Category: News

Vatican defends Pope ‘genocide’ comments

The Vatican has stressed that Pope Francis “is on no crusade” following the angry Turkish reaction to his words on genocide during his official visit to Armenia. Visiting the nation between June 24 and 26, Pope Francis chose to address the massacres by Turkey of some 1.5 million Armenians between 1915 and 1923.  As is…

World News in Brief

Hindu politician attacks Mother Teresa as ‘Christian conspirator’ A member of India’s parliament has denounced the legacy of Mother Teresa as “a conspiracy to Christianise India” during a major Hindu festival.  Gorakhpur Yogi Adityanath, a member of the extreme Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), a grouping frequently linked to Hindu attacks on minority communities in India, including the anti-Christian pogrom in Orissa in…

US bishops lament health insurance abortion ruling

The US Catholic Bishops have condemned a ruling by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) that health plans offered by religious bodies in the state of California are not exempt from the requirement to fund abortions.  In a joint statement reacting to the ruling, which was prompted by the bishops’ own appeal against…

Catholic Library transfer proposal sparks protest

Conflict has erupted at Dublin’s Central Catholic Library over a proposal to transfer the library’s holdings to Dublin City University (DCU).  The library board is split over the proposal, The Irish Catholic understands, and up to 50 library members met outside the library on June 22 to call for the company’s assets not to be…

News in Brief

Overcrowded prisons criticised The Jesuit Centre for Faith and Justice has welcomed the “considerable progress” shown in the Irish Prison Service annual report, which was launched this week, but said “chronic overcrowding” still needs to be addressed. Overcrowding continues in the Dóchas Centre, Cork prison and Limerick men and women’s prison, said Eoin Carroll, Advocacy Officer in the…