Gianluca Avagnina in Turin Pope Francis prayed before the Holy Shroud of Turin last weekend, on his first official apostolic visit to the northern Italian region of Piedmont where the famous relic is venerated. Accompanied by the Archbishop of Turin Ceasare Nosiglia, the Pope venerated the shroud for several minutes inside the cathedral of St John…

Chris Pratt, the star of the box office record- breaking film Jurassic World, credits his successful career to God’s blessing. The 35-year-old actor, who is married to actress Anna Faris, with whom he has a two-year-old son, Jack, has attributed his sudden recent career success to divine intervention. “I’m definitely very favoured by God and…

Pope Francis has penned a stinging critique of humanity’s treatment of the environment, urging people to take action to combat the reality of climate change. In his much anticipated encyclical, Laudato Si (Praise be to you), the Pope sets out an “urgent challenge” to protect the environment from any further destruction, calling on society to…

Pope Francis will present each of Ireland’s two newest archbishops with a pallium, which signifies the power of a metropolitan archbishop, in a ceremony in the Vatican next week. The Holy Father will bless and present the pallium, a white woolen strip worn around the archbishop’s neck, to Archbishop Eamon Martin of Armagh and Archbishop Kieran O’Reilly…

Bishop of Down and Connor Noel Treanor after celebrating Mass on St Patrick’s mountain at Saul, Co. Down speaking to Gerard (8) who recently made his first Holy Communion. Photo: Bill Smyth

The new rector of Clonard Monastery in Belfast has described the annual novena as a real “phenomenon” with more than 15,000 people attending the services daily. “It is a phenomenon,” said Fr Noel Kehoe. “We estimate that more than 15,000 people are attending daily this year. At the first session at 6.45am we have 1,500…

Modern society has lessons to learn in caring for vulnerable children from the Irish priest behind the pioneering Boys Town facility in the US, according to supporters of his cause for sainthood, as his canonisation process moved a step forward. Fr Edward Flanagan, a Roscommon priest who adopted a progressive approach to running institutions for…

The Pro Life Campaign (PLC) has condemned as hypocritical the recommendation of a United Nations committee that Ireland should conduct a referendum on abortion in order to liberalise what it called the State’s “highly restrictive legislation on abortion and strict interpretation thereof”. The UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights had recommended that Ireland…

About 200 people attended the first safeguarding conference for the Diocese of Clogher held in Clones. Special guests included: Sr Suzie Duffy of the Diocese of Kilmore; Marie Hamilton; Mary Mc Mahon; and Sr Una Purcell of Ardagh and Clonmacnoise. The conference was opened by Acting Chairperson of the Diocesan Safeguarding Committee, Mary Harte and…

Parishioners from the parish of Tullaherin/Bennettsbridge in Co. Kilkenny turned out in large numbers to celebrate the golden jubilee of Canon Patrick Duggan. The day began with a Mass of Thanksgiving where Canon Duggan spoke at length about his time in the priesthood. He said the highlight for him would have to be the daily…