WMOF 2018 Catholic parishes urged to stand up for persecuted gay people, writes Greg Daly In some countries, LGBT issues are ‘life issues’, the World Meeting of Families heard today, in an impassioned plea for parishes to welcome, integrate, and stand up for same-sex attracted and transgender Catholics. Addressing a packed hall, Fr James Martin SJ called for Catholic parishes to…

Joyous pilgrims from across Ireland are hopping on planes trains and automobiles in their hoards this week to celebrate the importance of family and marriage in their lives. In a moment that will go down in history, Pope Francis will step off his plane at approximately 10.30am on Saturday to be greeted by clergy and…

The Primate of All Ireland has expressed his hope that Pope Francis will visit the North of Ireland in the distant future, giving it the “dedicated time” it requires. Speaking to the BBC on Thursday, Archbishop Eamon Martin said that he pushed hard to encourage the Holy See that the Pope would make a visit…

Pope Francis’ letter to the world’s Catholics on clerical sexual abuse has been praised for its strong language but criticised for lacking promises of action against clergy who have committed or concealed abuse. The 2,000-word letter, coming against the background of last week’s Pennsylvania Grand Jury report that revealed over 1,000 children were abused by…

We all have a “civic responsibility and mission” to support and encourage the family, especially during challenging situations, Down and Connor’s bishop has said. Visiting the ‘Families Matter’ programme at Maghaberry Prison which is run by the prison and Barnardo’s NI to support fathers who are in custody on August 19, Bishop Noel Treanor said:…

Traditional
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 welcomed 
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pilgrimage The National Traditional Pilgrimage, set up under the auspices of the Archbishop of Tuam in 2002, will kick off on September 1 this year. In establishing this, Archbishop Neary expressed the wish that all traditional Catholics in good standing with an attachment to the older liturgical norms, now termed ‘The Extraordinary Form’ would be…

WMOF 2018   Pilgrims without tickets to official events with Pope Francis will have a chance to see the Pontiff on a drive through Dublin, officials have announced. The Pope will be driven through Dublin city centre in his ‘Popemobile’ on Saturday afternoon giving the public the first opportunity to see him during his historic…

WMOF 2018   Pope Francis has said he is “excited” to return to Ireland, and indicated it may be an opportunity for Catholics and Protestants across the island to reach out to one another. Speaking specifically to the “Irish family” in a August 21 video message ahead of the World Meeting of Families, Francis said:…

WMOF 2018   Bishop Donal McKeown has expressed his hope that Pope Francis will help Ireland wrestle with difficult questions facing both Church and State. Speaking to a packed St Eugene’s Cathedral in Derry for the diocesan opening ceremony for WMOF, he said it is always better to be unhappy with the right questions than…

WMOF 2018   Tens of thousands of pilgrims from all over Ireland have gathered in cathedrals across the country for simaltenous opening ceremonies for the World Meeting of Families. In Dublin, Archbishop Diarmuid Martin presided at evening prayer in the RDS – the main site of WMOF which is expected to attract some 37,000 pilgrims…