The German Child Protection Association has criticised Pope Francis for his comments on the beating of children. “There is no justification for beating children, not even a papal one,” said Daniel Grein, Federal Director of the Child Protection Association, in Berlin. “Anyone who physically abuses a child is doing the wrong thing. This also includes…
Kerry diocese keeps ‘hope alive’ with mission The diocese of Kerry has launched its online mission, ‘Hope Alive!’, from January 21 to 24. Well-known humanitarian Adi Roche headlines the mission and will reflect on what it means to welcome the stranger on Sunday, January 21, at 8pm. Guest speakers include Fr Michael Conway, Dr Keith…
Rural communities “must be resourced” if they are to accommodate asylum seekers with dignity, a Mayo-based parish priest has said. Following peaceful protests this week regarding a property in Ballinrobe, Co. Mayo which will house asylum seekers, Fr Denis Carney PP of Ballinrobe-Kilmaine told The Irish Catholic that the parish, the council and Government need to work…
Funerals that celebrate the life of notorious criminals are “particularly hurtful” to parishioners who see their church “taken over by those who prey on the community”, according to a Dublin-based priest. Fr Joe Keegan CC in Cabra West has called for Irish bishops to take a harder stance on what is permitted at funerals as…
There’s a danger that persecuted Christians in Nigeria and other parts of the world are “out of sight, out of mind”, Independent Senator Rónán Mullen has said. The “least” Government can do is use whatever levers they have to try and pressure uncooperative countries, such as Nigeria and Nicaragua where attacks on Christians are rife,…
A trend on social media among Catholics in the US with Irish heritage, which was criticised by some online users who took issue with them describing themselves as Irish, has been defended by EPIC (The Irish Emigration Museum). The TikTok trend involved people uploading videos of themselves starting sentences by saying ‘We’re Irish Catholics’ and…
Parents in the North have overwhelmingly rejected a Westminster law that would force Catholic schools to teach about accessing abortions, a consultation has shown. However, the department of education said its hands are tied and it will be releasing guidance on teaching access to abortion this month. In response to a department of education consultation…
Cork-born Bishop of Los Angeles David O’Connell was one of the 20 Catholic missionaries killed in 2023, according to the annual report from Vatican agency Fides. Those killed while in the service of the Church include one bishop, eight priests, two men religious, one seminarian, one novice and seven laypeople. Known as ‘the Peacemaker’, Bishop…
Dublin City Council (DCC) has admitted to blocking a journalist from The Irish Catholic from its X (Twitter) page in error, following an innocuous post about its ‘Winter Lights’ event. Multimedia journalist Jason Osborne was blocked from the council’s page after saying: “I appreciate the honesty of ‘Winter Lights’. In no realistic sense are the…
Knock Shrine welcomed north of one million visitors this year in a return to pre-Covid numbers, even as the nearby Ireland West airport revealed that it had enjoyed its busiest year on record in 2023. The Co. Mayo airport said that passenger numbers increased by 13% to 818,000 for the first time in the airport’s…
Chai Brady
Ruadhán Jones