While the local community has been stepping up and embracing newcomers, there is concern and “anxiety” in Wicklow Town due to the recent influx of asylum seekers, the local priest has warned. Fr Donal Roche PP of Wicklow told The Irish Catholic that the community has been “very welcoming” to asylum seekers but that there…
Staff Reporter Israel’s national airline has announced that it is to begin direct flights from Dublin next year bringing a pilgrimage to the Holy Land one step closer. Pilgrims on The Irish Catholic/Marian Pilgrimages trips in autumn 2023 to the Holy Land will be able to avail of the direct flight with El Al from…
Changes to the award-winning Burren Programme have been poorly received, and criticised as a “step backwards” and “unfeasible” by Columban and ecologist Fr Sean McDonagh. Around 330 farmers currently participate in the Burren Programme, which is a local agri-environmental climate measure started in 2016, and is to be replaced by the new Agri Climate Rural…
The Irish Government’s indifference on Christian persecution as it rises worldwide is “utterly shameful”, Aid to the Church in Need Ireland have said. Ireland has “totally ignored” the plight of “the most persecuted people on the planet, Christians”, ACN Ireland director Michael Kinsella told The Irish Catholic. Mr Kinsella called the Government’s lack of action,…
Staff Reporter Many non-practicing Catholics in the North continue to identify themselves by their religion because of its “political significance”, MPs at Westminster were told. Open Learning tutor at Queen’s University Belfast (QUB) Dr Kevin McNicholl told MPs that it seems when “Catholics stop their religious observance they would still call themselves ‘Catholic’; it’s more of…
Pope Francis offered his “prayerful closeness” to the Legionaries gathered in the Pro-Cathedral, Dublin, for closing Mass of the Legion of Mary’s centenary year. In a letter to Mary Murphy, the Legion’s president, the Pope gave thanks to God “for the graces received by countless people in many parts of the world through the witness…
A pro-life group has called on voters to urge their TDs to retain the 3-day waiting period before women can undergo an abortion. The Life Institute said the waiting period gives women a period of reflection before the procedure, adding that it has proven to reduce the number of abortions taking place in Ireland. More…
The Nicaraguan Bishops’ Conference (CEN) expressed its concern for the thousands of people who are migrating because of the crisis in the country and said that “it’s a reflection of a human drama that challenges us”. The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) indicated that “the political instability that has prevailed in Nicaragua since April 2018 has…
The Carmelite nuns in Cuba announced that thanks to the donations of wheat flour they have received in recent days, they will again be able to make the Communion hosts to supply the island’s churches. In a November 14 statement, the Discalced Carmelite Sisters of Havana expressed their joy for having “experienced once again that…
Up to 95% of unborn children diagnosed with Down Syndrome at the Rotunda Maternity Hospital are being aborted abroad, Master of the Rotunda hospital Professor Fergal Malone has said. Speaking to the Independent, Prof. Malone said that the “vast majority” of patients who receive a prenatal diagnosis of Down Syndrome at his hospital decide to…
Chai Brady
Ruadhán Jones