Fianna Fáil TD Brendan Smith has criticised the uncertainty caused by “substantial delays” in processing applications for the minister of religion visa. The Cavan-Monaghan TD told The Irish Catholic that there are “substantial delays” and he knows from situations he has dealt with in his constituency it causes hardship on the person applying. “It does…

Staff reporter A Brazilian court has ruled that the construction of a giant, steel statue of the Virgin Mary can go ahead. Sao Paulo State’s Court of Appeals reversed the 2019 decision that halted the building of the project in Aparecida, the city of a major Catholic shrine in Brazil. The 164-foot sculpture portraying Our…

Mourners gathered for the funeral of journalist killed in Ukraine Pierre Zakrzewski were told that Pierre “understood the sacred” and it was this that compelled him to share the stories of others. Mr Zakrzewski was killed alongside Ukrainian journalist Oleksandra Kuvshynova when the vehicle they were travelling in was struck by incoming fire outside Kyiv,…

There were scenes of sorrow and healing among Ukrainian refugees who escaped the war during a Mass held in Lisdoonvarna, Co. Clare in conjunction with the Pope’s consecration of Russia and Ukraine. According to Fr Robert McNamara, the parish priest of Lisdoonvarna and Kilshanny, many of the refugees are finding “great sustenance” in their Christian…

The Chosen actor Jonathan Roumie is taking a break from portraying Christ to play one of Jesus’ more colourful proponents, “the legendary, enigmatic hippie street-preacher,” Lonnie Frisbee. Mr Frisbee was an American charismatic evangelist at work in the late 1960s and into the 1970s, and is regarded as a key figure in the “Jesus movement”…

Staff reporter Tributes have poured in for a “much-loved” and “exceptional” Derry priest who died on Monday morning. Hailing from Culdaff, Fr Paddy O’Kane ministered as the parish priest of the Holy Family parish in Derry for many years. Former mayor of Derry, Pat Ramsey, said Fr O’Kane “was a well-loved priest across Derry, highly…

The award-winning Irish composer and musician Phil Coulter said that he thanks God every day for having been able to make a living from his talent. Speaking on Miriam O’Callaghan’s Sunday with Miriam, Mr Coulter said he is very grateful for the fact that he was born with the “rare gift” of his musical talent.…

Staff Reporter The Loyola Institute in Trinity College Dublin will celebrate the 10th anniversary of its founding with a special ‘Festival of Theology’ in May. The conference’s theme will be on theology and the university, exploring “the challenges, relevance and difficulties of the relationship”. It will consider questions such as “what role can theology play…