Chai Brady, Ruadhán Jones and Jason Osborne A satirical sketch broadcast by RTÉ accusing God of rape has been dubbed “scurrilous” and “disgraceful” and has provoked thousands of complaints from viewers. The national broadcaster logged almost 5,000 complaints by the time this paper went to print regarding the New Year’s Eve broadcast which depicted a man…
Local priests have called for a thorough, transparent investigation and calm among the community following the fatal shooting by gardaí of a 27-year-old man in Clonee, Dublin last week. Fr Mathew Binoy SVD of Mountview and Blakestown Parish told The Irish Catholic there is “a lot of tension in the area” after George Nkencho was…
Irish Catholic businessman Declan Ganley received confirmation that the State has until January 22 to deliver their opposition to his constitutional challenge to restrictions on religious worship. Once the High Court receives the State’s opposition they will set a date for the judicial review, which Mr Ganley expects to be in early February. Mr Ganley…
Twenty Catholic missionaries were killed across the world in 2020, the information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies has said. Agenzia Fides reported December 30 that those who lost their lives in service of the Church comprised eight priests, three religious women, one male religious, two seminarians, and six lay people. Previous years As in previous…
The White House issued a proclamation honouring the 850th anniversary of the martyrdom of St Thomas Becket and inviting “the people of the United States to observe the day in schools and churches and customary places of meeting with appropriate ceremonies.” The proclamation, signed by President Donald Trump December 28, described Becket as “a statesman,…
Fr Reginald Foster, a friar of the Discalced Carmelite Order, passed away on Christmas day at the age of 81. Originally from Milwaukee in the US state of Wisconsin, Fr Reginald spent almost 40 years as one of the Vatican’s foremost experts in the Latin language. He worked in the Latin Letters section of the…
The Vatican’s coronavirus commission and the Pontifical Academy for Life issued a joint statement calling for a coordinated international effort to ensure the equitable distribution of Covid-19 vaccines worldwide. The document highlights the “critical role of vaccines to defeat the pandemic, not just for individual personal health but to protect the health of all,” the…
In a wide-ranging interview, the head of the German bishops’ conference called for far-reaching changes to the Catholic Church and criticised the Vatican’s treatment of the Church in his country. “I would describe myself as conservative because I love this Church and enjoy devoting my life and my strength to it. But I want it…
Figures published by the Department of Housing show the number of people who were homeless in November fell by 253 to 8,484 – compared to 8,737 in the previous month. There was also a drop in the number of children who are homeless to 2,452 – a fall of 190. With the country re-entering Level…
Michael Kinsella of Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) said Ireland should highlight the “very pressing and urgent issues surrounding Christian persecution” now that they are on the UN Security Council. Aontú leader Peadar Tóibín has also spoken up about the need to tackle religious persecution “whenever and wherever it happens”. Their comments come…
Chai Brady
Ruadhán Jones