The patriarchs and heads of Churches of the Holy Land spoke over Christmas of the suffering Jesus and the Holy Family endured in his early life, likening it to the way many people and refugees suffer today. “Similar sorrows and travails continue to afflict the world in our time, whether they be in Ukraine, Armenia,…

Staff Reporter The Irish Times newspaper has reportedly refused to publish letters from campaigners highlighting abuse in non-Catholic institutions in Ireland, it has been claimed. While the newspaper published a short note on the death of Derek Linster – a former resident of the Protestant-run Bethany Home – it did not mention that he had…

Christmas is the time to renew our commitment to fighting the “culture of indifference” that Pope Francis speaks of, President Michael D. Higgins has said in his Christmas message for 2022. The president used his yearly message to highlight the “culture of indifference” that Pope Francis notes in his encyclical Laudato Si’, that relates to…

In one of his last official acts as Taoiseach, TD Micheál Martin officially opened a refurbished centre of Catholic education in Cork. The Edmund Rice Centre, Mardyke House, was blessed by Bishop of Cork and Ross Fintan Gavin, and reopened before Christmas following extensive refurbishment undertaken by the Christian Brothers. In a wide-ranging address, the…

A large crowd processed through Wexford town with a statue of Our Lady to mark the feast of the Immaculate Conception. The Faithful who gathered December 8 prayed the rosary as the candlelit procession made its way from the Franciscan Friary. The feast, which celebrates Mary’s immaculate birth without the stain of original sin, is…

Chai Brady and Ruadhán Jones Thousands of pilgrims have flocked to Bethlehem to visit the birthplace of Christ to celebrate Christmas for the first time post-Covid after pandemic restrictions meant the holy city was enveloped in silence during the normally festive period. Pilgrims have travelled from all over the world to venerate the spot where…

Ireland’s bishops have offered their sympathy following the killing of an Irish UN peacekeeper in Lebanon last week. On behalf of the Irish bishops’ conference, Archbishop Eamon Martin of Armagh and Archbishop Dermot Farrell of Dublin said it was a “tragic event”. It is the first time in more than 20 years an Irish soldier…

Sending Christmas cards is associated with better mental health, especially among Christians, a study from the University of Limerick has shown. The study found that depressed people were less likely to send Christmas cards than non-depressed people. Sending Christmas cards is “more than just the exchange of pleasantries and good wishes over the festive season”,…

Following Pope Francis call to release prisoners on Christmas the Department of Justice said Irish prisons are committed to treating “everyone with dignity and respect”. The Pope asked governments around the world – including Ireland – last week to give prisoners “a gesture of clemency” as communities prepare to celebrate the birth of Jesus. He…