A Celtic FC footballer has praised his education in a Catholic school and said Communion was a proud moment for him and his family. Left-back Kiernan Tierney, who also plays for Scotland’s national team, spoke in a video created to celebrate 100 years of Catholic state education in Scotland. “It’s a great occasion for you…
Category: News
Reduce parishes to move away from a‘maintenance mindset’
Plans to reform an American diocese by drastically reducing the number of parishes could offer a ‘radical’ template for rejuvenating the Archdiocese of Dublin, a priest-author has said. The comments come following reports that the Diocese of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania has announced plans to reduce the current 188 parishes to just 57 over the next few…
Concerns asylum seekers could worsen housing crisis before ‘restrictive’ work rules
Asylum seekers hoping to work face “very restrictive” arrangements made by the Department of Justice, who previously expressed concern that allowing people in direct provision to work would worsen the housing crisis. The Irish Refugee Council (IRC) told The Irish Catholic that since May 1, only one application for a work permit has been received…
Minister’s claim of no late- term abortions ‘completely false’ – campaigners
Health Minister Simon Harris is telling “overt and blatant lies” about proposed abortion legislation, Save the 8th has said. Interviewed by the Sunday Times, Mr Harris said under proposed legislation there will not be “unlimited abortion up to birth in cases of life-limiting conditions”. Adding that the published heads of the bill do not contain…
Scottish bishop decries BBC video ‘ridiculing’ Catholic Faith
Bishop John Keenan of Paisley has criticised a video on homophobia posted by BBC Scotland in which the Eucharist is parodied, being said to “taste like cardboard” and “smell like hate”. The video ‘This is how homophobia feels in 2018’ was posted on April 9 on the Facebook page of BBC The Social, a project…
Schools ‘disappointed’ by circular
The president of the body that represents Catholic second level schools has described as “worrying and unwelcome” Department of Education guidelines that insist that schools must provide alternatives for students who do not wish to participate in religious education. While the circular applies only to Education and Training Board and community schools, Fr Paul Connell…
Francis praises Benedict’s writings on Faith
For more than 50 years, the writings of retired Pope Benedict XVI on the relationship between Faith and politics have insisted that the measure of human freedom is the extent to which each person acknowledges being dependent on the love of God, Pope Francis wrote. The future Pope’s “direct experience of Nazi totalitarianism led him…
Irish priest hits out at ‘religious bigotry’
A prominent Irish priest has criticised remarks made by a DUP founder concerning Protestant church leaders’ welcome of a papal visit to the North of Ireland this August. The criticism comes after Wallace Thompson, secretary of the Evangelical Protestant Society, told the Belfast Newsletter that a visit to the North by Pope Francis for the…
ACP on abortion: the wrong message at the wrong time
The ill-judged intervention strengthens the ‘Yes’ side, writes Fr Bill Kemmy It is not possible to let the recent media statement issued by the leadership of the Association of Catholic Priests (ACP) on the upcoming referendum on the Eight Amendment to go unchallenged. Very briefly, I want to focus on the content and the impact of…
Bishops rally to assist Venezuelan migrants
Eight bishops’ conferences in Latin America have joined efforts to assist Venezuelans in transit through or settling in their home countries with the help of the Migrant and Refugee Section of the Vatican Dicastery for the Promotion of Integral Human Development,. Called ‘Bridges of Solidarity’, the two-year pastoral program seeks to “find common solutions to…