The Pro Life Campaign (PLC) has said it hopes the decision of the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland (BAI) to uphold complaints made against The Ray D’Arcy Show will “set down a marker” for the way in which abortion is dealt with by the media. The complaints related to an interview with Colm O’Gorman of Amnesty…

Bishops have warned the Minister for Education not to “interfere with the ethos of faith schools” after she proposed plans to remove rules regarding religious education in national schools. Minister for Education Jan O’Sullivan announced plans last week to remove Rule 68 and 69 from the Rules for National Schools next year. Rule 68 states…

Former Fine Gael party member Lucinda Creighton has said it is “ironic” that the Taoiseach Enda Kenny has now said he will contemplate a free vote in the parliamentary party in future in order to “get rid” of the abortion question. Ms Creighton, who left the party during the passage of the Protection of Life…

Bishops across the island opened a Holy Door in diocesan cathedrals over the weekend to launch the  celebrations for the Year of Mercy. Bishop Donal McKeown of Derry and Deacon Christopher McDermott are pictured blessing the congregation after the opening ceremony in St Eugene’s Cathedral on Sunday. Photo: Stephen Latimer

The international community must act decisively and follow the path mapped out at the Paris climate summit, Pope Francis has said. Speaking after the Angelus on Sunday, December 13, the Pope recognised how the agreement signed at the Climate Change Conference (COP21) had been “described by many as historic”, but stressed that “its implementation will…

US nuns and sisters more ethnically diverse, study shows Religious life in the US is becoming more multi-ethnic and more international according to a new study, Understanding US Catholic Sisters Today, commissioned by Foundations and Donors Interested in Catholic Activities (FADICA), which represents about 50 philanthropic organisations. The report, which highlights the major findings of recent sociological studies of women religious, said only…

Ill health has forced Cardinal George Pell to be excused from appearing in person at Australia’s Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse until February. Justice Peter McClellan, chairing the commission’s inquiry, said he had received an email “to advise that the cardinal is currently affected by serious health conditions that, in the…

The Jesuit Institute South Africa has expressed its concern about President Jacob Zuma’s removal of Nhlanha Nene as the country’s Minister of Finance, claiming that the decision “spells disaster for the stability of an embattled economy” and raises questions about President Zuma’s ability to lead the country.  Although finance minister for just over 18 months,…

Love and truth are central to mercy, says CDF chief Mercy is a grace that comes from on high and changes our lives, taking us as we are but not leaving us as we are, according to Cardinal Gerhard Müller, prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF). Speaking in an interview, the cardinal described Confession as “paradigmatic of mercy”, saying…

Catholic schools offer a “particularly successful model of education” thanks to the social cohesion offered by parishes, the Bishop of Derry has said. Bishop Donal McKeown was reacting to a report commissioned by the North’s Executive, which examined the effects of deprivation on educational achievement.  The report recommends an end to academic selection as a…