An Irish missionary prelate has taken over the administration of a South African diocese after an apostolic visitation, meaning the current bishop will just be the diocese’s “spiritual head”. Archbishop Liam Slattery OFM, the retired bishop of Pretoria archdiocese who has spent almost half a century ministering in South Africa, was appointed apostolic administrator of…

More than €65,000 has been donated by Irish members of the Order of the Holy Sepulchre (OHS) to Christians in the Holy Land. The livelihoods of Holy Land Christians have been devasted by Covid-19, leaving them heavily reliant on charitable aid, according to the OHS, an order dedicated to the Holy Land. Following an appeal…

Figures from the Department of Health show that while there were 7,536 initial consultations for aborting a pregnancy, 6,666 abortions actually took place. The Department released the figures following a recent parliamentary question from TD Carol Nolan. Ms Nolan said that the figures show that many women have not “bought into” the efforts to normalise…

A priest based in Fermanagh has said Boris Johnson is not taking the Good Friday Agreement “seriously” in the wake of the UK prime minister introducing legislation that would override the Brexit treaty. Provisions in the UK Internal Market Bill would give Mr Johnson’s government the power to override key provisions in the Withdrawal Agreement,…

Bishop Martin Hayes has told Kilmore diocese’s newest priest that his calling “may cause many to be fearful” but that he must “seek out the lost” as the current pandemic continues to cause strife across Ireland. Fr Thomas Small from Belturbet, Co. Cavan, was ordained to the priesthood over the weekend in the Church of…

Archbishop Diarmuid Martin has highlighted the uncertainty surrounding staff cuts and the provision of safeguarding courses due to Covid-19 in a letter to mark Dublin Diocesan Safeguarding Day 2020. Dr Martin said that the archdiocese of Dublin must consider how best to maintain safeguarding as a priority while facing the challenges Covid-19 presents. “You will…

Irish Catholic charities providing essential relief on the frontlines during Covid-19 received a “significant donation” of €500,000 from the The Albert Gubay Charitable Foundation (AGCF). Bishop Dermot Farrell, Chair of the Council for Finance and General Purposes of the Irish Catholic Bishops’ Conference, expressed “deep gratitude and indebtedness” for AGCF’s “magnanimous donation”. “The Albert Gubay…

In response to a question by columnist David Quinn at a NPHET press briefing, Dr Ronan Glynn referred to Mass as “less important” in the context of the pandemic. Following on from Mr Quinn’s question about why Dublin appears as an “outlier” in terms of the harsher restrictions re-imposed here, compared to those currently in…

Fifteen volunteer catechists were commissioned for service in the Diocese of Elphin by Bishop Kevin Doran at Mass in Sligo Cathedral over the weekend. Known as ‘Partners in the Gospel’, the catechists are lay parishioners from parishes across the diocese who have completed a four-year formation programme, including academic studies in Theology and Catechetics at…

Former apostolic nuncio to Ireland, US Archbishop Charles Brown [pictured], has been appointed as the new apostolic nuncio to the Philippines. The Pope transferred Archbishop Brown from his current role as apostolic nuncio to Albania, to head the Vatican’s diplomatic mission to the Philippines in Manila. The post in the Philippines has been vacant since…