Rescuers search for survivors after a building collapsed during a magnitude-6.4 earthquake in Tainan, Taiwan. Pope Francis sent condolences following the quake that hit as the island prepared to celebrate Chinese New Year. Photo: Paul Yang

EXCLUSIVE New survey shows media figures ‘misleading’ The number of Catholic primary schools that are being forced to turn away pupils is dramatically lower than has been claimed, The Irish Catholic can reveal. Despite claims by politicians and commentators that one in five Catholic schools are over-subscribed and therefore forced to apply a ‘Catholics first’…

Pictured launching the 2016 Trócaire Lenten Campaign are Jessie Rogers (2) from Celbridge, Co. Kildare and Luka Farrell (3) from Longwood, Co. Meath. For the fi rst time the Trócaire box features Trócaire supporters from across Ireland who are fi ghting for justice for the world’s poor by fundraising, campaigning and volunteering. Photo: Mark Stedman/Photocall…

Renua election candidates have accused Fine Gael of acting on false pretences by continuing to claim special allowances for Lucinda Creighton and other former party members. “Each political party gets a certain amount of money from the State in respect of each TD and senator to support the work of parliamentarians,” Ms Creighton’s husband Senator…

The Christian radio station, Spirit Radio has reached a weekly listenership of over half a million people, according to a new survey. To mark the station’s fifth year broadcasting it commissioned a poll carried out by Amarách Research which showed that listenership has doubled in the last two years. CEO of Spirit Radio, Rob Clarke…

The housing crisis should be a key issue in the general election, four Church-related social justice organisations have said. With family homelessness having risen by 90% last year and numbers on local authority waiting lists having more than doubled since 2005, the quartet claimed that many families and individuals are not benefitting from the national…

Pilgrims from Rochfortbridge, Co. Westmeath, Breda and Adam Quinn, Annemarie and Amy Reilly and May Curran at the Holy Door for the Year of Mercy in St Mary’s Parish, Navan on St Brigid’s Day.

Young couples are “postponing” getting married due to the spiralling cost of weddings, it has been claimed. Fr Gerry O’Connor of Cherry Orchard Parish in Dublin warned that there are “huge expectations” for couples to have extravagant weddings which is forcing them to delay tying the knot. “There are huge expectations on couples to be…

Some of Ireland’s most-prominent religious sites are hoping for a ‘Pope Francis effect’ boost during the Jubilee of Mercy which the Pontiff has proclaimed this year. Representatives were amongst a delegation of pilgrimage leaders from around the world who were in Rome to hear Pope Francis outline his view that pilgrimage is key to the…

Bishop Donal McKeown accepts a ‘Book of Forgiveness’ prepared for the Year of Mercy from students in St Columba’s Primary School, who were among 142 schools to attend a diocesan celebration for Catholic Schools Week in St Eugene’s Cathedral in Derry last week. Photo: Stephen Latimer