Bishop Jozef De Kesel of Bruges has been named by Pope Francis to succeed Archbishop André-Joseph Léonard as Archbishop of Mechelen-Brussels and the effective leader of Belgium’s Catholic Church. Ordained in 1972, Dr De Kesel is regarded as a protégée of Cardinal Godfried Danneels, who resigned in 2010 shortly before it emerged that he had…

Joe Barrett A young Wexford woman, who obtained a total of €750 from two parish priests in Laois while claiming to be a social worker, has appeared at Portlaoise District Court on three counts of deception. Rebecca O’Leary (22) pleaded guilty to the three charges that occurred on October 8 and 12, twice from Portlaoise Parish…

St Martin de Porres must have had trouble eating toward the end of his life, as he had only two teeth, according to Dr Paulo Miamoto, a member of a Brazilian anthropology and dentistry group that spoke at a presentation on the Dominican saint’s reconstructed face. Thousands of Catholics packed Lima’s Basilica of the Most…

A prominent Jesuit scholar and leading commentator on modern Irish Catholicism has died after being ill for some months. Fr Michael Paul Gallagher SJ died on Friday, November 6, in St Vincent’s Private Hospital, after the Anointing of the Sick and prayers with three Jesuit friends. He had been suffering from cancer since January. Born…

Catholic officials have condemned a Mexican Supreme Court ruling on recreational marijuana use, following a 4-1 vote backing an injunction that allowed four individuals to grow and consume marijuana for recreational purposes.    “For the Church, this is a serious decision and an incredibly irresponsible decision that follows certain  fads, a certain mentality of individual…

Primate of All-Ireland Archbishop Eamon Martin returned to his native Derry to celebrate the vigil Mass for the Feastday of All the Saints of Ireland on November 6. Here Dr Martin is greeted by students from St Mary’s College at the Mass at St Eugene’s Cathedral.Photo: Stephen Latimer

A delegation of 15 bishops, eight support staff and diocesan personnel have taken part in an information visit to the European Commission and to the European Parliament in Brussels. The group met with First Vice-President of the European Commission, Mr Frans Timmermans, the Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development Mr Phil Hogan as well as…

Ireland is to host three climate rallies on the eve of the upcoming UN Climate Summit in Paris. The rallies are scheduled to begin at 2pm on November 29, the day before the Taoiseach Mr Enda Kenny addresses the summit. Organised by such organisations as Trócaire, Friends of the Earth, and Stop Climate Chaos, the…

The Pro Life Campaign has welcomed the result of a University College Cork debate where a motion on the Students’ Union taking a position on abortion was defeated by 36 votes to 31. PLC Deputy Chairperson Cora Sherlock, who spoke at the Philosophical Society-hosted debate, called the result “a positive step forward”, saying, “When people…

Two Irish film-makers have revealed that their work on an up-coming movie about notorious abortion doctor Dr Kermit Gosnell lead them to rethink their support for abortion. Phelim McAleer and Ann McElhinney, a film-making couple based in Los Angeles, warned abortion campaigners “to be careful what you wish for” after their experience filming a movie…