On Monday February 2, David Ryan became the first abuse survivor to have a private audience with Pope Leo alone, an experience that he said he will “never forget”. Prior to meeting Pope Leo, Mr Ryan outlined his plan for the meeting: he had questions for the pontiff and wanted to share both his story…
Former President Mary McAleese has told Catholic school girls that parts of the Church’s teaching is “rancid” and warned that Pope Leo XIV is no reformer — but merely a “stopgap” Pope. Speaking in a podcast interview with pupils from St. Dominic’s Grammar School in Belfast [McAleese’s old school] which was released to mark Catholic Schools Week,…
A year-long formation programme in Rome is now open to Irish applicants aged 18–30, offering young lay people the opportunity to study, pray and live in community at the Irish College in Rome. The initiative, based at the Irish College in Rome, was developed over several years as a semester programme and is now in…
Newly installed Bishop of Raphoe Niall Coll said his first responsibility as bishop is not to outline plans or priorities, but to be a disciple who faithfully follows Christ. Preaching at his Installation Mass in St Eunan’s Cathedral, Letterkenny, on Sunday, January 25, Bishop Coll reflected on Jesus’ ministry in Galilee, explaining that Christ did…
As St Brigid’s Day approaches, medieval historian Dr Catherine Swift says the enduring appeal of Ireland’s best-known woman saint continues to “speak to us” in each generation. “We’ll never get the full picture,” Dr Swift said speaking to The Irish Catholic. “All history is fragmentary. We remember the saints because they speak to us in…
After serving the people of Cork since 1826, the Religious Sisters of Charity (RSC) are concluding their ministry in the city. Speaking to The Irish Catholic, the RSC acknowledged the work of the founding sisters in the 19th century, who established the tradition of visiting the sick, schools, and local factories. “At every stage, the…
Luke Doogue, Neil Patterson, and Stephen Patterson took the Christmastime twelve pubs tradition into their own hands after they found themselves with nothing to do on Sunday mornings. The Co. Wicklow locals are golfers, and when one suggested attending Mass instead of golfing on a rainy Sunday, the men coined the term ‘twelve churches’ instead…
Leading psychotherapist Stella O’Malley has questioned how Irish media have reported on transgender-related issues, arguing that activist guidance has too often been treated as settled fact without sufficient scrutiny. Writing in this edition of The Irish Catholic, Dr O’Malley writes that what came to be presented as a broad social and legal consensus “was not…
“That 300,000 adults in Ireland have passed through the education system and still believe that the Holocaust is a myth represents abject failure,” said Dublin-based art dealer Oliver Sears, founder of Holocaust Awareness Ireland, about a recent survey which claims that almost one in ten Irish aged 18 to 29 believe the Holocaust is a…
Bishop of Ferns Ger Nash was appointed as Apostolic Administrator of the Diocese of Ossory in addition to his role as Bishop of Ferns. The appointment was delivered by the Apostolic Nuncio to Ireland, Archbishop Luis Mariano Montemayor, and took effect on January 25, when Ossory’s former Bishop Niall Coll was installed as the Bishop…
Renata Steffens