An emphasis on market forces is endangering theology’s place in Irish higher education, one of Ireland’s leading theologians has said, calling for the subject to be protected. “Theology is under threat in our higher education, there’s no question about that,” Prof. Eamonn Conway of Limerick’s Mary Immaculate College told The Irish Catholic. Explaining that students…

Pain and loss allow us to connect with others who are suffering and to love more deeply, a well-known US comedian and chat show host has said. Interviewed on CNN’s Anderson Cooper 360°, Stephen Colbert, the Catholic host of The Late Show talked about the deaths of his father and brothers Peter and Paul in…

Thousands of pro-lifers from all corners of Ireland are expected to take to the streets of Belfast next month to send a clear message to London that MPs should not interfere and force abortion on the North. Westminster has voted to force abortion up to at least seven months’ gestation on the North unless the…

A Catholic grammar school has reached new heights after all of its A-Level students attained A*-C grades in three or more subjects. Last week, Ballymena’s St Louis Grammar learned that their 162 Upper Sixth pupils achieved the spectacular results, marking another significant year for the top school in the North. The top two achievers were…

Ahead of the annual national grandparents’ pilgrimage to Knock Shrine in Co. Mayo, the search is on for the country’s oldest Catholic grandparents. The Catholic Grandparents Association (CGA) has issued an invitation for the oldest grandparents and longest married couple to attend the 17th annual pilgrimage which is due to he held at the national…

BREAKING NEWS   The conviction of Cardinal George Pell has been upheld after the Supreme Court in Victoria dismissed his appeal today. In a 2-1 ruling, the court rejected the Australian prelate’s appeal of a unanimous jury verdict in December that Pope Francis’ former finance minister was guilty of molesting two 13-year-old choirboys in Melbourne’s…

The Pope’s representative in Ireland has poured cold water on speculation that Diarmuid Martin could soon be replaced as Archbishop of Dublin. Dr Martin – who is due to tender his resignation on turning 75 in April next year – has hinted on several occasions that he would like to go early. Ahead of the…

With just a month to go, excitement is building ahead of the canonisation of Dublin’s adopted saint Cardinal Newman. Fr Bill Dailey CSC from the University of Notre Dame Newman Centre for Faith and Reason in Dublin, who will lead a pilgrimage in association with The Irish Catholic – said he is “thrilled” that there…

Religious congregations named in the Ryan Report have so far contributed just under half of what they voluntarily offered to pay to the State’s cost of compensating former residents of the institutions investigated. According to a written answer from Education Minister Joe McHugh released this week, the 18 congregations have handed over €231million to the…

For the first time in 186 years St Malachy’s College in Belfast will not have a priest on its teaching staff after it was announced the last of the clergy will leave before the new term. Fr Michael Spence will take up a new appointment in the Diocese of Down and Connor as the Curate…