Mags GarganSheila O’Leary, retired sacristan of St Finbarr’s Oratory, Gougane Barra in Co. Cork was honoured recently as a Dame of the Pontifical Equestrian order of St Sylvester. It was a fitting honour for Sheila O’Leary who gave so much of her time to the church. On December 29, Sheila was surrounded by her daughters Pauline…
Category: News
Abortion law change could ‘pressure’ parents to terminate
Cathal Barry
Church of Ireland Primate Archbishop Richard Clarke has warned politicians that a further liberalisation of abortion laws could pressurise parents of unborn children diagnosed with life-limiting conditions to terminate their pregnancies. Archbishop Clarke told The Irish Catholic he feared that liberalisation could create a “eugenics culture” and “begin a process where if there is any…
Our silence condones migrants’ deaths – Pope
We share the responsibility for the deaths of desperate migrants when we stand by silently, Pope Francis has said, urging Catholics to see migrants not in legalistic terms but as fellow human beings with their own inherent dignity and abilities to contribute to their new homes. Speaking on the World Day for Migrants and Refugees,…
Blessing for all creatures great and small
A dog reacts as it is blessed outside San Anton Church in Madrid, Spain on Sunday, when hundreds of people brought their pets to be blessed for the feast day of St Anthony, patron saint of animals. Photo: Reuters/Andrea Comas
Ghana’s bishops warn against transfer from Guantanamo
Ghana’s bishops have issued a statement protesting about the transfer of former Guantanamo Bay prisoners to their country, describing it as “wrong and dangerous”. In a statement signed by Konongo-Mampong’s Bishop Joseph Osei-Bonsu, president of the country’s bishops’ conference, the bishops said they had responded to this development with “distress and sadness”, calling on the…
‘Prayer puts my mind at rest’ – Andrea Corr
Singer Andrea Corr has revealed that she will be turning to prayer to help combat pre-concert nerves ahead of her first tour with The Corrs in over a decade. The 41-year-old experienced songstress admitted she still suffers from anxiety before performing and regularly prays before going on stage, according to a report in The Irish…
Vatican roundup
Mercy at the heart of the Pope’s new series of talks God’s mercy is constant and limitless, and he is faithful in his mercy for his children, even when they are unfaithful, Pope Francis has said in his first general audience of 2016, the first of a series of weekly talks on mercy. Claiming that in the Bible, from the “Old Testament to the full…
Good Friday drinks ban proof of remaining Christian values – claim
The President of the Pioneers Total Abstinence Association has insisted that the ban on the sale of alcohol on Good Friday should remain in place. James Shevlin told The Irish Catholic he would “very much oppose” reversing the ban because “it is an acknowledgment that the country wants to hold onto some of its Christian…
Kenya Government’s new worship rules shock bishops
Kenya’s bishops have said they are “shocked and surprised” by government plans to regulate worship in the east African country. Responding to concerns that some pastors were fleecing followers and some mosques are becoming centres of radicalisation, the government has published new rules requiring religious leaders to have theological degrees and religious groups to submit…
Protestant leader dismisses criticism of Pope’s NI visit
Greg Daly
‘Community will welcome Pontiff’ A leading Protestant cleric has insisted that the vast majority of his community would welcome a visit to the North by Pope Francis and poured cold water on suggestions of protests by extreme elements. Canon Ian Ellis, editor of The Church of Ireland Gazette, told The Irish Catholic that “we don’t…