People are fully behind Pope Francis’ efforts to tackle abuse and concealment of abuse in the Church, according to a Belfast priest who was sexually assaulted by a priest while a seminarian and who was one of eight survivors of clerical and institutional abuse who met the Pope on Saturday evening. The Pontiff was “obviously…
Category: Irish News
Papal wheels donated to Dublin’s homeless
The blue car used by Pope Francis during his WMOF trip to Ireland is to be donated to help the homeless. On Monday, Archbishop Diarmuid Martin announced that the car would be donated to Crosscare, the social care agency of the Archdiocese of Dublin. It will be used by Crosscare staff based in the agency’s…
Papal trip only success if action is taken
The Primate of All Ireland has said that “decisive action” against clerical abuse will be proof of whether the Pope’s visit to Ireland has been a success or not. Speaking on RTÉ’s Morning Ireland programme on August 27, Archbishop Eamon Martin said that Francis has taken lead in addressing the clerical abuse crisis, referencing a…
People back efforts to see justice done, survivors tell Pope
People are fully behind Pope Francis’ efforts to tackle abuse and concealment of abuse in the Church, according to a Belfast priest who was sexually assaulted by a priest while a seminarian and who was one of eight survivors of clerical and institutional abuse who met the Pope on Saturday evening. Describing the encounter as…
Teacher formation and adult education key to Church renewal, Pope says
A time of renewal lies ahead for the Church in Ireland, Pope Francis has assured the country’s bishops. Addressing members of the hierarchy before returning to Rome, the Pope said that while upheavals of recent years have tested the faith of the Irish people, they have also “offered the opportunity for an interior renewal of…
WMOF going home to Rome
Rome will host the 10th World Meeting of Families in three years’ time, Cardinal Kevin Farrell has announced. Drawing to a close the final Mass of the 2018 World Meeting of Families, the head of the Vatican’s Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life said to Pope Francis, “Holy Father, it is with great joy that…
Pope prays for strength that justice be done for survivors
Pope Francis has used Mass in Dublin’s Phoenix Park to to beg forgiveness and issue a wide-ranging apology for Church abuses. In an unprecedented extended penitential rite at the beginning of Mass with an estimated 500,000 people for the World Meeting of Families, the Pontiff said that he wanted to seek forgiveness for abuse of…
Don’t give up Faith just because it’s hard, says Pope
Christians face enormous challenges in bearing witness to their Faith, but must never be “swayed or discouraged” by those who resist it, the Pope has said. Speaking in Dublin’s Phoenix Park at the closing Mass of the World Meeting of Families, the Pope said that being a Christian isn’t “easy”, and the challenges they face…
Make ‘time and space’ for family prayer, urges Francis
The message of the Gospel is an “invitation and a challenge” to all families to make time and space for prayer in the home, Tuam’s archbishop has said. Speaking in the Shrine to Our Lady of Knock in the presence of Pope Francis, Archbishop Michael Neary said it was an “honour, a privilege, and a…
Pope at Knock: Begs forgiveness for abuse victims
Praying for the victims of abuse in Ireland, Pope Francis has begged the Lord for forgiveness and for the intercession of Our Lady to heal survivors. During his visit to Knock the Pope described the clerical abuse scandals in Ireland as an “open wound”, while praying at the Shrine in front of an audience of…