Organisers of next year’s World Meeting of Families in Dublin – which Pope Francis is expected to attend – will be buoyed up by new research that reveals that Irish people remain among the most religious in Europe. Despite a fall-off in church attendance, more than one in three Irish Catholics still attend Mass weekly…

Elaborate tax dodging methods used by wealthy Irish people and companies revealed in the Paradise Papers have been condemned by Catholic charity workers who are fighting the homeless crisis. After 13.4 million records were leaked to German newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung some of Ireland’s wealthiest businessmen and celebrities were linked to valuable assets stashed in offshore…

The prospect of having married priests is looking more likely, the Association of Catholic Priests (ACP) has said, following the Pope having given permission for the issue to be discussed at a synod of bishops. Commenting on reports that the possibility of married men being ordained to the priesthood would be on the agenda of…

After an Irish nun’s admission she was spat at by a member of the public last month there’s been an overwhelmingly positive, and supportive response. The nun, who is a former principle of a Catholic school in Dublin, lamented that many people’s attitude towards nuns drastically changed in Ireland after the “horrible” abuse scandals. Her…

The publishing wing of the Church in Ireland – has returned to profitability after some turbulent years, according to latest figures filed with the Companies Registration Office. Veritas, the Irish bishops’ publishing arm, has been struggling for years, battling with an uncertain retail climate, but 2016 saw the company making a small net profit of…

Some 10,000 families – the vast majority of them believed to be Catholic – have been intimidated from their homes in the North since the signing of the Good Friday Agreement, according to new figures. However, the figures – compiled by the Belfast-based investigative website Detail Data – may be much higher since many incidents…

Almost 300 families have been helped out of homelessness this year by Focus Ireland, the charity has said at the launch of its annual Christmas Appeal. Highlighting how over 3,000 children are homeless nationwide, the charity said that while Ireland’s homeless crisis continues to worsen, with a record total of 8374 people now homeless, things…

Using public funds to pay private landlords to house homeless people is not sustainable due to the increasing cost and lack of housing according to Fr Peter McVerry. In the Peter McVerry Trust’s Annual Report 2016 the accommodation team stated that throughout 2016 there was a need to secure “exceptional payments” above the rent supplement…

A huge proportion of young people leaving State care are becoming homeless as social workers scramble to find accommodation, according to several Irish charities. The Department of Youth Affairs offers an aftercare service which aims to offer guidance and practical supports with regards to education, financial support, social network support and training for young people…

New In Brief The young pupils of a Limerick school surprised a grateful priest by reuniting him with his All-Ireland winning medals. The Confirmation class of Caherline National School were asked to choose an act of kindness, and decided to help Fr Par Currivan after he mentioned he had lost the medals from the menor…