EXCLUSIVE An Iraqi prelate who trained for the priesthood in Ireland has said that the historic visit of Pope Francis is a reminder to the world that the tiny Church there is still a beacon of hope despite the challenges. Archbishop Bashar Matti Warda told The Irish Catholic that he hopes the visit will inspire a…

TD Michael Healy-Rae has said there is “blatantly obvious” anti-Catholic bias in Government. The Kerry TD told The Irish Catholic that “governments present and past seem to be engaged in a continual downgrading of the Catholic religion”. Faithful unfairly “Of course there is anti-Catholic bias in Government – is that not blatantly obvious,” Mr Healy-Rae…

A Dublin priest was not in breach of any laws when he was distributing Communion after his online Masses, according to a law professor. Fr Binoy Matthew co-PP of Mountview and Blakestown had been allowing people to come to the Church of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in Hunstown during a two-hour window to receive…

A TD has criticised Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly for “dodging” a question about risks associated with public religious services as “very hurtful” to her constituents who have been vocal about the issue. Sinn Féin’s Sorca Clarke of Longford-Westmeath constituency submitted a question to Minister Stephen Donnelly about risk assessments related to the restrictions on…

11,000 families have been resettled and “several hundred churches reconstructed” in Iraq by Aid to the Church in Need (ACN), according to ACN Ireland’s Director, Dr Michael Kinsella. He described the organisation as “emboldened” and “encouraged” by the Pope’s trip to Iraq last weekend, which saw the Pope visit many of the sites decimated by…

Foreign Affairs Minister Simon Coveney did not address the issue of Christian persecution during his meeting with Iran’s president despite serious concerns about religious freedom for the minority group in the country. Minister Coveney met with President Hassan Rouhani and Foreign Minister Javad Zarif in Tehran, Iran over the weekend. The Department of Foreign Affairs…

Homelessness charities and politicians have criticised the Government’s inaction over homeless deaths, saying the State has ‘failed people in homelessness’. Deaths of people in homelessness rose by 61% in Dublin last year according to the Dublin Regional Homeless Executive (DRHE), but no statistics are recorded for other localities around Ireland. Aontú leader Peadar Tóibín has…

A Dublin hospital has decided to remove any reference to ‘Saint’ from the names of the wards on their IT systems. Beaumont Hospital confirmed to this paper that the ward names are not being altered and the existing signs will be the same but the names would be changed on their IT systems to avoid…

The Ignite student conference is set to hit the airwaves this year in partnership with Radio Maria, with a focus on the theme of evangelisation. Established at the end of 2019, Ignite is a Catholic conference aimed at college students and organised by young people themselves. Broadcasting on Saturday, March 20 from 11am-5pm on Radio…

Loreto College Crumlin are turning an acre of unused land into a “pocket forest” and biodiversity meadow with the help of staff, students and the local Loreto Sisters. The girl’s secondary school decided to start the biodiversity project last year to utilise a plot of unused land, deputy principal Matt Whelan told The Irish Catholic.…