A synagogue in Belfast received “intimidating” phone calls telling them to condemn Israel or face a picket, following increased violence in the Middle East between Israel and Hamas in Gaza. Speaking in a personal capacity, Michael Black who is the Chairman of the Belfast Jewish community said some members of the community felt afraid to go…
Catholic officials in India are working to help citizens get help during the second wave of Covid-19 and the accompanying lockdown. “Our priority now is to save as many lives as possible,” Archbishop Victor Henry Thakur of Raipur told ucanews.com. He said with movements restricted, the archdiocese is reaching out to as many people as…
The absence of supporters at sports matches was “to the detriment of the game” and their return should prove a help to players, a priest who works with Derry City FC said. Up to 500 people can attend sports matches in Northern Ireland from May 24, an announcement from the Executive’s Communities Minister Deirdre Hargey…
Two years after bombings in Sri Lanka killed hundreds at several churches and hotels on Easter, police on May 8 arrested a former cabinet minister and his brother for alleged links to the bombings. Their attorney claimed the arrests were politically motivated. Rishad Bathiudeen, who leads an opposition party in the Sri Lankan Parliament and…
The chaplaincy launched the campaign as a “sign of solidarity” with Indian students as India suffers a “catastrophic” Covid spike, Catholic chaplain Fr Seamus McEntee said. The chaplaincy’s campaign is linked to the Multipurpose Social Service Society (MPSSS) of Cuddapah diocese, Andhra Pradesh, India, a registered charity which works with local people irrespective of their…
Catholic actors Mark Wahlberg and Mel Gibson are to star in a new film about an American priest, which has just begun filming. In Stu, Wahlberg will star as Fr Stuart Long, a onetime boxer who became a priest and died in 2014, while Gibson will play his father. Variety, a show business magazine, reported…
Liverpool’s Alisson Becker dedicated his recent goal versus West Brom to his late father, who drowned near his home in Brazil in February, saying “I’m sure he was seeing, with God at his side, celebrating”. The Brazilian goalkeeper displays great faith in God, regularly tweeting scriptural passages to his 1.2 million followers, his account reading…
Pope Francis has accepted the resignation of Bishop Jan Tyrawa of Bydgoszcz, the latest bishop accused of covering up sexual abuse by clergy. The bishops’ conference said the Vatican had “conducted proceedings on reported negligence” in line with the Pontiff’s May 2019 motu proprio, Vos estis lux mundi, and had also taken account of “other…
Chaplaincy work is “slower, but hasn’t stopped,” according to Fr John Kelly of Tallaght University Hospital following the recent cyberattack. The HSE’s IT systems were brought to a standstill last week following a “significant” ransomware attack. “Naturally, patients are anxious, but like the HSE we here in Tallaght University Hospital will be assuring patients that…
Ahead of an audience with Pope Francis last Wednesday, Germany’s foreign minister welcomed a day of same-sex blessings held in defiance of the Vatican. Speaking before he met with the Pope on May 12, Heiko Maas backed the blessing ceremonies held in around 80 German cities on Monday in protest at the Vatican’s “no” to…
Chai Brady
Ruadhán Jones