Pope Francis offers prayers for Iraqi PM after assassination attempt Pope Francis is praying for Iraq’s Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi after an attempted assassination attack on his home with armed drones. The Pope expressed his “prayerful closeness” in a telegram released by the Vatican on November 9 in which the attack in Baghdad was condemned…
Number of foreign-born clergy in Italy continues to rise New data shows that in 2020, 8.3% of Italy’s diocesan and religious priests were not Italian, while the number of Italian priests who are missionaries in foreign countries has continued to fall. Data from the Central Institute for the Support of Clergy, which is connected with…
The conviction of three men for abducting and torturing businessman Kevin Lunney sends a “very strong message” to criminals who have been intimidating people for decades in the border region, according to a Cavan-based priest. Fr Oliver O’Reilly PP of Ballyconnell, who received threats for condemning the attack from the pulpit, told The Irish Catholic…
Moves to celebrate St Brigid as a Celtic goddess, following reports a new national holiday will be celebrated in the saint’s name, have been described as “nonsense”. The founder of a monastery at the saint’s birthplace, Sr Briege O’Hare, a Poor Clare sister based in Faughart, Co. Louth, said “St Brigid is no goddess”. “She…
US property group Hines has received permission for almost 1,600 build-to-rent apartments on Clonliffe Road in Drumcondra, Dublin, the site of the old Holy Cross Seminary. Residents and locals have reportedly expressed disappointment over the move, feeling it ignores the sentiments of the community. An Bord Pleanála in its decision acknowledged that the height and…
Bishop Donal McKeown has defended bishops against the Association of Catholic Priests’ (ACP) claims that they are targeting priests, saying that both he and the bishops he knows “are trying to ensure that they do the best for their priests”. Speaking on Good Morning Ulster alongside ACP priest Fr Roy Donovan, Bishop McKeown responded to…
Chai Brady and Brandon Scott Farmers must be supported in their transition to more sustainable farming methods and the fact consumers want food as cheap as possible must be addressed, according to the bishop of Kilmore diocese. Bishop Martin Hayes, who attended COP26 in Glasgow and is the episcopal coordinator for Laudato Si’ – the…
The Pope met with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas at the Vatican last week, where the Secretariat of State stressed the need to restart direct dialogue to achieve a two-state solution with Israel, while also recognising the need for peaceful coexistence among the various faiths. Addressing the meeting between the two leaders, a Vatican statement announced…
When it comes to the relationship between religion and politics in the future, it’s the job of Churches to help people find “the better part of ourselves”, Irish EU Commissioner Mairead McGuinness has said. Speaking recently on RTÉ’s The Meaning of Life with Joe Duffy, Ms McGuinness said that the relationship the Churches have with…
200 parish churches in the Archdiocese of Dublin will now be equipped with with “tap-and-donate” card machines. The installation of card machines in parish churches was previously mooted and subsequently trialled by the archdiocese in 2019, with a spokeswoman for the archdiocese saying that “later this year [2019] we plan to roll out the ability…
Chai Brady