Pro-religious freedom groups have welcomed the decision of Europe’s highest court to reject a claim by a Belfast man that he was discriminated against after Christian bakers refused to make a cake with a message promoting same-sex marriage. In a definitive judgement delivered this morning (Thursday) the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) said the…
In situations of extreme poverty, war or civil tensions, 22 Catholic church workers were murdered in 2021, according to Fides, the Vatican’s missionary news agency. The 13 priests, one religious brother, two religious sisters and six laypeople gave witness to their faith “in impoverished, degraded social contexts, where violence is the rule of life, the…
Since Christmas, the Missionaries of Charity have been strictly rationing the food and daily use items for their regular 600 beneficiaries at their motherhouse and Shishu Bhavan, a children’s orphanage. On January 2, the breakfast of tea, bread, and eggs was cut short by an hour. “As long as you did it to one of…
A priest at the funeral of the third victim of a road crash in Co. Tyrone said his community has paid a great price for the failure to upgrade the A5. Fr Michael O’Dwyer made his comments as hundreds of people gathered for the funeral of Nathan Corrigan (20). Petey McNamee (20) from Sixmilecross and…
Renowned sports broadcaster Marty Morrissey has recently spoken of how his belief in the afterlife has increased since the death of his mother, Peggy, in a car accident last December. Speaking to comedian Tommy Tiernan on his RTE Radio One show, ‘The Marty Morrissey Show’ on Monday, Mr Morrissey expressed how in spite of the…
Pope Francis will beatify Pope John Paul I on September 4, at the Vatican, according to Stefania Falasca, a journalist and vice postulator of the late Pope’s sainthood cause. Last autumn, Pope Francis had signed a decree recognising a miracle attributed to the intercession of Pope John Paul I, clearing the way for his beatification.…
Priest who led child protection charged in abuse case A retired priest of the US Diocese of Arlington, who for seven years oversaw the diocese’s programme on protecting minors from clerical sexual abuse, was indicted shortly before Christmas on two counts of sexually abusing a minor. A trial is scheduled next October for Fr Terry…
In “fighting the battles of the past, we learn little”, Bishop of Derry Donal McKeown said in his new year’s homily, ahead of the 50th anniversary of Bloody Sunday. Bloody Sunday – also called the Bogside Massacre – happened January 30, 1972 in the Bogside area of Derry, when British soldiers shot and killed 14…
Jenny and Bill Rush and other parishioners at Sts Peter and Paul Church in Hopkinsville, Kentucky, were nearly finished praying the rosary after an early morning Mass on New Year’s Day when an isolated tornado shook the church, much to their surprise. As the storm roared, the group prayed all the louder, Jenny told Catholic…
The bishops’ new year addresses called for dialogue and education around elections, commemorations and the vaccine gap, writes Ruadhán Jones A number of Irish bishops dedicated their new year’s addresses to questions of justice and peace in Ireland in 2022. The year ahead will see elections in Northern Ireland, centenaries and commemorations across the island of…
Michael Kelly
Ruadhán Jones