Pakistan remains ill-served by its blasphemy law, writes Paul Keenan Two very different ‘heroes’ were celebrated in Pakistan last week, their differing yet converging stories being instantly illustrative of the religious gulf that continues to pervade in that country. On February 29, news filtered from Adiala prison in Rawalpindi that Mumtaz Qadri had been hanged…

Since 1889, Hayes & Finch have been manufacturing and supplying the finest quality products to churches in every corner of Ireland. In 1943, the Second World War forced the company to regrettably put their Dublin factory into mothballs due to world shortage of raw materials required to maintain production. The company was anxious to regain…

Volunteers with the Irish Cancer Society getting their flowers ready for sale for Daffodil Day tomorrow (Friday), Ireland’s longest running and biggest fundraising day. www.cancer.ie

Mags Gargan, Cathal Barry and Greg Daly Dioceses across the island of Ireland have reported large numbers participating in Pope Francis’ worldwide promotion of the Sacrament of Confession as part of the ‘24 Hours for the Lord’ initiative which took place last weekend. In Limerick Fr Tony O’Riordan SJ, who was commissioned as a ‘Missionary of Mercy’ by Pope Francis, celebrated…

Connecting dissident violence in the North to commemorations of the 1916 Easter Rising is too “simplistic” according to a leading political historian. In the wake of the attempted murder of a prison officer in Belfast, CofI Bishop of Down & Dromore, Harold Miller said he was afraid dissident republicans will attempt further assaults in the…

Tusla has expressed misgivings about the Catholic nature of the ethos of the family centre in Boyle EXCLUSIVE The State has threatened to withdraw funding from a Catholic family life centre unless its faith-based ethos is diluted, The Irish Catholic can reveal. The Irish Catholic understands that Tusla – the child and family agency –…

Hollywood star Jennifer Garner has said working on a Christian film has helped to restore her own faith. The actress stars in upcoming movie Miracles from Heaven, which recounts the true story of a young girl who had a near-death experience and was later cured from a digestive disorder. Speaking to E! News the star…

The North’s Minister of Education has praised Catholic school principals for their “vision and commitment to changing education” and their campaign against academic selection. Education Minister, John O’Dowd, was speaking at the annual conference of the Catholic Principals Association (CPA) in the Waterfront Hall in Belfast on Friday. He told the over 300 people at…

More than 150 representatives of associations and movements of the lay faithful were urged to bring about a “culture of mercy” at a special one day conference at the weekend. Speakers at ‘Opening the Door of Mercy’, which was organised by the Council for Pastoral Renewal and Adult Faith Development of the Irish Bishops’ Conference,…

The Irish priest who leads the Church’s lobbying campaign at the European Union (EU) has warned that only the most “ideologically driven” politicians or media outlets attempt to silence Church leaders from speaking publically. Fr Patrick Daly, General Secretary of the Commission of the Bishops’ Conferences of the EU (COMECE), insisted Catholic bishops “have a…