Kenya-based Kiltegan missionary Fr Gabriel Dolan SPS who has risked his life to support the poor and vulnerable was awarded a 2023 Presidential Distinguished Service Award by President Michael D. Higgins last week. Following the award, Fr Dolan told The Irish Catholic he was “honoured” and that he believes “it’s a recognition that the Church…
Category: News
Schools shouldn’t welcome wellbeing programmes that deny Catholic beliefs – theologian
There is no place for wellbeing programmes that “deny” the Catholic Church’s unique understanding of humanity in Catholic schools, a major international conference attended by Ireland’s leading educators has heard. Speaking at the Global Researchers Advancing Catholic Education (GRACE) conference at the University of Notre Dame Australia in Perth last week, Irish theologian Prof. Eamonn…
Barrister: Religious groups may bear brunt of hate speech bill
Barrister Grace Sullivan has warned that the Government’s proposed hate speech bill could leave religious groups and pro-life advocates open to accusations of hate speech. Ms Sullivan suggested that many won’t fully grasp the far-reaching implications of the bill until it is passed into legislation and enforced in society. Speaking with The Sunday Independent, Ms…
Support Irish communities as well as refugees – Archbishop
“As followers of Christ, we are called to speak up for the rights and dignity of asylum seekers and refugees … they are not to be targeted or penalised, abused or frightened,” the Archbishop of Dublin has said. “In the last two years, this country and others have welcomed, vast numbers of people fleeing the cynical war…
A fraternal embrace that is also a commitment
Cardinal Kurt Koch January 5 and 6 marked the 60th anniversary of the meeting in Jerusalem between Pope Paul VI and Ecumenical Patriarch Athenagoras. It was the first meeting between a pope and an ecumenical patriarch since the one between Pope Eugene IV and Patriarch Joseph II during the Council of Ferrara (1438-1439). This important…
RTÉ fields article questioning Irish language’s religious roots
An article shared by RTÉ Brainstorm sparked controversy among some readers after it asked whether the religious nature of common Irish phrases will pose a problem in a multicultural, secular society. The article by Dr Peter Weakliam of Fiontar and Scoil na Gaeilge at Dublin City University acknowledged the Catholic roots of common Irish phrases…
Senator asks Govt why it’s hiding information before referenda
Independent Senator Ronan Mullen has blasted Minister for Equality Roderic O’Gorman and his department for what he perceives is an unwillingness to disclose important information concerning the referenda in advance of it. Senator Mullen asserts that key insights from a wide-range of strands in society have not been released and lawmakers are suffering as a…
Armed men kidnap six nuns in Haiti
Six nuns from the Congregation of the Sisters of St Anne were kidnapped January 19 while traveling on a bus in the country’s capital, Port-au-Prince, according to the Haitian Conference of Religious. Other passengers on the bus also were taken in the abduction, the conference said in a statement. “These many kidnappings fill the consecrated…
Nicaragua cancels legal personhood of Catholic and evangelical NGOs
In a new attack against the Catholic Church and other Christians in Nicaragua, the dictatorship of President Daniel Ortega and his wife, Vice President Rosario Murillo, has cancelled the legal personhood of several religious congregations and evangelical groups. On January 16, the Ministry of the Interior published in the official government newspaper La Gaceta the…
Prelate criticises Justice minister on family reunification policy
Bishop Alan McGuckian of Raphoe wrote to Justice Minister Helen McEntee criticising policy that sees some immigrants unable to bring family members to Ireland as they earn less than €30,000. People outside the European Economic Area do not have the same entitlements regarding bringing family to Ireland, with one of the conditions being the salary…



Brandon Scott







