The Kylemore Trust switched on the lights of Kylemore Abbey to celebrate 100 years of the Benedictine Order of nuns in Co Galway this week. The illumination of the Abby is part of a year-long programme of events to mark the residency of the nuns in Connemara since 1920. “Over this year we will remember…
A Catholic delegation has hit out at being stopped at an airport in Eritrea and forced to return to Ethiopia. “We condemn the gesture” said the Catholic Secretariat of Ethiopia on February 28, who claimed they were “illegally detained without reason”. “We also express our solidarity with the Catholic Church in Eritrea, which lives in…
Kicking off the festivities, choirs from all over the island and further afield will join together in an evening of music and spoken word on Saturday, March 7 at 8pm in St Patrick’s Cathedral to celebrate St Patrick. A limited number of audience seats priced at £5 are available through The Market Place Theatre Box…
The President of Argentina has said he will send a bill to legalise abortion to Congress within the next week. Alberto Fernandez, who was sworn in as the country’s president in December, has previously described abortion as “a matter of public health”. At present, abortion in Argentina is only allowed in cases of rape or…
Put down phone, pick up Bible – Pope’s Lent advice Pope Francis has told Catholics to use the season of Lent to spend less time watching television or being on their phones, and to spend more time reading the Bible. The Pope reflected on the “desert” of Lent during his weekly general audience and how…
Pope Francis has accepted the resignation of Bishop Edward Grosz, auxiliary bishop of Buffalo, who has been accused of mishandling a sex abuse allegation. Grosz, who turned 75 on February 16, offered his resignation at the age required by canon law. The Vatican’s announcement on March 2 accepting Grosz’s resignation did not indicate whether it…
The Tokyo archdiocese has suspended all public Mass until March 14 as a precaution to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. Archbishop Isao Kikuchi issued the directive on February 25 for two weeks from the day after Ash Wednesday. The directive is in response to Japan’s government policy on measures to protect against the outbreak…
Bishops in the Middle East have called for a regional youth gathering similar to World Youth Day to be established for young Catholics in Arab countries. The proposed ‘World Day of Youth of the Arab Regions’ would take place in Jordan as the first host country with the goal of encouraging “mass participation”, according to…
A social media poll of over 700 people conducted by this paper has found 85% of people who voted are in favour of the Irish Church not cancelling Masses over coronavirus (Covid-19) fears. People were asked: “In parts of the world worst affected by coronavirus, Masses have been cancelled. Now that the virus has been…
Irish L’Arche Community Leaders are in “shock” and “anger” at what they see as the “betrayal” of founder Jean Vanier after revelations that he sexually abused multiple women. The heads of the charity’s four centres in Cork, Kilkenny, Dublin and Belfast spoke to The Irish Catholic about their ongoing work to help staff and supporters…
Chai Brady