Category: News

Archbishop says drop the long face

If Catholics wants to attract more people to the Gospel they must radiate joy rather than come across as downcast, the Archbishop of Dublin has warned. Dr Dermot Farrell was speaking at Mass on Monday to mark the 800th anniversary of the death of St Dominic in the church named for the founder of the…

Winning silver while jumping for Jesus

Australian high-jumper Nicola McDermott, 24, took home silver after competing in the women’s high jump in Tokyo, but God is of greater value to her. “Jumping with the peace that you are loved can take you to heights you have never seen before,” she tweeted following her Olympic success, adding the hashtag, “#JumpingforJesus”. Ms McDermott…

New film about Fr Des Wilson tonight

A new film about one of Belfast’s most loved peacemakers is to be screened tonight (Thursday). Docs Ireland is to host a special screening of Fr Des – The Way He Saw It on Thursday as part of Féile an Phobail. The documentary by Vincent Kinnaird focuses on the life of West Belfast priest, the…

Some European bishops give their backing to vaccination requirement

With Covid-19 still taking a toll across Europe, Catholic bishops are backing vaccination campaigns, while also counselling against coercion. In Germany, where Chancellor Angela Merkel’s government has warned of tougher restrictions on those refusing jabs, the president of the bishops’ conference said in late July that vaccination should be a personal choice, but he urged…

Young farmers ‘key’ to agricultural emissions reduction

Macra na Feirme has insisted that young farmers are key in tackling agricultural sector emissions reductions targets. Responding to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report this week, the rural youth organisation said that young farmers right across the country have already demonstrated a willingness to engage in measures that both reduce emissions and…

Newman letters go under the hammer

Rare letters from Cardinal John Henry Newman are among items up for sale in an upcoming auction of the contents of Howth Castle. The 24 letters described as “extremely rare” by auctioneers were written by the saint between the period 1863-1878. The letters are addressed to Thomas Gaisford, eldest son of the late Dean of…

Envelope of bullets sent to Pope Francis

Italian police announced Monday that they have identified the sender of a letter addressed to Pope Francis containing three bullets. While the police haven’t released the name of the suspect, they said August 9 that it is a French citizen “already known to Vatican security, with whom the Carabinieri of Milan will now coordinate to…