Turkey has recalled its ambassador to Rome and summoned the papal nuncio in Ankara to express its disapproval at Pope Francis’ reference to the death of 1.5 million Armenians at the hands of Ottoman Turks between 1915 and 1918 as “genocide”. Speaking before concelebrating Mass for the Centenary of Armenian Martyrdom, Pope Francis greeted the…

The father-of-two, dubbed the ‘special one’ by adoring fans, said he “totally” believes in God.

Brutal violence in the Democratic Republic of the Congo must stop, and the Church can help by reaching out to those committing the violence, according to religious congregations working in the conflict-torn country. The congregations based in the Diocese of Butembo-Beni say in a joint statement that armed men in the northeastern area of Beni…

Sean Heaslip, O'Rahilly's Villas, Tralee, Co. Kerry admires a mural of Msgr Hugh O'Flaherty and the surrounding garden, which is within 20 yards of the house where his family lived in Tralee for two years. Photo: John Cleary

Staff reporter A Catholic priest who decided to stay on the Titanic to pray with passengers rather than flee should be made a saint, campaigners have said. Fr Thomas Byles boarded the ship at Southampton to attend his younger brother’s wedding in New York. However, when it sank in 1912 he twice refused to join…

Cardinal accused of abortion lobbying Belgium’s Cardinal Godfried Danneels, Archbishop of Mechelen-Brussels from 1979 to 2010, urged King Baudouin to sign the country’s 1990 abortion law, according to two former politicians. Speaking in a documentary for VTM, the Flemish Broadcast Corporation, Socialist Philippe Moreau and Flemish Christian Democrat Mark Eyskens claimed the cardinal tried to persuade the late king…

Fears have been expressed that Dublin City Council’s refusal to refurbish a flats complex to accommodate homeless families will lead efforts to tackle the crisis to grind to a halt. Environment Minister Alan Kelly had wanted the council to delay the demolition of O’Devaney Gardens for five years, allowing 300-400 families to be housed there…

A major conference on the upcoming marriage referendum is to be held in Dublin next weekend. ‘Marriage Referendum 2015: An International Conference on Protecting and Nourishing the Family’ will be hosted by Mothers and Fathers Matter (MFM) on Saturday, April 25 at the Marino Institute of Education. MFM chairman Prof. Ray Kinsella, who believes the…

Four girls from Barntown, Co. Wexford are holding a ‘Bring & Buy’ cake sale at Barntown church on May 24 to support their endeavours to represent Ireland in the WKF European Kickboxing Championships in Budapest in November. Pictured l-r: Clare Doherty, Shauna Hume, Fr John Carroll, Naoise McManus and Mia Byrne.