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…
Bishop of Derry Donal McKeown has expressed his hope that next month’s international summit of bishops on the challenges facing young people can breathe fresh life into the Church’s youth ministry in Ireland. Dr McKeown, who along with Archbishop of Armagh Eamon Martin will represent Ireland at the month-long Vatican event, told The Irish Catholic…
EXCLUSIVE Just five first-year seminarians entered Maynooth to begin studies for the priesthood this year, The Irish Catholic can reveal – one fewer than last year which was considered the lowest in the college’s 223-year history. While returns from all of the country’s dioceses compiled by this newspaper show that 15 men have formally…
The first Irish diocese to be subject to a second review of safeguarding practice has been praised for its handling of abuse allegations and treatment of those making complaints and being complained about. The review of the Diocese of Kilmore, conducted by the National Board for Safeguarding Children in the Catholic Church in Ireland during…
Doctors’ right to conscientious objection will become a “flashpoint” in efforts to protect the lives of unborn children against the background of looming abortion legislation, pro-life GPs have said. “We may have lost the battle on the Eighth but the new battle is to protect freedom of conscience,” Dr Valerie Morris told The Irish Catholic,…
Colm Fitzpatrick
Greg Daly
Chai Brady