Irish Benedictine monk and former prior of Glentsal Abbey Fr Placid has died aged 104 in Limerick this week. Born Michael Murray in Lismore, Co. Waterford in 1918 he made his simple profession in 1937 and was subsequently sent to Belgium where he studied philosophy and started studying theology. His community in Belgium fled the…
As Maryamu Joseph, a 16-year-old victim of Boko Haram violence, recovers from trauma after years of captivity, she finds it hard to forgive the men who abducted her. Maryamu recalls that one day when she was 7, armed men raided her community and went on a killing spree before she was abducted with 21 others.…
Pope Francis has appointed well-known theologian Fr Niall Coll as the new Bishop of Ossory, with the announcement coming via a communique Friday. Bishop-elect Coll (59) is a priest of the Diocese of Raphoe and up to this point has been serving as parish priest of Donegal Town. Speaking on the occasion of his appointment,…
Staff Reporter Around the world, listening sessions for the Synod of Bishops gave many participants a sense of finally being listened to, but they also raised questions about how to promote greater inclusion in the Church while staying true to eternal Church teaching. Two of the issues raised most often in reports sent to the…
Cardinal Joseph Zen Ze-kiun and five other activists returned to court October 26 to face charges of failing to register a legal fund meant to help those involved in anti-government protests. Prosecutors said the now-defunct 612 Humanitarian Relief Fund should have been registered with police due to its “massive” size and “systematic” mode of operation,…
The writings of Fr John Cummins who died in a tragic car accident in 2019 have sold out days after publication and have gone to reprint to satisfy the demand. After his death in 2019, his family discovered he had kept many of his homilies from the previous twenty years on his computer. My Life…
YouTube shuts down EWTN’s Polish channel For the second time in less than two years, EWTN’s affiliate in Poland has had its YouTube channel suspended, reported Fr Piotr Wiśniowski, general director of EWTN Poland. Without any warning or explanation, on October 22 YouTube shut down the Catholic programming channel, which features a live broadcast from the adoration…
The Catholic population in Canada has declined by almost 2 million people in the last 10 years, the Canadian census has found in a report that indicates the religiously unaffiliated now outnumber Catholics. The latest census figures, compiled in 2021, show the Catholic Canadian population has declined to 10.9 million. Catholics now make up about…
Staff Reporter The National Council for Curriculum and Assessment’s (NCCA) draft SPHE curriculum has been criticised by Catholic bodies for “ignoring” schools’ rights to govern their own ethos. The Association of Patrons and Trustees of Catholic Schools (APTCS) have warned that the rationale underpinning the proposed Junior Cycle curriculum “does not in any way recognise…
This month 150 randomly-chosen French citizens will debate whether or not to adopt legislation that will legalise “assisted dying” as part of President Emmanuel Macron’s plan to move forward on proposals to legalise assisted suicide. The citizens’ panel will take part in a six-month debate over whether to allow legal euthanasia and assisted suicide. Polling shows that 93% of…
Chai Brady