As a “first choice”, members of the Italian bishops’ conference decided to focus their study of clerical sexual abuse in the country on cases reported to the Vatican Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith from 2000 to 2021. Cardinal Matteo Zuppi of Bologna, the new president of the conference, told reporters May 27 that…
Saturday May 21 saw the annual National ‘Faith and Light’ Pilgrimage to Knock shrine. Fourteen communities from all over Ireland travelled by bus and car, which after two years of virtual pilgrimages provided an added element of rejoicing. Founded by a French couple who had two sons with intellectual disabilities, Faith and Light came out…
Marches to raise awareness about “Ireland’s spiralling abortion rate” took place across the country, May 20-22. The Marches for Life, organised by the Pro-Life Campaign, attracted hundreds of pro-lifers in Galway, Cork and Donegal. Speakers at the events warned that pressures are being placed on doctors and nurses to assist in abortions, forcing them to…
After the Catholic Church’s persistent call for humanitarian assistance in Tigray, the arrival of hundreds of aid trucks in the northern Ethiopia region is a sign of hope for millions of people driven to the brink of famine by war, said a Church source. Since the start of the war in November 2020, the Church…
UN must protect places of worship in wartime Holy See The UN Security Council must keep the protection of places of worship and civilian objects “high on its agenda”, the observer of the Holy See told the council. Religious sites “play a crucial social, cultural and educational role in society”, Archbishop Gabriele Caccia said during…
Pope calls for stricter gun laws after Texas shooting Saying his heart was broken at the news of at least 19 children and two adults being shot and killed at a Texas elementary school, Pope Francis said it was time to say “Enough!” and enact stricter laws on gun sales. At the end of his…
Ruadhán Jones and Chai Brady Mass attendance down by two-thirds in some parishes The country’s largest diocese is preparing for what has been described as “radical change” and consolidation of parishes. It comes as statistics reveal a steep decline in Mass attendance – even before the pandemic – with some parishes seeing a drop of…
Minister Simon Coveney’s response to the arrest of Cardinal Joseph Zen in Hong Kong is “tame” and displays a diplomacy that is “terrified by its own shadow”, said TD Carol Nolan. In a response to a parliamentary question from Ms Nolan, the Minister for Foreign Affairs did not specify if he will raise the Catholic…
A new book on the Holy Land aimed at encouraging pilgrims to follow in the footsteps of Christ will be launched in Omagh, Co. Tyrone next week. An Irish Pilgrimage Guide to the Holy Land by Editor of The Irish Catholic Michael Kelly explores a variety of themes, from an in-depth look at the important sites…
The Irish Capuchins have said that Pope Francis’ ruling that religious brothers can now be superiors of orders is “a return to the original vision of St Francis of Assisi”. The day the Pope published the change was a “day of great rejoicing” within the Franciscan family, Bro. Richard Hendrick OFM Cap. told The Irish…
Ruadhán Jones
Chai Brady