Pope Francis names religious sister to no. 2 position in Vatican’s social development office Pope Francis last Thursday named Italian economist and Catholic religious sister Alessandra Smerilli as secretary of the Vatican’s social development office on an interim basis. Sr Smerilli was appointed ad interim secretary of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development following…
German bishop says he’s sceptical about exempting priests from celibacy A German bishop who co-chairs the Synodal Path’s forum on priests said he is “sceptical” about exempting Catholic priests from celibacy. Bishop Felix Genn of Münster said he accepted that people were deciding not to become priests because they did not feel called to celibacy,…
Redemption is the work of God, not of human beings, so be careful and do not listen to “fundamentalists” who claim holiness comes through following certain laws, Pope Francis said during his weekly general audience
Taoiseach Micheál Martin has announced that places of worship in the Republic can increase capacity to 50% from September 6, but that mask-wearing will continue to be the norm – at least for now. Social distancing will also remain in force in churches for at least six weeks. The increased capacity is expected to allow…
A leading support organisation for pregnant women has launched a campaign to promote more positive reactions around pregnancy after clients reported experiencing negative reactions. Crisis pregnancy organisation Gianna Care decided to launch the initiative following reports from client of off-putting and derogatory comments from family members, friends and work colleagues. Gianna Care Director Carolyn O’Meara…
Catholic schools have rigorous protocols in place to remain open after they return next week, despite concerns about Covid-19, parents have been assured. “We’ve been here before, we’re used to dealing with this particular situation,” Seamus Mulconry of the Catholic Primary Schools Management Association (CPSMA) told The Irish Catholic this week. He said that “cautious confidence…
After a report on workplace deaths from 2011-2020 showed that 40% took place on farms, Fr Paddy Byrne urged farmers to be “cautious and careful” during the harvest season. Fr Byrne, who leads an annual prayer service to commemorate farm deaths, said that deaths on farms are “unfortunately much too frequent in Ireland”. “There is…
The bishop of Limerick congratulated the hurling team on their win, adding that there are many lessons outside of sport to be gleaned from their achievements. In a statement, Bishop Brendan Leahy praised the “profound” message coming from the squad and the backroom staff – that together “we can climb mountains”. “For me, there was…
The Islamist terror group’s return to power in Afghanistan will embolden extremists worldwide, the director of Aid to the Church in Need Ireland has said, putting vulnerable Christians at even more risk. The failure of the US and its allies in Afghanistan “validates” the ambitions of Islamists worldwide, Dr Michael Kinsella said. “Other Islamists will…
A Church whistleblower has taken aim at clericalism in a recent book, and says that it’s the “abuse of power” that enables and condones other forms of abuse in the Catholic Church. Author of the new book, Cardinal Sin: Challenging power abuse in the Catholic Church, and abuse survivor, Brian Devlin says that a “new…
Ruadhán Jones
Michael Kelly