A Co. Tyrone priest has given his phone number out from the church altar at a teenagers’ funeral, in a direct appeal to young people in need to seek help. Fr Daniel McFaul told mourners at St Mary’s Church in Killyclogher that Elle Trowbridge was “a young and beautiful lady…who was caught in the live…

Staff Reporter Marie Collins’ first training event for Vatican officials since her resignation from Pope Francis’ child protection commission was “encouraging” and “very positive”, the leading advocate has said. Mrs Collins announced her resignation in February from the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors, citing frustration with obstructive curial officials. Despite this, she joined…

The Vatican department that tackles the cases of priests accused of abuse has accelerated its handling of such cases, the head of Ireland’s child protection board has said. Teresa Devlin, CEO of the National Board for the Safeguarding of Children in the Catholic Church (NBSCCC), told The Irish Catholic that she believed the development was…

Government demands that schools reduce uniform costs to ease parents’ financial pressures have been criticised as reactive and unacceptable micro-management by the president of the body which represents faith-based schools in Ireland. Speaking at the AMCSS/JMB annual general meeting in Killarney, Fr Paul Connell said the planned changes would do “little or nothing to reduce…

Pope Francis’ visit to Egypt last week may have been one of the shortest overseas trips so far in his papacy, but it may prove one of his most important. Friday morning saw the Pope arriving at Cairo airport and being officially welcomed to Egypt at the Heliopolis presidential palace, before joining the chief imam…

Mags Gargan and Greg Daly ‘Resentment’ an inaccurate reporting Church leaders have been urged to stand up to negative bias in the media, after a recent spate of ‘Church-bashing’ during emotive debates around abortion. This comes after Archbishop Diarmuid Martin said there was a “justified resentment” among priests, religious and committed Catholics at being “unfairly…

Church leaders will this month open a new national office dedicated exclusively to promoting vocations to priesthood as the shortage of priests continues to bite and some dioceses are no longer able to staff parishes. Bishop Phonsie Cullinan admitted that the Irish Church is playing ‘catch up’, telling The Irish Catholic that Ireland is “behind…

A group of 22 TDs and Senators has called on the Government to recognise as genocide ISIS’s persecution of minority communities including Iraqi and Syrian Christians and Yazidis. In a letter drafted by The Iona Institute, Aid to the Church in Need and Church in Chains, the politicians urge the Minister for Foreign Affairs and…