LEICESTER, United Kingdom – Mary McAleese, the former president of the Republic of Ireland, has backed calls for the Catholic Church to end priestly celibacy. McAleese, currently chancellor of Trinity University, spoke to The Irish News after Archbishop Charles Scicluna of Malta, who also serves as an adjunct secretary of the Holy See’s Dicastery for the Doctrine…
Berlin (KNA) The German Child Protection Association has criticised Pope Francis for his comments on the beating of children. “There is no justification for beating children, not even a papal one,” said Daniel Grein, Federal Director of the Child Protection Association, in Berlin on Tuesday. Anyone who physically abuses a child is doing the wrong…
Geneva (KNA) The Swiss daily newspaper “Le Temps” accuses the traditionalist Catholic Fraternity of St Pius X of serious shortcomings in dealing with abuse. After months of research in several countries, the paper says it has compiled numerous cases of physical, sexual and psychological abuse within the ranks of the Fraternity. An article published at…
Berlin (KNA) The five richest men in the world have more than doubled their wealth since 2020. According to an Oxfam study published on Monday, these five men had a fortune of 405 billion US dollars in 2020. This figure has now risen to USD 869 billion. All billionaires have increased their wealth by USD…
Berlin (KNA) The Expert Council on Integration and Migration (SVR) is calling for a long-term strategy for war refugees from Ukraine. Temporary protection will end for them in March 2025, said Jan Schneider, Head of Research at the SVR, in Berlin on Thursday. Sustainable follow-up solutions are needed, “otherwise several million people in Europe may…
Pope Francis has granted his confirmation to the election of His Excellency Raphael Thattil, Bishop of Shamshabad, as Major Archbishop of Ernakulam-Angamaly (India) and “Father and Head of this beloved Church sui iuris.” A Church “sui iuris” (Latin – literally, “of its own law”) is “a community fo the Christian faith, which is joined together by…
Paris (KNA) The French Bishops’ Conference is unanimously in favour of the Vatican document on the blessing of homosexual couples. The declaration issued by the Vatican’s authority on the faith in December is seen as an encouragement to priests to “generously bless those who turn to them and humbly ask for God’s help”, according to…
Rural communities “must be resourced” if they are to accommodate asylum seekers with dignity, a Mayo-based parish priest has said. Following peaceful protests this week regarding a property in Ballinrobe, Co. Mayo which will house asylum seekers, Fr Denis Carney PP of Ballinrobe-Kilmaine told The Irish Catholic that the parish, the council and Government need to work…
Funerals that celebrate the life of notorious criminals are “particularly hurtful” to parishioners who see their church “taken over by those who prey on the community”, according to a Dublin-based priest. Fr Joe Keegan CC in Cabra West has called for Irish bishops to take a harder stance on what is permitted at funerals as…
There’s a danger that persecuted Christians in Nigeria and other parts of the world are “out of sight, out of mind”, Independent Senator Rónán Mullen has said. The “least” Government can do is use whatever levers they have to try and pressure uncooperative countries, such as Nigeria and Nicaragua where attacks on Christians are rife,…
Chai Brady