A priest who ministered to a journalist murdered by paramilitaries as she lay dying has described her killers as “anti-Christ”. Lyra McKee was shot on Holy Thursday evening while she covered a riot in the Creggan area of Derry City. Ms McKee (29) was murdered by a gunman who was shooting at the police. The…
Bishops across Ireland have urged parishioners and clergy to draw young people to religious life in a hope of curbing ongoing priestly decline. In a series of homilies for the annual Chrism Mass, prelates warned that the shortage of priests in the country will soon lead to “significant change” in dioceses and called for a…
A prominent pro-life group has welcomed the Taoiseach’s admission that introducing exclusion zone legislation would restrict free speech. Responding to Sinn Féin TD Louise O’Reilly in the Dáil earlier this week on the issue of exclusion zones outside abortion facilities, the Taoiseach confirmed that the proposed new law was running into difficulties around issues to…
Archbishop Diarmuid Martin has warned the Society of St Vincent de Paul not to shy away from its Catholic identity and values. It comes amidst concerns expressed by some members that the organisation risks drifting away from its religious roots towards a generic ideal of secular charity. In a pointed homily given at a Mass…
Tottenham Hotspur footballer Lucas Moura has praised God for his first hat-trick in Europe after defeating Huddersfield 4-0 over the weekend. The 26-year-old Brazilian player was the star of the match in the new Spurs stadium, after scoring three incredible goals against the opposing team. Speaking after the match, the footy whizz told Sky Sports:…
Catholics should see the hand of the Holy Spirit working in the ongoing transition from a clerical to a lay-led Church, a theologian who has just completed extensive research on Vatican II in Ireland, has said. Dr Gary Carville, who graduated with a PhD last month from Dublin City University on the topic of Ireland’s…
Working “fearlessly” for the restoration of “hope and good relations” must be done as well as praying for the healing of relationships the Catholic and CoI archbishops of Armagh have said. In a joint Easter message Archbishops Eamon Martin and Richard Clarke said that after the events of Good Friday the first disciples had a…
Clergy have denounced a 10-year ban from ministry of a paedophile priest, saying it is “bizarre” and “abhorrent” that he wasn’t dismissed from the clerical state completely. It has been reported that the Legion of Christ announced the Vatican has banned an Irish priest from public ministry for 10 years for the sexual abuse of…
Using the Pope’s encyclical on the environment to inform prayer and liturgy is “a proposal that the bishops can take up”, particularly as the language appeals to young people, the Bishop of Down and Connor has said. Speaking to The Irish Catholic during a conference on Laudato Si’, hosted by the Society of African Missionaries…
Chai Brady
Greg Daly
Colm Fitzpatrick