The Church must apply ‘mercy’ to families, particularly those that find themselves in difficulty, including second unions, a leading theologian has said. Speaking ahead of a major gathering in Limerick next week that will be attended by the cardinal chosen by Pope Francis to present Amoris Laetitia – the papal letter on the ‘family’ –…

Fr Bernard Healy On Saturday, Pope Francis appointed a man familiar to many Rome-educated Irish clergy, namely Jesuit Archbishop Luis Ladaria Ferrer, as Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. From 1984 until 2008 he was on the theology faculty of the Jesuit-run Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome where most of the…

Government plans for a referendum on abortion next year reveal consultation exercises as charades, members of the Oireachtas committee on the rights of unborn have said. Responding to reports that Health Minister Simon Harris has asked officials at the Department of Health to begin drafting legislation to allow for abortion on demand during the first…

This generation has lost the “urgency to spread the Gospel”, which was the drive for thousands of Irish missionaries, according to the Bishop of Derry. Speaking at a Mass to celebrate the golden jubilee of St Aengus’ Church in Burt, Co. Donegal, Bishop Donal McKeown said the “community of disciples that gathers in our churches…

Concerns have been expressed that a deal which will see the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) back the Tory minority government in Britain will not benefit both sides of the community in the North. The deal, announced on Monday, two weeks after the UK election resulted in a hung parliament, will see the 10 DUP MPs…

Bishop Éamonn Walsh of the Irish Bishops’ Drugs Initiative (IBDI) has encouraged parishes to get involved with its latest youth-centred initiative. “With the support of the IBDI many parishes are becoming self-sufficient in the challenge to prevent drug use,” Bishop Walsh said. “The latest IBDI programme ‘Leave your mark’ is a youth-centred initiative which trains…

The Order of Malta has been commended by Archbishop Diarmuid Martin for its commitment to alleviating social and spiritual suffering throughout the world. “The care of the sick and the troubled and the marginalised is an essential dimension of the Christian life and of the life of the Church. The Order of Malta and its members…

The grounds of Clonard Monastery in Belfast are about to undergo an “aesthetically pleasing” transformation, as the decades-old barbed wire on top of the exterior walls are to be replaced with a pallet-style fence. The barbed wire, which was added to the walls during the Troubles in order to protect the Redemptorist community who live…

Bishop Denis Nulty has laid out his blueprint for the future of the Diocese of Kildare & Leighlin in the face of the growing shortage of priests. “The present situation of the shortage of vocations, the age profile of the priests and the stress associated with such realities needs serious reflection,” Bishop Nulty said at…

Award-winning British writer Jimmy McGovern has revealed that he wanted to portray priests in a positive light in his latest hit show as a tribute to hard-working clerics. Broken – which is currently airing on BBC television – tells the story of Fr Michael, a priest working in a deprived community who works to help…