Oscar-winning actor Jeremy Irons has said that the Catholic Church is right to say abortion is a sin, because it harms women. The Cork-based actor, who is married to Irish actress Sinead Cusack, said that while he believed “that women should be allowed to make the decision”, that he also believed the Church is correct…

Post-synodal apostolic exhortation due on April 8 Pope Francis’s eagerly awaited post-synodal apostolic exhortation on love in the family will be released on the morning of Friday, April 8, the Vatican has announced. The panel of speakers at the press conference, at which Amoris Laetitia (The Joy of Love) will be released, include Cardinal Lorenzo Baldisseri, general secretary of the Synod…

Paranoia as a result of the clerical sex abuse scandals is “hampering” priests from engaging fully with society, a prominent psychotherapist has warned. Kevin Egan, who has lectured in All Hallows College in psychology and pastoral theology, told The Irish Catholic that “the main thing that blocks mission in the Church today is paranoia or…

Pope Francis has met with the traditionalist Society of St Pius X, a group that separated itself from the wider Church decades ago in opposition to the reforms of the Second Vatican Council. The Vatican confirmed the weekend meeting between the Pontiff and Bishop Bernard Fellay, Superior General of the Society in a sign that…

Bernadette Smyth Abortion is a criminal offence in Northern Ireland, governed by sections 58 and 59 of the Offences Against the Person Act 1861 and section 25 of the Criminal Justice Act (NI) 1945. The core purpose of this law is the protection of the unborn child. Ever since the Family Planning Association of Northern…

Kenyan election cannot be ‘a matter of life and death’, say religious leaders Kenya’s religious leaders have denounced the formation of militias ahead of next year’s general election. “We appeal to all politicians with their vested interests to cease making elections a matter of life and death for Kenyans,” the Inter Religious Council of Kenya, which comprises the country’s Catholic bishops’ conference as well as the leaderships…

The Archbishop of Armagh has called for “the shocking increase in levels of childhood poverty” in the North to be a priority in the upcoming Assembly election. Archbishop Eamon Martin led a delegation from the Northern Ireland Catholic Council on Social Affairs (NICCOSA) for the first official meeting between representatives of the Catholic Church and…

St Patrick’s College in Maynooth is offering a suite of new scholarships to people interested in undertaking further studies in theology in a bid to attract more “quality” students to the college. The college’s president, Msgr Hugh Connolly, told The Irish Catholic he was “excited” by the new bursaries “because they will bring in some…

The Saturdays star Una Healy has spoken about the importance of faith in her life, revealing that her husband converted to Catholicism ahead of their wedding in 2012. The Tipperary-born Voice of Ireland mentor, who is married to English rugby player Ben Foden, said her faith means a lot to her, and her two children,…

Members of the Derry Youth Community – Charlotte Gormley, Andy Watts, Emmanuel Bicego and Christopher Bird – with a model of Eugene’s Cathedral built from Lego, which was presented at the Chrism Mass celebrated at the cathedral by Bishop Donal McKeown. Photo: Stephen Latimer