Pope Leo XIV appealed for peace in Ukraine on Sunday, August 9, noting “painful reports” of innocent people killed and injured in both Ukraine and Russia. “Tragic incidents continue,” Pope Leo said, “indeed, they are multiplying, resulting in ever-increasing civilian casualties, including children.” The latest reports say Russian attacks on energy infrastructure and civilian-populated areas…
A Catholic community in India’s West Bengal state is facing down intense intimidation, including demands that Claretian missionaries ministering to the faithful in Nazat village abandon their work and instruct their people to return to their ancestral religions. The incidents follow a string of violent attacks on Christians and churches in the eastern Indian state…
A group of 27 Polish pilgrims will trek across Ireland for three weeks, offering their journey in prayer for young people across Europe. The hikers, part of NINIWA Team, a youth initiative of the Missionary Oblates in Poland, will leave Dublin on August 24 and travel through the Wicklow Mountains, Mayo and Connemara before continuing…
A group of young Irish Catholics became the first fully English-speaking group to take part in the Franciscan pilgrimage to the Pardon of Assisi in its 44-year history. Around 20 pilgrims, accompanied by Bro. Ronan Sharpley OFM and another Franciscan friar, walked for three days towards Assisi, covering up to 30km a day in temperatures…
A Catholic parish in New York has suffered what the Diocese of Brooklyn says is the fourth incident of vandalism in two years after a man destroyed a statue of the Blessed Mother in an early-morning attack. The destructive episode at St Rita Roman Catholic Church in the neighbourhood of Long Island City in Queens…
A historic church in Co. Cork, built two years before Catholic Emancipation, is preparing for its bicentennial with “unusual events” and fundraising for church restoration and heritage preservation. The Doneraile Parish was the home of many famous priests and still conserves its historical importance. In preparation for the Church of the Nativity of the Blessed…
Catholics should not leave their faith at home when going on holidays, Bishop Alphonsus Cullinan has said, encouraging families to use time away for spiritual as well as physical renewal. Speaking on a recent podcast, the Bishop of Waterford and Lismore said holidays provide a legitimate break from everyday duties, but warned against allowing them…
Catholic activists are accusing Mexico’s Supreme Court of judicial activism when it comes to expanding access to abortion in the Latin American nation. Over the past few months, the Supreme Court has handed down a series of major rulings aimed at ensuring broad access to abortion services for pregnant women in Mexico. Pro-life advocates in…
The Dominican Prior for the Province of Ireland has criticised difficulties surrounding visas for foreign Dominicans coming to study in Ireland. In this paper, Fr John Harris OP has said that Irish rules are very “restrictive”. Fr Harris is currently assisting a student with his needed documentation to study in the State; however, “because he…
A potential visit by Pope Leo XIV to Ukraine could make a significant contribution to international efforts to end the war and achieve a lasting peace, Ukraine’s ambassador to the Holy See said. “We are absolutely sure that his possible visit would be a great input into the process of reaching peace there,” Ambassador Andrii…
Renata Steffens