Following a devastating arson attack on a historic church in Germany — and several prior incidents in Paris, France — a European watchdog has raised concerns over hate crimes targeting Christian churches on the continent. The 1,000-year-old Church of the Elevation of the Cross in Wissen, a community in the Westerwald region, was severely damaged…
The legislative effort to delay broadening Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD) eligibility to individuals solely afflicted with a mental illness by a year is forging ahead, but there are signs Canadians are not comfortable with moving forward. Bill C-39 passed the House of Commons February 15, and one day later it was read for the…
Carlos Medina, the husband of Los Angeles Auxiliary Bishop David O’Connell’s housekeeper, has admitted to murdering the bishop, the Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascón has said. “He admitted that he had done the killing and we believe we recovered the weapon that they were using, and we have other evidence from the bed, certain…
Parishes in the diocese of Killaloe are being consulted on plans to cut the number of parishes from 58 to 15. In meetings held in February and March, two plans for the future of the diocese are being presented to parishes for consideration. Fr Albert McDonnell, the diocese’s chancellor, told the parishes that “radical” structural…
The three Abrahamic religions — Judaism, Christianity, and Islam — now share a common place to worship in the predominantly Muslim United Arab Emirates with the opening of the Abrahamic Family House in Abu Dhabi. Such was the dream of Pope Francis and Grand Imam Ahmed Al-Tayeb, who in 2019 signed a historic pledge calling…
Petition for release of Nicaraguan bishop given to embassy in Mexico The Actívate and Solidart platforms have delivered a petition with 11,000 signatures to the Nicaraguan embassy in Mexico City condemning the human rights violations committed by dictator President Daniel Ortega and demanding the release of the Bishop of Matagalpa, Rolando Álvarez. Members of both…
February 24 saw the one year anniversary of the outbreak of war in Ukraine, and both Ukrainian and Irish communities gathered in Donneycarney parish to mark the occasion. Speaking to The Irish Catholic newspaper, Chaplain to the Ukrainian Community in Ireland Fr Vasyl Kornitsky said that the one year anniversary was a “very anxious day”…
Prayers for peace needed this Lent – Archbishop Martin Prayers, charity and sacrifice for peace and refugees are needed this Lent, Archbishop Eamon Martin said on Ash Wednesday, February 22. The world has experienced death and suffering on a large scale in the last year, the Primate of All-Ireland said in a statement. “I encourage…
Newly-discovered asteroid named after a pope The Vatican Observatory announced the naming of four newly-discovered asteroids after notable Catholics, including Pope Gregory XIII, who began the tradition of papal astronomers and observatories. Christopher Graney, a scientist at the Vatican Observatory, said in a press release that the Working Group for Small Bodies Nomenclature (WGSBN) of…
EXCLUSIVE The divestment of Catholic schools in the Republic must stop until the Government gives a guarantee that the State will not attempt to undermine the Catholic identity of remaining schools, leading education experts have warned. The “clock is ticking” for Catholic education because, as divestment – handing some schools over to State control –…
Ruadhán Jones