An unidentified man threw a firebomb into a chapel of Managua’s Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception on Friday, severely damaging the chapel and a devotional image of Christ more than three centuries old. “This was a planned act, very calmly planned,” Cardinal Leopoldo Brenes of Managua said. “So I want to say it clearly: it…
Three of Ireland’s largest aid agencies, Concern, Trócaire and GOAL, have teamed up with the Government to implement a €1.5 million Covid response plan that aims to support 400,000 people. At the project’s launch last week, Ambassador of Ireland Lesley Ni Bhriain praised the “essential response work” the three charities will carry out in Sierra Leone.…
Catholic bishops have said that proposed hate crime legislation in Scotland could criminalise the Bible and the Catechism of the Catholic Church. In a statement issued on July 29, the bishops argued that the Scottish Government’s new Hate Crime and Public Order Bill could lead to censorship of Catholic teaching. Commenting on the submission of the bill, the Director…
Jason Osborne Pro-life campaigner and student Gavin Boyne (22) has criticised what he has described as inconsistent criticism of when people come under fire on social media. This comes in the wake of the recent controversy surrounding Senator Fintan Warfield, which saw a picture surface on social media of the Sinn Féin representative wearing speedos and…
The Office of Public Works has rejected responsibility for the preservation of a pre-Anglo-Norman church and ancient stone crosses in south Dublin. Tully church and a number of ancient stone crosses date from between the 10th to the 13th Century, and the church is possibly of Hiberno-Norse design. In a response to a parliamentary question, Minister with…
State-sponsored hackers have reportedly targeted Vatican computer networks in an attempt to give China an advantage in negotiations to renew a provisional deal with the Holy See. A report, released on July 28, said that hackers may have used a counterfeit condolence message from Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican Secretary of State, to gain access to…
Faith communities in Nigeria face daily violence and persecution, a US-based rights group said. It called for US intervention after a terrorist group executed five men abducted while providing assistance in northeastern Nigeria. While Christians, particularly preachers, “are clearly the targets” of militants in the West African country, Muslims are killed too, said Archbishop Matthew…
Cardinal Michael Czerny has voiced support for a German abbess facing trial for sheltering refugees. The cardinal said that Mother Mechthild Thurmer, a Benedictine nun, was in keeping with “a long tradition of Christians living their Faith to the final consequence”. Mother Mechthild is facing trial in Bamberg, Germany, for offering refuge on 30 occasions…
Spotlight needed on abuse in women’s orders – Jesuit journal The abuse occurring within women’s religious orders deserves more attention from the media and must be remedied, said an influential Jesuit journal. Novices and women religious, especially those who have been assigned to a country where they don’t know the language, can be particularly vulnerable to abuses…
Pope Benedict ‘very unwell’ since trip to Germany Pope emeritus Benedict XVI is sick with a bacterial infection and “very frail”, according to a German newspaper report. Citing Benedict biographer Peter Seewald, German newspaper Passauer Neue Presse (PNP) reported on Monday (August 3) that the 93-year-old Pope emeritus is suffering from facial erysipelas, a bacterial…
Ruadhán Jones