The man whose image defined the early days of the outbreak of conflict in the North has died. Fr Paul Farren, who officiated at his funeral, said that Paddy Coyle “never let the image define him” and he lived the life of “an ordinary Catholic”. Mr Coyle was photographed in Derry as a teenager wearing…
As Hagia Sophia opened for Muslim prayers on Friday for the first time in 86 years, a leading Asian cardinal said that the decision to turn the building back into a mosque will reopen wounds and intensify divisions. In a statement sent via email on July 24, Cardinal Charles Bo said that he was grieved…
The Irish Hospice Foundation (IHF) has called on the new Government to put in place a process for remembrance and reflection in post-Covid-19 Ireland. The foundation submitted a paper outlining a series of proposals for Ireland to remember and reflect on the pandemic. This includes a national series of mourning and remembrance events for all…
Former Tanzanian President Benjamin Mkapa, a Catholic who led several regional peace mediation efforts, has died. He was 81. Tanzanian President John Magufuli said Mkapa had been undergoing treatment at a hospital in Dar es Salaam, where he died on July 24. Magufuli urged the people to remain calm, united and peaceful as they mourned…
Archbishop Michael Neary of Tuam has asked the Faithful to put aside a day for God each week while the Sunday obligation is lifted due to the coronavirus, in his homily for Reek Sunday. Despite the Reek Sunday pilgrimage being cancelled this year, several people still braved the Croagh Patrick climb, some not wearing shoes.…
Pope Francis has exhorted young people to reach out in tenderness to the elderly amid the loneliness of the coronavirus pandemic. “In the memory of Ss Joachim and Anne, the grandparents of Jesus, I would like to invite young people to make a gesture of tenderness towards the elderly, especially the most lonely ones in…
European bishops have welcomed what they described as the solidarity shown by EU governments in agreeing the Covid-19 stimulus package. However, they warned that the process will be a failure unless it is focused on the weaker members of the bloc. Cardinal Jean-Claude Hollerich, president of the Commission of the Bishops’ Conferences of the European…
Professional footballer Alex Samuel praised God for being signed to the Wycombe Wanderers FC on social media in a message posted beside a picture of him kneeling and praying on the pitch. Alex took to Twitter to reveal how much God helped him in his career, saying: “This time two years ago I was out…
The Irish Association of Social Workers (IASW) has claimed that the recently-launched strategy on mental health lacks real substance. “While a refreshed mental health policy is to be welcomed, the fact that the oversight group who developed the policy did not include any core health and social care professional members of mental health multidisciplinary teams…
Sr Ruth Lewis, also known as the Mother Teresa of Pakistan, died on 20 July, a victim of the coronavirus. She contracted the virus after making the decision to personally care for 21 infected residents of the Dar ul Sukhun home (House of Peace), which she co-founded in 1969. Known across Pakistan as the ‘Mother…
Ruadhán Jones
Chai Brady