Optimism abounds in the Holy Land with the relaxing of Covid-19 rules leading to a fresh wave of pilgrims visiting the holy sites associated with the earthly life of Christ. Apart from local Christians, the sites remained largely shuttered for two years due to the pandemic but a more relaxed attitude from Israeli authorities is…
Dáil committee told commercial surrogacy led to ‘exploitation’ The Department of Justice has warned that commercial surrogacy in other countries has resulted in “exploitation”, and that children are being given to parents with whom they have no genetic link. An Oireachtas committee on international surrogacy was told that “bad actors” have exploited surrogate mothers, children…
Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican secretary of state, said it appeared Ukraine could keep Pope Francis safe if he made a wartime trip to Kyiv, but the Pope’s safety was not the Vatican’s only concern. During his trip to Malta April 2-3, Pope Francis had told reporters that a proposal for him to visit Kyiv…
Staff reporter Vatican officials are reportedly discussing extending Pope Francis’ trip to Lebanon in June so he can fly to Jerusalem to meet Orthodox Patriarch Kirill, who has backed Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Their first meeting in 2016 was the first between a Pope and a leader of the Russian Church since the Great Schism…
The Legionaries of Christ received four new allegations of sexual abuse against members of the congregation between March 2021 and March 2022, and new allegations also have been made against priests already undergoing canonical procedures after being named in previous reports. The Legionaries’ 2021 “Annual Report: Truth, Justice and Healing” was released April 6 with…
Aontú is committed to being a “voice for the voiceless” including Catholic and Irish language schools, East Derry candidate Gemma Brolly said. Ms Brolly called the emphasis on integrated education “a distraction” from the education crisis. “I feel that people don’t realise the emergency that our education system is in,” Ms Brolly, who is also…
Parental divorce has a larger impact on youth educational attainment than parental death according to a new study published by Demographic research. The study, based on data from 17 countries across Europe, shows that the negative effect of parental divorce on educational attainment seems to be stronger for children of higher-educated parents. The study suggests…
Approximately 40 Burmese soldiers forcibly took control of a Catholic cathedral in Mandalay prior to a Lenten prayer service on Friday and detained an archbishop and dozens of other worshippers, including a correspondent for CNA. The soldiers entered Sacred Heart Cathedral at 2:30 pm local time April 8 and refused to allow worshipers to leave.…
US bishops receive Blessed Carlo Acutis relic The US bishops recently welcomed a relic of Blessed Carlo Acutis. It is the teenager’s pericardium, or the sac that protected his heart. “I now bring to you the relic of the pericardium, which is the membrane that surrounds the heart of a new blessed,” Archbishop Domenico Sorrentino…
Fr Martin Magill said the issue of paramilitary style attacks such as beatings, shootings and assaults are an urgent human need that parties must commit to dealing with. Speaking ahead of the North’s election, Fr Magill warned that if the attacks continue and “if people do not see real improvement, it is inevitable that they…
Ruadhán Jones