Although persecution and instability has reduced Basra’s Christian population to just 10% of the 3,000 Christian families who were there before the 2003 invasion, the city’s Chaldean Catholic archdiocese has opened southern Iraq’s first Christian museum. The museum contains over 200 religious artefacts, documents, photographs, tools, clothing and furniture dating back to the 17th Century,…

Pope Francis is in “very good form” and while a papal visit to Ireland may seem unlikely for the moment, he continues to pray for the Irish according to the Bishop of Waterford & Lismore.  Bishop Phoncie Cullinan said it was “a beautiful, unforgettable moment” to meet Pope Francis last week while attending a course…

Kenya will be the first country Pope Francis will visit as part of his first Apostolic Visit to Africa, the Holy See has confirmed. The Pontiff announced his intention to visit Africa last January, stating in June that he would visit the Central African Republic and Uganda.  “Accepting the invitation issued by the respective Heads…

The Pro Life Campaign has said there is nothing reassuring about Taoiseach Enda Kenny’s refusal to commit to a referendum on Ireland’s constitutional protection for the unborn if Fine Gael is re-elected to government. PLC Deputy Chairperson Cora Sherlock said “The Taoiseach never actually said he was opposed to a referendum to dismantle the Eighth…

Catholic leaders in Nepal have welcomed the visit of Cardinal Fernando Filoni, prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelisation of Peoples, to southern Asia. The cardinal’s visit is rounding off a trip that has also seen him visiting Bangladesh and India’s Archdiocese of Kolkata, and sees him visiting camps for survivors of April’s earthquake as…

Next week’s National Ploughing Championships offer the Diocese of Kildare & Leighlin a unique opportunity to “reach out” to the masses according to Bishop Denis Nulty.  “It is very important to reach out and for us to be in the field or in the marketplace,” Bishop Nulty told The Irish Catholic. “With over 279,000 people…

Europe’s bishops call for European solution As the European Union is founded on the solidarity of Europeans, so the current refugee crisis should be recognised as a common challenge that needs a common solution, the Commission of the Bishops’ Conferences of the European Community (COMECE) has said. Describing as “unacceptable” the attempts by some countries to evade their responsibilities, the…

A Hungarian bishop has challenged Pope Francis’ appeal for Catholics to open their communities as sanctuaries for refugees from the Middle East. Szeged-Csanád Bishop Laszlo Kiss-Rigo, whose diocese in southern Hungary is experiencing some of Europe’s heaviest migrant flows, denies that most of those arriving are refugees. “This is an invasion,” he said, “they come…

Bishops back Indian strikes India’s Catholic Church supported some 150 million workers on a nationwide strike that shut down factories, banks, traffic and government offices on September 2. “The Church is in solidarity with striking workers because we are concerned about their welfare,” according to Jaipur’s Bishop Oswald Lewis, head of the Indian bishops’ labour office, adding that…

Mags Gargan and Greg Daly Parishioners across Ireland are preparing to welcome refugees fleeing Syria, Iraq and North Africa in answer to Pope Francis’ appeal to European parishes and religious communities to offer shelter to migrant families. Taking up the Pontiff’s urgent plea, Bishop Noel Treanor of Down & Connor has put in place a team to assess available…