The leader of North Korea wants Pope Francis to visit his country and believes he would be welcomed “enthusiastically”, according to South Korean officials. Kim Jung Un is said to have expressed his desire for the Pontiff to make the trip to Pyongyang during his latest summit with South Korean counterpart Moon Jae-in last month.…
Pro-life activists have described as “obscene” the setting aside of €12 million in the Government’s budget for the initial roll out of abortion in Ireland. The Government made clear yesterday that the €12 million contained in the budget is not the total cost envisaged for abortions but just an initial roll out cost, campaigners have…
BREAKING NEWS The UK’s highest court has ruled that a Northern Ireland bakery’s refusal to make a cake with a message supporting same-sex marriage was not discriminatory. The Supreme Court found today that the Christian owners of Ashers bakery did not discriminate against a customer and did not refuse to bake the cake because…
Healthcare professionals who opt out of providing abortion should not be forced to make referrals to a colleague, Ireland’s bishops have told politicians who are currently debating the legislation. The Irish Catholic Bishops’ Conference have said that because abortions are expected to be drug induced in the first 12 weeks, the right to conscientious objection…
Pope’s Capuchin Day Centre visit inspires plea Greg Daly and Colm Fitzpatrick Taking their lead from the Pope’s outreach to the most marginalised in our communities, Church leaders have urged the Government to make tackling Ireland’s homelessness crisis its top priority. According to ‘A Room at the Inn?’, a pastoral letter from the hierarchy on homelessness, housing…
Down & Connor Faith and Life Convention The radical challenge set before Catholics is to learn a new language, writes Michael Kelly One of the Pope’s closest advisers has urged the Church in Ireland to continue to work to build a culture of co-responsibility between laypeople and clergy. Cardinal Óscar Rodríguez Maradiaga was speaking…
Down & Connor Faith and Life Convention We need to learn a new way to reach those who do not feel themselves part of the Church, writes Paula McKeown The last Saturday in September is now permanently blocked out in my diary, as it is on that date that we in the Diocese of…
A song from the first album in almost five years by 2000s Canadian pop star Avril Lavigne has entered the US Christian music charts at number five. Ms Lavigne’s new single, ‘Head Above Water’, addresses how she turned to God whilst battling Lyme disease, which she was diagnosed with in 2014. She has described the…
Social media and a culture of brief sexual encounters is leading to loneliness among students and young people according to a university chaplain. Commenting on a BBC study that found 40% of people aged 16-24 often or very often feel lonely, Fr Leon Ó Giolláin SJ said he was “not surprised”. A culture that encourages…
The Irish Church should divest Catholic schools if they’re not providing a religious education, a Waterford and Lismore parish priest has said. Fr Michael Mullins said that it’s better for Catholics to become a “stronger minority” and that Catholic education is “decapitated” without religious teaching. “Education is more than just the accumulation of facts. It…
Chai Brady
Greg Daly
Michael Kelly
Colm Fitzpatrick