Staff reporter The final tranche of reports from the national safeguarding board is expected to be released next week, The Irish Catholic understands. The National Board for Safeguarding Children in the Catholic Church (NBSCCC) has now completed reviews of safeguarding practice and procedures in almost every Church body that comes under its authority. The few exceptions…

Religion misused in Brazilian standoff Brazilian Christian leaders have expressed concern about how many members of the country’s Chamber of Deputies invoked religion when voting on April 17 to impeach President Dilma Rousseff. Carlos Moura, executive secretary of the Brazilian bishops’ Justice and Peace Commission, said the commission experienced “an overwhelming feeling of embarrassment and dissatisfaction over the words…

The Association of Catholic Priests (ACP) has expressed hope that new child protection guidelines may help improve damaged relations between priests and bishops. The independent safeguarding watchdog, the National Board for Safeguarding Children in the Catholic Church (NBSCCC), has been rolling out new standards and more detailed guidelines are expected next month. The new standards…

The Archdiocese of New York has rejected allegations that it had been planning to smear the Catholic journalist Michael Voris. Mr Voris, the editor of ChurchMilitant.com, claimed that the archdiocese had been collecting information about his personal life before he became a Catholic “with the aim of publicly discrediting me, this apostolate and the work…

Archbishop Eamon Martin pictured with the boys from the Palestrina Choir of St Mary’s Pro-Cathedral after the 1916 Rising State commemoration ceremony at Arbour Hill in Dublin at the weekend. photo: CNS

Britain’s House of Commons has voted to declare that a genocide is underway against Christians, Yazidis and others in Syria and Iraq. The vote, by 278 votes to zero, marks the first time the House of Commons has declared a genocide while it was taking place. The motion, moved by Fiona Bruce MP, recognised that…

Staff Reporter A priest who celebrated a Mass at which a gay flag was draped across the altar has refused to speak about the event. Jesuit Fr Fergus O’Donoghue presided at the liturgy in Dublin’s Avila Carmelite Centre at the weekend. The Mass included a delegation from the United States led by Sr Jeannine Gramick, who…

Uruguayan Church’s ‘pain and shame’ at unpunished abuse Uruguay’s bishops have apologised for sexual abuses committed by priests 20 years ago that went unpunished because the country’s statute of limitations expired. A statement on the website of the South American country’s bishops’ conference says the Uruguayan Church feels “pain and shame” about “abhorrent acts committed by people who had promised to serve…

The Irish bishops’ overseas aid agency has criticised Europe’s response to the refugee crisis, as several hundred people are reported to have drowned off the coast of Egypt on Sunday. Up to 500 people are estimated to have drowned in the Mediterranean Sea trying to illegally cross from Libya to Italy. This latest tragedy coincides…

Nigerian bishops have urged the government to hasten its efforts to free 219 schoolgirls who were abducted by insurgents two years ago. Bishops Matthew Audu of Lafia and George Dodo of Zaria called on officials to boost intelligence gathering efforts and muster the political will to find the girls, who in April 2014 were taken…