Staff reporter The Vatican has confirmed that Pope Francis will visit Kazakhstan in September and attend an inter-religious meeting in the capital city, Nur-Sultan. Francis is expected to meet the Russia Orthodox Patriarch Kirill – a vocal supporter of Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine – and impress upon him the immorality of the Russian operation. “Accepting the…

Staff reporter Fr John O’Laverty (30) was ordained to the priesthood for the diocese of Down and Connor in the parish of Bright, Co. Down, on Sunday. Bishop of Down and Connor Noel Treanor, who ordained Fr O’Laverty, said it was a “joyful” day and prayed in his homily that God’s “angelic light” will inspire…

A senator is calling for a full report into the referral of 234 children by the HSE to a British clinic following the NHS’s decision to shut it down. By spring, the Tavistock clinic, named the Gender and Identity Development Service (GIDS), will shut down after it was criticised in an independent review released in…

Staff reporter Bishop Donal McKeown of Derry diocese has said that he believes all information held by the Church in relation to the Claudy bombing in Derry has been handed to authorities. The late Fr James Chesney was said to have been involved in the attack which killed nine civilians and injured 30 when three…

A new study from Queen’s University Belfast shows that being Catholic is one the “main factors” in speaking Irish in the North. The report, which draws on census data from the Northern Ireland Longitudinal Study, shows that 91% of people who were raised Catholic have knowledge of the Irish language. Catholics are four times more…

The Primate of All-Ireland has written to the North’s Equality Commission after The Belfast Telegraph refused to publish an advert from the northern bishops without changes to text expressing the Church’s stance on abortion. Archbishop Eamon Martin of the Diocese of Armagh highlighted the implications for faith-based groups and their participation in public life. He…

Pro-life groups have condemned the move by cabinet to approve the introduction of legislation on so-called ‘safe access zones’ around healthcare facilities that can provide abortion. The legislation proposes 100-metre zones around abortion providers in which pro-life demonstrations, even prayer vigils, would be banned and those involved could face a fine or imprisonment. The Life…

Parishes and schools in Kenya and Waterford are forging links for their “mutual enrichment”, Bishop of Waterford and Lismore Alphonsus Cullinan has said. Bishop Cullinan along with representatives from the diocese and Mary’s Meals visited the diocese of Lodwar, Northern Kenya, in July to establish outreach programmes to the region. “This is an arid and…

We must not lose hope “through this time of transition and restructuring”, Archbishop Francis Duffy told pilgrims ahead of the Reek Sunday climb up Croagh Patrick. Speaking at the Vigil Mass in St Mary’s Church, Westport, Co. Mayo, the archbishop of Tuam said that now is a “time for faith, faith into action, faith into…

The Catholic Grandparent’s Association held its pilgrimage to Knock Shrine, July 24. Grandparents from around the country gathered at the Eucharistic and Marian Shrine to celebrate the second World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly. Mass was celebrated in the basilica by Archbishop Francis Duffy, patron of the CGA.