Pope Francis received the leadership of the Edmund Rice Education Beyond Borders group September 29, commending them for their work around the world in helping to achieve the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. The meeting took place in Pope Francis’s private apartment in Rome to discuss how school communities “can help to create a world that…
President Michael D. Higgins has called on the leader of Nicaragua’s authoritarian regime Daniel Ortega to release hundreds of prisoners. The President called on President Ortega, a former friend, to release people “who have a right to participate in debate on the future of their country”. The European Parliament passed a motion last month calling…
The Irish bishops have called on the Government to extend energy bill supports to parish centres and churches which were ignored in Budget 2023. The prelates warned that there is likely to be “drastic closures” due to rapidly rising energy costs. In the Irish Catholic Bishops’ Conference statement after their Autumn 2022 General Meeting, they…
Church leaders have moved to ensure that those teaching religion in Catholic schools will have a good grounding in Catholic theology and belief. It comes after the teaching council – the State body which regulates the teaching profession – lowered the level of understanding of Catholicism necessary to be employed to teach religious studies at…
Staff Reporter An Irish priest has been tapped by Pope Francis to take over the Vatican’s dialogue with the worldwide Anglican Communion. Fr Martin Browne OSB, a monk of Glenstal Abbey, will shortly take up the appointment in the Vatican’s Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity The Irish Catholic can reveal. It is a key time…
In a very close result ‘Amazing Grace’ was pipped at the post by ‘Lady of Knock’ in the search for Ireland’s favourite hymn. The competition was run by the Diocese of Kildare and Leighlin and Bishop Denis Nulty at the National Ploughing Championships last week. Speaking to The Irish Catholic after the results were announced,…
Bereavement support workers dealing with grieving people have called for a wider education in Ireland about the complex issue, insisting that modern culture allows less space for grief. Issue Sr Helen Culhane of the Children’s Grief Centre in Co. Limerick said she believes that previous generations handled the issue in a more supportive way. In…
A study suggests that Catholic ethos inspires schools to “go the extra mile” to integrate newly arrived migrant students (NAMS). The study published in the International Journal of Educational Research suggests that the ethos of the founding order of a Catholic school has particular “resonance” in welcoming NAMS. “All participants reference the ethos of the…
The first direct evidence that babies in the womb react differently to different smells and tastes by looking at their facial expressions has been presented by Durham University. Researchers found that babies exposed to carrot flavour showed more “laughter-face” responses while those exposed to the flavour of kale showed more “cry-face” responses. The study took…
Staff reporter The number of Catholic marriages in the North returned to near pre-pandemic levels in 2021, statistics from the Registrar General’s annual report show. Some 2,205 Catholic marriages took place in Northern Ireland in 2021, significantly more than the 844 in 2020 and on par with the 2,216 in 2019. Catholic marriages made up…
Chai Brady
Ruadhán Jones