The Belgian family of an elderly cancer sufferer who wanted to die by euthanasia is suing a Catholic care home for refusing to allow a lethal injection on Church-run premises. Mariette Buntjens died days later after receiving the injection from a doctor in a private residence. The woman’s daughter Nadine Engelen claims the Sint-Augustinus rest…
The Diocese of Ossory has launched a Confirmation Retreat Programme which is led by teenagers as instructors and guides to the Confirmation children. Named ORC (Ossory retreat programme for Confirmation) the new programme is based at St Mary’s Cathedral Campus, Kilkenny and is being co-ordinated by Fr Brian Griffin, a newly-ordained priest, along with at…
American bishops have welcomed President Barack Obama’s executive action on gun control, introducing a range of measures to regulate the sale of firearms. Miami’s Archbishop Thomas G. Wenski, chairman of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development, said in a statement that “For a long time now, the bishops…
The popular Augustinian retreat centre, Orlagh, in Dublin is to be sold. The Augustinians have been on the site since 1872 when they acquired the property for use as the novitiate for those who wished to join their ranks. For more than a decade, however, Orlagh has been a retreat centre offering a programme of…
France’s future must be built with mutual respect, recognising everyone’s contribution, the country’s bishops have said. In a statement to mark the anniversary of the Charlie Hebdo attacks in which 17 people were killed, the bishops asked whether lessons had been learned since then, saying that while “it is certainly urgent to listen to our…
Ulster rugby players to speak on Christian faith Three well-known Ulster Rugby players – Ruan Pienaar, Wiehahn Herbst and Paul Marshall – will be talking about their faith at a service in St Anne’s Cathedral, Belfast, on Monday, January 25, at 8pm. Ruan Pienaar has 88 caps for South Africa and played for the South African team that won the World Cup…
First video prayer message calls for broad peace efforts Pope Francis has urged people of faith from around the world to work together for justice and peace. Sharing for the first time as a video message the traditional papal prayer intentions for the month, the Pope called for dialogue among religions and asked that people “not stop praying for it and collaborating with…
The Government’s announcement to increase the Direct Provision Allowance (DPA) for asylum seeker children by just €6, has been described as ‘paltry’ and as falling far short of the recommendations of NGOs tasked with identifying improvements to the system. Among the recommendations of the report from the Government-appointed working group published last June, was an…
Children, one dressed as a Franciscan friar, play at a crib after Mass in the Palestinian town of Beit Jala near Bethlehem. Photo: Mazur/catholicnews.org.uk
A strong sense of faith inspired veteran Derry civil rights campaigner Paddy ‘Bogside’ Doherty, according to tributes paid to the 89-year-old who died at home last week following an illness. Paddy Doherty was a driving force behind the Inner City Trust which rebuilt many of the buildings in Derry destroyed during the Troubles. His close…
Mags Gargan
Cathal Barry