People who deny the good work that the Church in Ireland has done are not being fair and instead are being driven by ideology, Bishop Donal McKeown has said. Referring to the Taoiseach’s speech with Pope Francis at Dublin Castle, Bishop McKeown pointed out how Leo Varadkar said “the Church in Ireland has done many…
The number of homeless people in Ireland is far more than 10,000 according to the CEO of a major homeless charity, and Government figures don’t “recognise the scale of the problem”. Speaking at the launch of Merchants Quay Ireland’s (MQI) 2017 Annual Report, outgoing CEO Tony Geoghegan said the figure of 9,846 in emergency accommodation…
A prominent Dublin priest has defended having congratulated the ‘Yes’ side for having run a successful campaign in the abortion referendum, saying “people don’t listen to sore losers”. Speaking at the Kennedy Summer School earlier this month, Ballyfermot’s Fr Joe McDonald complimented Deirdre Duffy of the Together for Yes referendum campaign for the campaign’s “wonderful…
Lack of vocations in Ireland is due to orders becoming “sterile” said the Pope during his private address to Jesuits during his visit to Ireland. The text of Pope Francis’ meeting with Jesuits, a regular occurrence during papal trips, was published almost a month after his visit to Ireland for the World Meeting of Families.…
A community in Dublin have appealed to Archbishop Diarmuid Martin to keep their parish priest, after learning he will be moved to another area at the end of September. Fr Hugh Kavanagh, from Tinahely, Co. Wicklow, has been asked to move from East Wall parish in inner city Dublin to minister in two Clondalkin parishes.…
Vatican plans for a safeguarding summit of heads of bishops’ conferences marks an important recognition that abuse is an issue for the whole Church, and not something restricted to specific countries, leading campaigner Marie Collins has said. Pope Francis announced the unprecedented gathering last week, calling the Church’s first ever global meeting of bishops on…
St Michael’s Diocesan Trust has welcomed the resolution of a disagreement about the siting of a memorial to the 1987 Enniskillen bombing. Twelve people were killed and 68 others were injured in the Rememberance Day bombing by the IRA in the Co. Fermanagh town. A memorial was unveiled at an event marking 30 years since…
Community leaders in south-west Dublin have criticised a ‘family fun’ weekend organised for the coming week by a recently established branch of the Church of Scientology in the area. The ‘dinosaur giant family fun weekend’ takes place in the Church of Scientology’s community centre in Firhouse, and includes several entertainment features aimed at children. Local…
Ireland must open eyes to child trafficking – charity Mercy Efforts for Child Protection Against Trafficking with The Hospitality Sector (MECPATHS) have launched a research report on child trafficking by a UCC graduate who has called for Ireland to tackle the problem “head on”. JP O’ Sullivan’s report explores the vulnerabilities Ireland’s international neighbours have experienced in relation to keeping children safe. With…
Derry announces clerical changes A Derry-based priest who was previously cleared of an indecent assault charge in the criminal courts is to retire to restricted ministry after accepting the outcome of a Canon Law trial, the diocese has said. Bishop Donal McKeown announced this week that Fr Eugene Boland, who previously stepped aside in 2014, “has accepted the…
Chai Brady
Colm Fitzpatrick
Greg Daly