Spanish priest killed in Columbian church Fr Luis Alfonso León Pereira, a popular Spanish priest who had worked for 48 years in Columbia, was murdered in the sacristy just before celebrating Mass on Wednesday, July 15. The priest was killed by a homeless man who entered Montería’s church of St Mary Mother of the Church…

Bishop of Limerick Brendan Leahy has expressed his hope that that the further involvement of lay Catholics in response to the fall off in priestly vocations will serve to bring the Church closer together. Bishop Leahy said that Limerick Catholics are responding to the call to play a greater role in pastoral ministry by showing…

European integration and unity has brought Europe’s peoples peace, security and prosperity, but these successes need to protected, according to a European bishops’ commission. Speaking on behalf of the Commission of the Bishops’ Conferences of the European Community, Munich’s Cardinal Reinhard Marx expressed relief that a bailout package had prevented Greece from abandoning the Euro…

Jesuit campaigner Fr Peter McVerry has warned that young people who are “disinterested” in the Church are the “prophets of today” and should not be blamed for “straying”. Speaking at this year’s SMA Summer School in Newry, Fr McVerry said that young people telling the Church that there is “something fundamentally wrong” with its message…

The Church in Nepal has urged that the preamble to the country’s new constitution should include the word ‘secular’ in order to ensure religious freedom. Responding to Hindu nationalist calls that the constitution should establish a ‘Hindu Nation’, the Apostolic Vicariate has also asked Nepal’s major parties that Christianity be listed, along with Hinduism, Buddhism…

Dr John O'Keeffe (Department of Music, Maynooth University), Prof. Chris Morris (Department of Music, Maynooth University) and the Maynooth University Chamber Choir pictured at the St Patrick’s College campus after becoming the first Irish choir to lift the coveted Pavarotti Trophy as ‘choir of the world’ at the Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod in Llangollen, North…

Pope Francis has accepted the resignation of two Latin American bishops more than a decade ahead of their canonical retirement ages. Clergy in Passo Fundo, Brazil, had criticised Archbishop Antonio Carlos Altieri, 63, for spending €550,000 on renovations to his home and offices, introducing a 10% diocesan “assessment” on parish income, and accepting seminarians who…

Staff Reporter The President of St Patrick’s College, Maynooth has said he is “delighted” to have won the bid to host a major meeting of presidents and rectors of Catholic universities. The International Federation of Catholic Universies’ key meeting will bring together more than 200 of the most influential Catholic leaders in third-level education world-wide.…

Bethany Beyond the Jordan, on the eastern side of the river Jordan, has been recognised by UNESCO as a World Heritage site and the location of Jesus’ baptism. Pope St John Paul II first visited the spot in 2000, with Pope Benedict XVI following him in 2009 and Pope Francis doing so last year. The…

A leading priest has criticised as “morally reprehensible” government reluctance to allow long-term direct provision users access to rent supports because of concerns that a more inviting system could draw asylum seekers to Ireland. Justice Minister Frances Fitzgerald has said there were no cheaper alternatives to the current arrangements and that changes to the system…