Clonard Redemptorist monastery, Belfast – which was at the centre of peace-making efforts during the Troubles – hosted a “recommitment service” on Sunday, April 16. Community leaders, clerics and political dignitaries including US Special Envoy Joseph Kennedy III, joined in tribute to peace workers who were inspired by their faith, 25 years on from the…

TD Michael Collins has hit back at the HSE for having “smeared” pro-life counselling services, after the HSE described them as “disingenuous organisations”. The Health Service Executive described a “disingenuous organisation” as one that offers “advice and supports that do not include information on abortion services”. In response, Deputy Collins criticised the HSE, saying an…

An AI study of conflict in the North shows religion is not to blame, writes Ruadhán Jones Artificial Intelligence (AI) may be seen as a threat to humanity, but a new study shows how it can be used to tackle real-life conflicts. Conducted by the Cambridge University’s interfaith Woolf Institute, a study of conflict in…

The visit of US President Joe Biden is an opportunity to highlight how Government policy has led to “wrecked families” in rural parishes, according to a Mayo priest. Fr Kieran Holmes in Ballina parish spoke to The Irish Catholic ahead of President Biden’s visit to St Muredach’s Cathedral on April 14, where baptismal records of…

Independent TD for Laois-Offaly Carol Nolan has asked the Minister for Education for a review of all SPHE recommended reading lists to ensure that the material being recommended to children is age-appropriate. Deputy Nolan said she saw a “significant increase” in the number of parents contacting her about the inappropriate content of books on recommended…

Plans by Government to introduce a free hot meal in primary schools to all children is not a good use of money, according to the director of Social Justice Ireland Fr Sean Healy SMA. Minister for Social Protection Heather Humphrey made the announcement after publishing an independent evaluation of the School Meals Programme – which…

Easter hope is hard to see for survivors of an earthquake that left 50,000 dead and around 1.5 million homeless in Syria and Turkey two months ago, an Irish missionary based in Aleppo has said. Christians in the Syrian city celebrated the Easter triduum amid the ruins of homes destroyed by the earthquake and 12…

The murder of a Romanian woman in prostitution in Limerick is a reminder that the sex trade is “inherently violent, dangerous and harmful”, Irish charity Ruhama has said. Their statement comes after Geila Ibram, a 27-year-old woman from Romania, was found dead at a residence in Limerick on Tuesday, April 4. Habib Shamel, an Afghan…

Russell Crowe, star of recently-released The Pope’s Exorcist that was partly filmed in Ireland, said he thinks Ireland still has “a deep affection” for the Church. “When we were shooting, for sure, we were aware of being respectful of people’s beliefs,” the Hollywood star said in an interview coinciding with the film’s release over the…

Catholics must promote the common good over guns, a Maynooth professor has said, after five people were killed and eight injured in a shooting in bank in Kentucky in the US. “Excessive individualism” regarding rights to bear arms is “out of sync” with Catholic anthropology, Tobias Winright, a professor of moral theology at St Patrick’s…