Ireland’s newest political party has called for the return of the 50/50 recruitment policy in the PSNI, saying the drive to attract Catholics has “reversed”. Currently only one in five Catholics are successful in merit-based competitions and over 80% of officers above superintendent rank are Protestant. This comes as the Ulster Unionists rejected calls for…
A popular Sydney-based Irish priest has said he has serious doubts about the conviction of Cardinal George Pell for sexual abuse. Fr Brendan Purcell, who has known Cardinal Pell for more than 20 years insisted that there are serious questions about the fairness of the trial in which the cardinal was found guilty of abusing…
Despite an “enormous amount of urgent work” still needed to protect vulnerable children according to some Irish abuse survivors, they feel the Vatican abuse summit was a worthwhile endeavour. Dublin councillor Damian O’Farrell said he felt positive about the openness and honesty of many cardinals as well as the Pope during the four-day meeting which…
The ransacking of a historic Church of Ireland church crypt is a “desecration” and an “attack on Christian communities”, a prominent inner-city priest has said. The raid on the crypt of St Michan’s Church on Dublin’s Church Street was discovered at 1pm on Monday, February 25, when a tour guide was preparing to open the…
A local authority is remaining tight-lipped after a blasphemous video it funded and originally defended was apparently removed from a popular media-sharing website this week. Tipperary County Council confirmed to The Irish Catholic that it gave a local artist what it described as a “small grant” to develop the project which depicted the title character ‘Bootleg Jesus’…
Catholic schools have a responsibility to empower pupils with the confidence to get involved in climate action, according to a Dublin teacher involved in an upcoming ‘climate strike’. Thousands of children across Ireland will be skipping school on Friday, March 15, as part of a global day of action pressuring governments to act against climate…
Filmmakers of a new movie which depicts the reality of abortion in America have expressed outrage over the decision that it be R-rated. Anti-abortion movie, Unplanned, which is set for a March 29 release received an R-rating from the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA). This would be the first R-rated movie from distributor Pure…
Christian communities and the theology of bearing witness may help those struggling with eating disorders, an Irish academic has said. With Eating Disorder Awareness Week taking place from February 25 to March 3, Assistant Professor of Theological Ethics in Trinity’s Loyola Institute Jacob Erickson said: “Quite oftentimes with eating disorders there’s so much stigma and…
Penal Times bishop voted Laois ‘all time great’ An 18th-Century bishop has been voted the greatest Laois person of all time. Bishop Daniel Delany won 89% of the final vote in the Leinster Express poll. Born in 1747, Fr Delaney trained for the priesthood in France where he was ordained in 1770. Returning to Ireland in 1776, he began Sunday schools the…
The number of people in emergency accommodation increased by 234 people last month, with the total number just under 10,000. The latest homeless figures released by the Government reveal that 9,987 people were in emergency accommodation in January – a new record high. That breaks down as 6,363 adults and 3,624 children. Merchants Quay Ireland,…
Chai Brady
Colm Fitzpatrick
Greg Daly