The man tasked with transforming the Church’s approach to child protection has warned that Irish society will continue to fail vulnerable children unless we learn lessons from past mishandling of abuse. Ian Elliott, who as head of the National Board for Safeguarding Children, was credited with transforming the culture of accountability around abuse and ensuring…

Updated regulations which force schools in the North to toe the line on how they teach children about abortion have been described as a “very serious restriction” against religious liberty. Based in Belfast, Liam Gibson, who is the Legal and Policy officer for SPUC (Society for the Protection of Unborn Children) told The Irish Catholic…

Senior management at Mary Immaculate College (MIC) have remained tight lipped over staff concerns about a suspended recruitment process. The college has refused to respond to repeated queries from The Irish Catholic as staff said they were “frustrated” that they had little opportunity for input into the recruitment process for a new head of theology.…

Ireland must use its “moral authority” to speak up for persecuted Christians, politicians have said, urging the Tánaiste to raise the issue at September’s UN Assembly. Ireland must lend its voice to calls to end Christian persecution, the former Minister for Foreign Affairs Charlie Flanagan told The Irish Catholic. His comments come after representatives of…

An Irish charity has urged the Government to call ambassadors of countries where persecution of Christians is prevalent before an Oireachtas committee and challenge them on their record on religious freedom. Church in Chains, a charity that fights Christian persecution, said politicians should call the ambassadors of China, India, Iran, Nigeria and Pakistan to attend…

Representatives of 19 religious orders from across Ireland will be attending World Youth Day (WYD) in Lisbon from August 2-6, according to the Association of Missionaries and Religious of Ireland (AMRI). They will be part of the approximately 1,400 pilgrims who have signed up so far. For the first time AMRI will lead a group…

The Diocese of Dromore has decided to extend its redress scheme for victims of sexual abuse for a further six months, until March 29, 2024. The scheme was established in September 2021 and focuses on those who suffered sexual abuse by members of the clergy under the authority of the diocese. It aims to offer…

The relationship between Achonry diocese and Nigeria’s Ogoja diocese has been strengthened following Bishop Paul Dempsey’s recent trip to the African nation, during which a seminarian scholarship plan was agreed upon by the two dioceses. Scholarships are now open to seminarians in the south-eastern Nigerian diocese to complete their studies in Ireland, after which they…

Ukrainian Catholic Bishop Kenneth Nowakowksi visited the Irish chaplaincy for Ukrainians in Dublin, celebrating the Divine Liturgy for the local community on Sunday, July 16. Bishop Nowakowski, the Apostolic Visitor for Ukrainian Catholics in Great Britain and Ireland, joined chaplain Fr Vasyl Kornitsky for the celebration in Our Lady of Consolation, Donnycarney, Dublin. The chaplaincy’s…

A number of Irish bishops have signed up to a charter that commits them to promoting one of Ireland’s patron saints, St Columbanus. Bishop Michael Duignan, Bishop Donal McKeown and Bishop Denis Nulty were among those who signed the ‘Columban Charter of Partnership’ in St Gallen, Switzerland on Columbanus Day this month. The signing was…