The chairman of the US bishops’ Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development has urged the US House of Representatives not to accept a proposed $40 billion in cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), formerly known as food stamps. Bishop Stephen Blaire of Stockton, California, called the programme “one of the most effective…

Canada’s bishops will be discussing charity, at home and abroad when they meet in Quebec for their annual plenary session next week. Within the past several months, floods in southern Alberta, a fire at Lac-Megantic, Quebec and the flash flooding in Toronto highlighted the fact that Canada’s bishops do not have an organised structure to…

Relative claims he was misrepresented in media reports

"We have this idea that Ireland was evangelised once and for all,” says Bishop Noel Treanor, “it wasn’t and we need to be part of the new evangelisation of Ireland.” More than 1,700 people from across the Diocese of Down and Connor are due to gather in Belfast this weekend for the launch of a…

Children helping Children, the initiative that involves Irish children helping children in developing countries, is gearing up to celebrate the National Day of Prayer and Share, on October 11. Established in 2007 by World Missions Ireland, over 1,500 schools throughout the country take part in the day and last year 49 projects in Africa and…

All-Ireland champion footballer Ger Brennan has spoken of the “gift of faith” in his life. Fresh from his part in Dublin’s triumph at last Sunday’s GAA final, Brennan took to the airwaves to speak of his faith and his planned participation in Mission Month in October. Asserting his distinct sense of “a divine presence in…

Prelates overjoyed with Pope meeting

A European-wide petition calling for the protection of life from conception has reached one million signatures and aims to collect another 500,000 by November.   One of Us is one of the first projects to utilise the facility of the European Citizens’ Initiative established by the Lisbon Treaty and it is the asking the EU…

Tánaiste has come in for sharp criticism for apparently turning a blind eye to the persecution of minority Christian communities

Tánaiste has ‘no plans’ to reopen Vatican Embassy