A priest whose homily went viral this week has asked the bishops to speak up about the restriction to public worship currently in place in Ireland. Fr Seán Mulligan of Carrickmacross Parish gave a homily last Sunday which unexpectedly went viral overnight in Catholic internet circles. In it, he criticised the extent to which the…
Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly has said he will challenge authorities to provide evidence that attendance at religious ceremonies is linked to the spread of coronavirus. It comes as data reveals that since the beginning of the pandemic there have been just six outbreaks of the virus connected with what the Government describes as ‘religious/other’…
Bishop Denis Brennan has said that the “continued existence of church closures” needs to be “revisited and amended” in his letter encouraging solidarity in the “age of coronavirus” for the month of November. The Bishop of Ferns asked that people do more than “what is simply right at present”, saying “Let us as Church go…
The Pope’s words on same-sex civil-unions aren’t a departure from Church teaching, a leading theologian has said. In a statement, Fr Eamonn Conway of Mary Immaculate College said: “The Church’s stance towards civil unions is a matter of prudential judgement and not one of dogma. “This recent statement by Pope Francis is not to be misunderstood…
Pro-life group Precious Life held a series of gatherings across Northern Ireland to mark one year since abortion was controversially decriminalised in the North. On October 21, 2019, Westminster’s Section 9 of the NI (Executive Formation) Act removed the laws that had protected unborn children in Northern Ireland. Department of Health (DoH) figures released at…
Music legend Bruce Springsteen [pictured] who was brought up a Catholic said he “wouldn’t change anything about the way I grew up” when asked about his Faith. ‘The Boss’ also said he has faith and the Bible has been “incorporated into so much” of his music, in an appearance on The Late Late Show last…
Everything must be done to make sure that schools in the North reopen next week to avoid “repercussions for years to come” according to the Chief Executive of the Council for Catholic Maintained Schools (CCSM). Writing in The Irish News, Gerry Campbell said the CCSM is “extremely concerned” about the immediate impact on young people…
The Poor Clares of Arundel, Sussex have hit No.1 in the official UK classical album charts following the release of their debut album. The album, Light for the World, was released last week on Decca Records and stormed up the iTunes and Amazon UK albums charts, peaking at #1 and #2 respectively earlier this week.…
Sir Cliff Richard said his faith sustained him after being “in a pit” of despair following a claim in 2014 of historical sexual assault. Sir Cliff appeared on Piers Morgan’s Life Stories and opened up on the devastation caused by the incident, recalling how he was left crumpled and sobbing on the kitchen floor. “I…
The deaths of the elderly and vulnerable in the first lockdown was “hugely distressing”, said Bishop Michael Router, Chair of the Council for Healthcare of the Irish Catholic Bishops’ Conference. As such, nursing homes should be prioritised and the elderly need more support from the Government, he continued. Bishop Router also called on people to…
Chai Brady