A well-known parish priest and author has said that it is a “scandal” for churches to remain closed for public Mass in the wake of the easing of Covid-19 restrictions. “I think it’s an absolute scandal, I think it’s just selfish. I can’t warrant it, as our Christian leadership, they’re erring on the side of…

Dublin’s Parish Pastoral Workers (PPWs) are among the 82 lay staff asked by Dublin Diocese to consider a voluntary redundancy package which has been described by some PPWs this paper spoke to as ‘generous’. However, the main concern of PPWs appears to be what does the future hold for those who don’t take the redundancy…

Tributes have streamed in from the faithful around the world for Oscar winning Italian composer Ennio Morricone. Most famous to many Catholics for his score for the film The Mission, he died aged 91. Morricone died in a Rome hospital on Monday, July 6 after he was admitted days earlier with a fractured femur. Morricone’s…

Archbishop Michael Neary has praised the hard work of all involved in restarting public Masses and “warmly welcomed” the new detailed guidance from the Government regarding Masses. Following the news that Masses could resume, Archbishop Neary said that “teams of volunteers have been trained, churches have been prepared and marked out according to social distancing…

Hundreds of pro-life advocates took to the street over the weekend both North and south to call for the protection of life in both jurisdictions. The Rally for Life took place over the weekend, with protestors in the North calling for the repeal of Section 9 of new legislation that allowed abortion to be legalised.…

Child poverty could be as high as 21% if the economy fails to recover by the end of the year, according to a study by the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI). The figures “are, sadly, not surprising” said Kieran Stafford, National President of St Vincent De Paul. “Child poverty is already at an unacceptable…

The Irish Blessing, originally released in May, came second to its UK counterpart in the UK Christian Music Chart for July after a public vote. Co-producer, Fr Martin Magill, says the team are “absolutely delighted” with the result, and prays that it continues to a blessing for people around the world. Speaking to The Irish…

Priests and parishioners across Ireland have expressed joy at being able to return to Mass after more than 100 days without the sacraments. Many parishes opened early on Monday to welcome back congregations, and other churches will do so this week and next. Bishop of Limerick Brendan Leahy said: “It’s a time to return with…

The bishop of Derry diocese, Donal McKeown, was among more than 30 people recognised in this year’s Lambeth Awards which were announced this week by the Archbishop of Canterbury. The awards acknowledge “outstanding contributions to the Church and wider society”. In total, 32 awards were announced to people from fields including evangelism, the religious life, safeguarding, ecumenism, theology…