray and the future of the monastery is uncertain.  Earlier in the summer we visited Melleray and spoke to the then Abbot and we decided to repeat the feature now as a tribute to the monks and the historic monastery.…

Faith has been a positive anchor for Dublin airport’s CEO during stressful times, Chai Brady hears   For as long as he can remember, the CEO of DAA (previously called Dublin Airport Authority) has said his Faith has been a part of his life and has helped throughout his business career. In an exclusive and…

Christianity is suddenly becoming a respectable intellectual choice again. It will take some time for this news to reach Ireland, maybe even another couple of decades, but next door in England, and in the US and Canada, we are seeing some movement by some leading intellectuals, and other people of influence towards Christianity. Some have…

Fr Paul Clayton-Lea Despite the turbulence and pressure surrounding the Church in recent decades the vast majority of Irish Catholic parents and many non-Catholic ones too, remain strongly attached to the choice of Catholic schools for their children. This confidence and determination of today’s young parents to defend and maintain their bond with Catholic schools…

Jean-Claude Juncker’s 70th birthday last month went largely unnoticed.  If not quite a forgotten figure now, Juncker has largely faded from international view having for many years been the leading politician in his home country of Luxembourg, and a key player in EU affairs, especially in regard to crafting the Maastricht Treaty, later crowning his…

The Papal Nuncio and the Bishop of Derry visited Omagh, Co. Tyrone to join the faithful who flocked to Sacred Heart Church to celebrate both its 125th year anniversary and the 260th anniversary of St Mary’s Church, Drumragh. Drumragh parish welcomed the Apostolic Nuncio Archbishop Luis Mariano Montemayor, and Bishop Donal McKeown of Derry to…

If you have ever visited Rome, you’ll know around almost every corner is a Church or ruin with some significant story to tell. San Clamente, which lies just some hundred meters from the Colosseum and has been under the care of the Irish Dominicans for the past 350 years is not just ‘another’ Church with…