John Reid Fianna Fáil is hopeful that the persecution of Christians in the Middle East will be condemned as a genocide, in a new Dáil motion due to be put before the house before the summer. Speaking to The Irish Catholic, Fianna Fáil’s spokesman on Foreign Affairs, Darragh O’Brien, said that he is in regular…

A pilgrimage in memory of Sr Clare Crockett, who was killed in an earthquake in South Amercia in 2016, will raise funds to rebuild the school where she was killed. Sr Clare, a member of the Servant Sisters of the Home of the Mother, died a year ago this week trying to evacuate children to…

Staff Reporter Bishop Francis Duffy has expressed his shock and sadness at desecration of a Longford church. It was discovered on Easter Sunday morning that St Michael’s Church, Shroid, in Longford parish was broken into and the tabernacle stolen. The church had not been in use over the Easter period when all parish ceremonies took…

A return to ‘structured dialogue’ between the Government and Church leaders would be of great value as society becomes more pluralist, it has been claimed. The Lisbon Treaty places an obligation on the EU to have a regular dialogue with religious and non-confessional organisations on EU policies and legislative proposals. Former Taoiseach Bertie Ahern set…

Sr Jean Quinn, Daughter of Wisdom, has become the first Irish woman to be appointed to the post of Executive Director of Unanima International, based at the United Nations in New York. Unanima International is a non-government organisation and its work focuses on supporting women, children, migrants (especially those effected by poverty) and the environment. It has…

Skellig Michael rockfall “deeply worrying” The Office of Public Works (OPW) has described the serious rockfall which occurred on a roadway used by guides and OPW staff on the Christian monastic site of Skellig Michael as “deeply worrying”. Grellan Rourke, the OPW’s senior conservation architect for Skellig Michael said that while some winter storm damage…

Not even the GAA can outdo the Catholic Church when it comes to membership in Ireland, according to the Bishop of Limerick. Commenting on the Census figures during an Easter ceremony in St John’s Cathedral in Limerick, Bishop Brendan Leahy said: “Despite everything, we have discovered that 78% of our population still declare themselves Catholic.…

Maynooth deanery offer Confession in empty unit in Liffey Valley Shopping Centre An initiative of the Maynooth deanery saw an empty unit in Liffey Valley Shopping Centre become a buzz of sacred activity on Holy Saturday, with local priests answering Pope Francis’ call for outreach. From noon until 5.30pm the bare retail unit was transformed…

Staff reporter About half of the current seven vacancies in the Irish hierarchy will likely be filled by candidates proposed by the outgoing Papal Nuncio, Archbishop Charles Brown, according to Vatican sources. Currently there are seven of Ireland’s 26 dioceses awaiting the appointment of a new bishop. Sources in Rome this week indicated to The…

Staff reporter There is no possibility of women being ordained “at the present time” Bishop of Derry Donal McKeown has signalled an openness to women priests, though insisted that there is no possibility of women being ordained “at the present time”. Dr McKeown – who was appointed Bishop of Derry by Pope Francis in 2014…