A new case for the cause of canonisation of two Irish priests – who were shot dead in Belfast by the British Army – has been opened by the Diocese of Down and Connor. A spokesman for the Diocese has told The Irish Catholic that the process for “the cause of the saints” has been started for…
Draft working document sets out proposals ahead of National Synodal Assembly A draft working document setting out proposals for the renewal of the Catholic Church in Ireland, seen by The Irish Catholic, has been prepared ahead of the National Synodal Assembly, which takes place in Gormanston, Co. Meath, on October 17. The document, marked ‘draft’…
Catholics need to move from inherited or “cultural” faith towards a deeper personal commitment to Christ, foreign-born priests ministering in Ireland have told The Irish Catholic. Fr Anselm Emechebe MSP, a Nigerian priest who has served in Ireland since 2009, said the challenge is for Catholics to take greater personal responsibility for a faith often…
The Church should welcome everyone who comes through its doors and that is the true spirit of inclusivity, says internationally recognised psychotherapist Stella O’Malley. But, she says, having seen a draft set of proposals from the Irish Synod Working Group, the Church is “cheerleading practices that risk serious harm to vulnerable people. It should be…
Indecent graffiti and offensive writing have been sprayed onto the stonework of a church complex in Bundoran by a group of unidentified youths. The community has expressed outrage at the incident, and an investigation is ongoing. Church representatives believe the damage was caused by a group of youths who gather on the church grounds in the evenings. The…
The former PSNI Ombudsman for Northern Ireland, Baroness Nuala O’Loan has welcomed the news that two Belfast priests shot dead by the British Army have had their cases opened for potential recognition of sainthood by the bishop. “I am so very pleased to hear that Bishop McGuckian has initiated the process ‘for the cause of saints’ and…
The Church must stop acting as though it is “on the back foot” and have greater confidence in what the faith offers society, Fr Patrick Cahill told hundreds gathered in Maynooth for CHARIS Ireland’s National Day of Renewal. The gathering at St Patrick’s College brought together Catholics from across the country for a day of…
Religious Education in Irish schools should provide a broader, “more robust interfaith and religiously pluralist curricula”, Dr Peter Admirand, professor of Theology and director of the Centre for Interreligious Dialogue at Dublin City University, has argued in an opinion article published by the Irish Examiner. Nicholas Cuddihy, Education Nation podcast host, has said that Dr…
Resistance among priests to synodality is leaving Irish parishes with “virtually no leadership” for reform, Fr Michael A. Conway has warned ahead of Ireland’s National Synodal Assembly on October 17. Writing in the September issue of The Furrow, the Galway priest and Professor of Faith and Culture at St Patrick’s Pontifical University, Maynooth, said many…
Boxing legend Katie Taylor, who stepped into the ring in Croke Park on Saturday September 5 with the words ‘Psalm 18’ embellished on her gear, has said she would not be able to fight without God in her life. Taylor is a born-again Christian and, before moving to the US, where she currently resides with…
Martina Purdy
Renata Steffens