One of the Pope’s closest advisers on the family has insisted that when dealing with marital breakdown, the Church must put the needs of children ahead of a simplistic application of rules. Cardinal Christoph Schönborn told The Irish Catholic that in the past the Church too often focused on sexual sins to the detriment of…

Tamil Catholic youth pose before performing a Bharatnatyam dance depicting the heavenly angels during the Feast of Our Lady of Madhu as part of a pilgrimage in Ontario, Canada at the weekend. Sri Lankan Catholics have venerated the Mother of God under the title Our Lady of Madhu for more than 400 years. Photo: PA

Young people from St Patrick’s College in Dungiven, Co. Derry took part in a Fatima Procession in St Patrick’s Church in the town, reciting the Rosary during the procession whilst other students carried a statue of Our Lady of Fatima.

Over 100 young people aged 16-18 from a wide variety of schools have joined the VAKS (Volunteer At Knock Shrine) programme at Knock Shrine, which is a joint venture between the youth ministry offi ce there and Tuam diocesan youth ministry.

A leading peace campaigner has said politicians in the North could learn a lesson from the local communities, after last week’s Twelfth of July parades season was hailed by the PSNI as the most peaceful in years. While there was a heavy police presence in the area, all the Belfast bands abided by a Parades…

Ireland’s longest-serving diocesan bishop has raised the question of whether it is time to separate the religious and civil aspects of Irish weddings. Speaking at a Limerick conference, Clonfert’s Bishop John Kirby told Austria’s Cardinal Christoph Schönborn how “in Ireland there’s a very close link between civil marriage and Church marriage”, and asked whether the…

Charismatic RTÉ personality and “man of Faith” Marty Morrissey is set to make his debut appearance at the Knock annual novena next month. With the theme ‘Living Life to the Full’ the National Novena to Our Lady of Knock will run from Monday, August 14 until Tuesday 22. Mr Morrissey will speak on Wednesday 16…

Comments by Archbishop Diarmuid Martin at a conference in Germany are helpful neither to Irish Catholics nor to relations between Church and State in Ireland, a leading academic has said. Describing as “distorted” the archbishop’s assessment of the origins of the distinctly Catholic character of independent Ireland and the reluctance within the Church to hand…

President praises church famine appeal President Michael D. Higgins has paid tribute to the decision by the Irish Catholic Bishops’ Conference to organise special collections at churches across Ireland this weekend, to raise funds for people affected by the famine in East-Africa. He called on all Irish citizens and organisations to take this call as…

Staff reporter A senior barrister has called on Church leaders to speak out with confidence for Christian values in the run-in to next year’s World Meeting of Families in Dublin. Writing in The Irish Catholic, Patrick Treacy SC praises Dublin’s Archbishop Diarmuid Martin for his outstanding leadership in tackling child sexual abuse, his ongoing support…