A Fermanagh-based priest has launched a ground-breaking report into the death of his cousin, decades after he was killed by the RUC. Michael Leonard, the cousin of Fr Joe McVeigh of St Michael’s parish, was shot by the police on May 17, 1973 while driving. He was 24-years-old, a farmer and cattle-dealer, living in Donegal.…
Category: Irish News
EU should uphold Christian values on which it is built – bishops
At this crucial juncture in the history of Europe, we need a European Parliament that will protect and uphold the Christian values on which the EU is built, according to the Catholic bishops in a statement issued ahead of Friday’s elections. “The Treaty of the European Union outlines that the Union is founded on the values of…
IC readers divided over pilgrimage approval
Disagreement remains among readers of this newspaper about whether it was appropriate for Pope Francis to approve official pilgrimages to Medjugorje. In an IC poll, Facebook users were asked: “Do you think that Pope Francis should have approved official pilgrimages to Medjugorje given that the alleged Marian apparitions have not been authenticated?” Out of 363…
Study finds religious women most satisfied in marriage
A new study examining the correlation between religion and marital happiness found that women who are part of a highly religious, traditional couple are most likely to report being happy in marriage, as well as sexually satisfied in their relationship. In addition, a woman in a highly religious couple was most likely to report that…
Healthy baby aborted after couple told it had a fatal abnormality
Pro-life campaigners have said the Government must listen to families who carried to term babies with life-limiting conditions after the tragic case emerged of a couple who aborted a baby that appears to have been perfectly healthy after an initial test indicated it had a so-called ‘fatal foetal abnormality”. Eilís Mulroy of the Pro-Life Campaign…
‘Grave danger’ as 10 Catholics killed in Burkino Faso attacks – ACN Ireland
There is “grave danger” of the normalisation of violence against Christians around the world after two attacks in two days saw 10 Catholics killed in Burkino Faso, an Irish charity has warned. Following yet another attack on a church that killed six people including a priest over the weekend in the African nation, the director…
Sisters of Charity to sell €3m retreat centre due to attendance drop and cost
The Sisters of Charity will sell the Stella Maris Retreat Centre in Howth, Co. Dublin, which is valued at over €3m due to a decline in attendance and cost of maintenance. Thousands of people have gone to the centre for over 125 years and availed of the sacred space of worship and natural beauty. Funds…
Medjugorje trips get papal green light
Pope Francis’ decision to allow priests to lead formal parish pilgrimages to Medjugorje, where Mary has allegedly been appearing since 1981, has been enthusiastically welcomed by leading Irish promoters of the pilgrimage site. Over two years after Archbishop Henryk Hoser of Warszawa-Praga was named as the Pope’s special envoy to the Bosnia-Herzegovinan shrine, tasked with…
Facebook censor image of unborn baby, dubbing it ‘graphic or violent’
Facebook’s decision to censor an image of a baby in utero is “totally unjustifiable” according to a Christian advocacy group. The Iona Institute criticised the social media giant for placing a “warning screen” over their paid advertisement which depicts an unborn baby at 11 weeks gestation. Beside the foetus are the words ‘still one of…
‘Daring’ Irish missionary who died in hit-and-run built peace among faiths
The community of an Oblate priest who was killed in a hit-and-run in Roscommon over the weekend are “devastated” at the loss. The retired but “very active” Fr Michael Guckian OMI (81) was hit by a car at 11pm on Saturday while walking back to his vehicle on a country road. He lived with the…