German Cardinal Reinhard Marx of Munich and Freising has submitted his resignation to Pope Francis, saying that bishops must begin to accept responsibility for the institutional failures of the church in handling the clerical sexual abuse crisis. Cardinal Marx (67) released a statement on Friday and, with the Pope’s permission, a copy of the letter…
With just weeks to go, organisers of this year’s ‘Rally for Life’ have revealed details of the weekend plan including a free screening of the movie Voiceless. This year the event will take place from July 1-4, and while the normal large gathering in Dublin will not take place due to Covid-19 restrictions a number…
As has become traditional at the June public holiday, Bishop Fintan Monahan has asked parishes across the country to pray for safety on the roads. As more people travel due to the holiday, the Bishop of Killaloe will also lead a ‘blessing of the roads’ ceremony in Co. Clare on Saturday. In a statement, Dr…
The Religious Sisters of Charity have called on the Minister for Health to speed up the transfer of St Vincent’s Healthcare Group to facilitate it “as soon as possible”. The congregation also insisted that it will have no role in the new national maternity hospital being constructed on the site. It comes after several politicians…
Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) Ireland has organised for Mass to be offered at a Mass Rock in each of Ireland’s 26 dioceses in the build-up to the Feast of the Irish Martyrs June 20. The Masses were offered for the renewal of the Faith in Ireland through the intercession of Irish Martyrs,…
Bishops call for return of Mass to Irish prisons Irish bishops have come out in support of prisoners’ “constitutional right” to practice their religion, as communal worship has yet to restart in Irish penal institutions. There is also growing calls for prisoners to be vaccinated sooner so that some of the restrictions on their lives…
Professional skateboarder Ryan Sheckler has been singing God’s praises in a podcast recently, describing his “Christ-based” approach to his relationship which sees him practicing abstinence before marriage. He said he wouldn’t have been able to do it before, but now that God has come into his life, he’s excited to see how it plays out.…
An English doctor is under investigation for offering to prescribe abortion pill reversal medication, following an undercover investigation by advocacy group openDemocracy. Dr Eileen Reilly, who works with US-based organisation Heartbeat International to facilitate women attempting to reverse the effects of the abortion pill, is under investigation by the General Medical Council of Britain following…
The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) called for the release of Indian Jesuit Fr Stan Swami on humanitarian grounds and raised issues regarding the grounds of his detention. Church leaders and politicians around the world have previously called for Fr Swami’s release. The Indian Jesuit is currently in hospital with Covid-like symptoms. Irish Jesuits International…
International Men’s Health Week runs from Monday June 14 through to Sunday June 20 this year, and the idea has been welcomed by the Knights of St Columbanus. The focus this year is on ‘making the connections’, which encourages men to rebuild the relationships that were put on pause due to the pandemic. “Men’s health…
Ruadhán Jones