Leading canon lawyers have poured cold water on suggestions by Pope Francis that “the great majority” of Catholic marriages may in fact be invalid. The Pope commented at a press conference at the Diocese of Rome’s pastoral congress that the prevalent “culture of the provisional” means couples getting married often don’t understand what it means…
The three branches (brothers, sisters and secular) of the Ireland-England Province of the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary (SSCC) met for their annual gathering in Emmaus Retreat Centre in Swords at the start of June. Accompanying the assembly was the Superior General of the Congregation, Javier Álvarez Ossorio (Spain) and one…
Three-week-old Freddie McMullan pictured on the first day of the annual Redemptorist novena in Clonard Monastery, Belfast last week. See Page 6. Photo: Hugh Russell/The Irish News
The Irish Church Music Association holds its 47th Summer School from Wednesday, July 6 to Saturday, July 9 in St Patrick’s College, Maynooth, Co. Kildare. The theme is ‘God Full of Mercy’. This year’s programme includes a blend of contemporary and traditional choral pieces with emphasis on Psalms, sacraments, ritual and music for the liturgical…
The chaplain to the Irish community in Paris has heaped praise on fans who travelled to France to support the boys in green at the Euros, saying they managed to “melt the hearts” of the French. Fr Dwayne Gavin told The Irish Catholic that the atmosphere in Paris was “electric” ahead of Ireland’s recent clash…
The Holy and Great Council of the Orthodox Church has commenced in Crete amid division and last-minute absences. The historic synod, intended to be the first full gathering of all Orthodox leaders since 787, had hoped to keep its divisions purely a matter of internal discussion but an 11th-hour announcement by the Churches of Russia,…
Staff reporter Keith Duffy assured his mother that he would hand deliver her petitions to the grotto at Lourdes before embarking on a mammoth 550km cycle to the Marian shrine in the south of France. The former Boyzone singer joined a group cycling from Limerick to Lourdes in Nantes to raise money for Cliona’s Foundation, a…
Spanish Cardinal faces investigation after marriage sermon Cardinal Antonio Cañizares Llovera of Valencia, Spain, has been placed under investigation by regional authorities following a raft of complaints from gay rights activists and socialist groups against a sermon he gave in defence of traditional marriage. The cardinal, in the course of his sermon, said: “We have legislation contrary to the family, the…
The proposed Citizens’ Assembly on abortion is a “pretend process with a prearranged outcome”, the Pro Life Campaign (PLC) has said. Responding to the announcement that the assembly shall be set up soon, PLC spokesperson Cora Sherlock said “no amount of spin from Government ministers can disguise the fact that the process is about anything…
Patriarchs for Middle Eastern communities ousted by the rise of so-called Islamic State (ISIS) have criticised the failure of the international community to act fully two years after that group’s emergence. In a joint statement, Syriac Patriarch Ignatius Aphrem II and Syriac Catholic Patriarch Ignatius Youssef III Younan said that while they are grateful to…
Greg Daly
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Cathal Barry