Electricity could go a long way to stemming violence often attributed to religion, Nigerian’s bishop Matthew Hassan Kukah of Sokoto has said. Violence in Nigeria is attributed to religious conflicts, the bishop said, but “more often it is just a battle for survival and a battle over resources”. Without electricity, he argued, many people cannot…

A Co. Kildare woman has been appointed to head up the Society of Missionary Children, one of the oldest children’s charities in Ireland. Missionary Children is governed by World Missions Ireland which supports missionaries and mission projects in up to 80 countries throughout the world. Julieann Moran, from Newbridge, has been appointed to the post…

No ban on female prime ministers for the Vatican There is no reason why a woman could not become the Vatican’s “Prime Minister”, the current holder of that position has said at a press conference. “A woman could become Secretary of State, in the sense that the role of the Secretary of State is evidently not bound to the sacraments or the priesthood,”…

The final tranche of reports from the national safeguarding board was released on Wednesday, May 4, ahead of new guidelines for safeguarding practice and procedures being introduced. Thirty bodies were reviewed in the final tranche, bringing to 164 the total number of reviews published by the National Board for Safeguarding Children in the Catholic Church.…

School children from Our Lady of Vietnam Church in Silver Spring, Maryland, perform a liturgical dance for the call to prayer during the US’s 14th annual Asian and Pacifi c Island Catholics Marian Pilgrimage at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, DC. Photo: CNS

Students from schools across the Archdiocese of Tuam performing at the Awakening 2016 concert in aid of Pieta House in the Sports Centre in Castlebar, Co. Mayo last week. Photo: Fr Stephen Farragher

Michael O’Loughlin With the general election matchup coming into focus, some Catholic leaders in the US find themselves scrambling to figure out what to make of a race between one candidate whose views on immigration clash with decades of Catholic pro-immigration work, and another who supports same-sex marriage and expanded access to abortion and contraception. Whereas…

The proposed ‘citizens’ convention’ on repealing the right to life from the Constitution is a ruse to allow the Government to deny responsibility for its recommendations, Elphin’s Bishop Kevin Doran has warned. The bishop’s comments followed an announcement that the Fine Gael-led minority government’s Programme for Partnership includes a commitment to establishing a ‘citizens’ convention’…

The Church reacts to a long-predicted crisis, writes Paul Keenan

A Co. Mayo parish priest has become an online hit after re-creating a classic scene from the Father Ted series to promote a fundraising pilgrimage.  Fr John Kenny of Partry parish decided to organise a Pedal Paddle Pilgrimage on May 21 to raise funds for Pieta House after the tragic death of a friend through…