Priests have described the “shock” felt by local parishioners following the recent gangland violence that saw two men killed in the nation’s capital. Fr John Jones, administrator of Whitehall parish, said locals were “shocked” by the shootings that saw a man killed and two others injured at the nearby Regency Hotel. “It was a very…

Rescuers search for survivors after a building collapsed during a magnitude-6.4 earthquake in Tainan, Taiwan. Pope Francis sent condolences following the quake that hit as the island prepared to celebrate Chinese New Year. Photo: Paul Yang

An Bord Pleanála have rejected a Dublin hostels’ application to replace well-known The Irish Catholic sign on the facade of the building with the word “Paddywagon”. A conservation officer said the sign was “integral to the artistic, social and cultural significance of the building” on Dublin’s Lower Gardiner Street. The Paddywagon hostel operator and tour…

Gay cake appeal case adjourned The appeal by the Christian owners of a Belfast bakery who were found to have discriminated against a gay customer was adjourned last week to facilitate an intervention by Northern Ireland’s Attorney General. John Larkin QC made a last-minute request to make representation in the case about any potential conflict between the North’s equality legislation…

A veteran newspaper publisher has warned that the Irish media risks losing a sense of the important voice of faith in public debate. Matt Dempsey, the former chairman of the National Newspapers of Ireland (NNI), questioned whether people have “become so mesmerised by the scandals that they overlook the selfless sacrifices of thousands as they…

A large number of couples are continuing to present for marriage counselling because of financial problems despite the country entering economic recovery. According to the latest figures released by ACCORD, the Church’s marriage care service, the number of couples citing financial problems as a reason for attending counselling doubled from 2007 to a peak of…

A member of the singing group The Priests, who features on this year’s Trócaire Lenten box, has praised the “incredible” generosity of Irish parishes in raising life-changing funds for the world’s most vulnerable. Fr Martin O’Hagan, Trócaire’s representative in the Diocese of Down and Connor, told The Irish Catholic that the “people of Ireland deserve…