MPs have voted against clarifying Britain’s abortion laws to establish beyond dispute that gender-related abortion is illegal. Conservative MP Fiona Bruce had proposed an amendment to the Serious Crimes Bill that nothing in the 1967 Abortion Act should be interpreted as allowing sex-selected abortion. Opposed on the day, however, by Prime Minister David Cameron, with…

The impact of Pope Francis’ radical reform agenda and  how it will change the face of the Church in Ireland will be the subject of two key meetings next week. Highly-acclaimed expert on Pope Francis, Dr Austen Ivereigh, will address two gatherings in Dublin and Limerick. Dr Ivereigh, who has recently completed The Great Reformer:…

Hong Kong’s retired archbishop, Cardinal Joseph Zen Ze Kiun, has contested recent suggestions from Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin that diplomatic relations between Rome and China may be on the horizon. Claiming that he and others find it difficult to share Cardinal Parolin’s optimism, he said “We do not see any sign that…

Archbishop Diarmuid Martin greets people at the ceremony of the Rite of Election of Catechumens for the Easter Sacraments and Recognition of Candidates for Reception into the Full Communion of the Catholic Church in St Mary’s Pro-Cathedral at the weekend. There were 50 catechumens (now the elect) and eight candidates who are already baptised and…

The decision of the government of South Sudan to postpone elections scheduled for June has been praised by Bishop Edward Hiiboro Kusala of Tombura-Yambio as a positive development for peace. A recent meeting of South Sudan’s bishops’ conference had seen concerns expressed about the coming elections, according to Bishop Kusala, but the “wise” decision would…

Basketball superstar Kobe Bryant has spoken of how his Catholic faith helped him through a particularly difficult part of his professional career. In 2003, a sexual assault case was brought against the Los Angeles Lakers player. A woman accused Bryant of raping her, but the case was dropped after she refused to testify. A civil…

Pope Francis has urged Ukraine’s Catholic bishops to focus on the social and human tragedies unfolding in their country and avoid politicising their positions. Meeting the bishops from the country’s Byzantine- and Latin-rite traditions on an ad limina visit to Rome, he urged them to work together, saying, “The sense of justice and truth is…

The same-sex marriage referendum is not about equality, but a radical change in the meaning of marriage, according to Bishop Kevin Doran. Speaking in Donaghmede parish in Dublin this week, the Bishop of Elphin said he was recently asked by a politician “what is so wrong about being nice to people who are equal to…

German Chancellor Angela Merkel has visited Rome to meet Pope Francis in advance of the upcoming G7 summit in Munich this June. Speaking after the unusually long 40-minute audience, Ms Merkel said the main purpose of her visit had been to outline the summit agenda, as its emphasis on the elimination of poverty was “of…