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…

Poland’s Catholic bishops have called for a permanent ban on abortions in the country to mark the 1,050th anniversary of Poland’s  conversion to Christianity in the year 966. “Each person’s life is protected by the fifth commandment, do not kill. So the attitude of Catholics is clear and unchanging,” the bishops’ conference said. “In this…

A Derry priest has accused certain elements of the media of adding to the pain of the woman who lost five family members when their car slipped off Buncrana pier, Co. Donegal. Fr Paddy O’Kane, parish priest in the family’s hometown of Ballymagroarty in Derry, has visited Louise James every day since the accident on…

Archbishop Diarmuid Martin has called for an honest appraisal of the Church in modern Ireland after some 1916 commemorations have shown that fair historical debate is being hindered by false impressions of the role of Catholicism. Referring to the recent RTÉ series Rebellion which re-enacted the events of the 1916 Easter Rising, the archbishop said…

A group of about 75 young people, including representatives from NET Ministries Ireland, Youth 2000 and Newman College, gathered in Tuam parish for a conference called ‘Days of Discipleship’ organised by a mission team from the Fellowship of Catholic University Students (FOCUS) in the US. FOCUS works on American university campuses, building young people into…

Mary Miller, Thomondgate touches the icon of Our Mother of Perpetual Help as John Hegarty and Jerry O’Doherty, Patrick Sarsfield Branch of Óglaigh Náisiúnta na hÉireann (Organisation of National Ex-servicemen & Women) process the pilgrim icon into St John’s Cathedral, Limerick. The Redemptorists are celebrating the 150th anniversary of devotion to the Our Mother of…

The Croagh Patrick Heritage Trail is hosting a community walk and talk to the Boheh Stone – a unique Neolithic feature in Co. Mayo – on Monday, April 18. This is a guided walk  led by local archaeologists and is an opportunity to experience the amazing ‘Rolling Sun’ phenomenon, where the sun appears to roll down the…

Music superstar Justin Bieber said he has God to thank for his ‘Male Artist of the Year’ award at the weekend.  Picking up the gong, along with the Best Fan Army prize, at the iHeartRadio Awards in California, the Canadian singer songwriter said: “[Thanks to] God… I’ve experienced some tough times. I think all of…