The Irish Medjugorje Centre has said the Vatican’s instruction to Catholics not to participate in events where the Medjugorje visionaries promise Marian apparitions will not affect the huge numbers of devotees that regularly travel to the Bosnia-Herzegovina shrine. Spokeswoman for the Irish Medjugorje Centre, Noelle Campbell, told The Irish Catholic “more and more people are…

Irish soccer legend reveals faith in God

Mary O’Donnell reports on a day of prayer in Maynooth for students of the Catechism to mark the Year of Faith

Panama – The country’s leading prelate has called for concrete efforts to tackle violence after a priest was murdered in broad daylight during a robbery. Archbishop José Domingo Ulloa Mendieta of Panama decried the murder and criticised the ability of the priest’s killers to operate in daylight, apparently without fear of being captured. "It happened…

The Association of Catholic Priests (ACP) has described as “appalling” the naming in Irish newspapers last Monday of a priest who has stepped aside from ministry during a child safeguarding investigation. Speaking to The Irish Catholic this week, Fr Sean McDonagh of the ACP condemned the naming of the priest and his parish despite no…

Vatican is to poll parishes on sensitive family issues

In a digital age where millions of people follow Pope Francis on Twitter, the Church may soon have the first ‘tech geek’ saint in a 15-year-old boy who died of Leukaemia. Carlo Acutis (pictured), who was fiercely passionate about computers and animals, died in Milan in 2006. However, friends say his first love was God…

Pakistan – Two Christians are facing charges under the country’s blasphemy laws after a Muslim accused them of desecrating pages of the Koran. Brothers Tariq and Arif Masih were pursued by police in Wazirabad following a complaint to police that the pair had used pages of the Muslim holy book while preparing fireworks. While Arif…

A call to establish safeguarding children committees in every parish in the Diocese of Cloyne was endorsed by Bishop William Crean at the second biennial Safeguarding Children Conference last month. The conference heard that the work associated with fully implementing the comprehensive safeguarding children policies and procedures in the diocese has impacted significantly on the…

Limerick bishop speaks out at second annual ‘Right of Place Second Chance’ Mass