Recent polling hints at Catholic voters alienated from their traditional political homes, writes Ruadhán Jones With an election around the corner in the North, opinion polls are causing their usual stir, suggesting that May’s assembly election could be quite momentous. In May of this year, the North could for the first time ever vote a…
Pope warns against digital media addiction in Lenten message The Vatican released Pope Francis’ Lenten message last Thursday in which the Pope recommended that Lent 2022 can be a time to put down the smartphone and encounter those in need face to face. “Let us not grow tired of fighting against concupiscence, that weakness which…
Overcome our argumentative age with generosity, says Bishop McKeown Bishop of Derry Donal McKeown warned that we must heed Christ’s call to a “spirit of generosity” to overcome our “argumentative age”. In his homily Sunday 20, Bishop McKeown said that Jesus offers us the grace to rise above “the desire for revenge or sectarianism”. He…
Bishop Donal McKeown has accused President Michael D. Higgins of stoking division over “unhelpful” comments from the president characterising Catholic schools in the North as sectarian. During an event on the role of women in peace-building, Mr Higgins described as “shameful” the fact that parental choice is central to education in the North and that…
Chai Brady in Jerusalem A group of pilgrims with The Irish Catholic have become the first Irish visitors to the Holy Land since the beginning of the pandemic. Some 40 people left Dublin Airport on Wednesday under the auspices of Marian Pilgrimages for the trip to the Holy Land for the first time since Covid-19…
As energy costs rise and the climate crisis “stares us in the face”, the time is right for parishes in Ireland to embrace solar energy, Trócaire have said. Jane Mellett, Laudato Si’ officer for the Irish bishops’ official overseas development agency, told The Irish Catholic that “it just seems time” to look at new energy…
Archbishop of Armagh Eamon Martin said during a recent Oxford Union debate that private religion is “primarily a religion of sentiment” and quoted St Cardinal John Henry Newman that “we must of necessity ignore it”. Opposing the motion February 17 “This House would move beyond organised religion,” Archbishop Martin said that once the aspects of…
Staff Reporter Bishop of Down and Connor Noel Treanor ordained six new permanent deacons for the diocese on Saturday, calling on them to “incentivise concrete care for all” through their service. Kieran Hunt, Ricky Looney, Jackie Breen, Mark Leneghan, John Downey and Paddy Keown were all ordained in a ceremony at St Peter’s Cathedral, Belfast,…
Hollywood legend Mickey Rourke is set to feature in Man of God, an upcoming movie about wonder-working eastern saint, St Nektarios of Aegina. The movie is currently being filmed in Greece and is to be released later this year. Mr Rourke has taken on the role of a paralysed man who was healed in hospital…
Cardinal Angelo Becciu, former prefect of the Congregation for Saints’ Causes, lambasted a recent financial probe that opened in his native Sardinia. According to a February 15 report by Italian news agency ANSA, Italian finance authorities conducted several raids on individuals connected with Cardinal Becciu. The raids took place in Rome and in the Sardinian towns of…
Ruadhán Jones
Chai Brady