‘They’ve cared for us, now it’s our turn’ – Mickey Harte Prominent GAA figures have made calls to help older priests and religious who may be isolated and in need of spiritual and practical assistance after all those over 70 were ordered to be ‘cocooned’ in a bid to save them from coronavirus. Dublin…
Since being posted three weeks ago, the poem Lockdown by Bro. Richard Hendrick OFM Cap has received 45,000 shares on Facebook and 500,000 on Twitter. Bro. Richard, the Vocation Director at the Capuchin Friary in Raheny, said people of all religions have been getting in touch with him and he is inundated with emails about…
The Bishop of Kildare and Leighlin has said although Holy Week and Easter will no doubt be different this year due to the Covid-19 pandemic, it can still be marked at home in a “profound” way. Speaking to The Irish Catholic, Bishop Denis Nulty said: “We all realise and accept that Holy Week and Easter…
Pro-life groups have welcomed the BBC’s decision to uphold a complaint against itself in relation to coverage of abortion. A viewer made the complaint after the BBC failed to provide both sides of a debate when reporting on the House of Commons vote to impose abortion in the North. Bernadette Smyth of Precious Life welcomed…
A new form of racism exists in contemporary society which deems all religious beliefs, teachings and practices as “nonsensical”, according to a university chaplain. Speaking to The Irish Catholic, Fr Alan Hilliard, chaplain of TU Dublin Bolton Street Campus, says a new era of people being condemned for their faith is emerging. “Today we are…
A cardinal in Sri Lanka says he will make a vow to Our Lady this week to save his country from the coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic. Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith, Archbishop of Colombo, has promised the Faithful that he will hold televised prayers and make a special plea to Our Lady of Lanka at the National Basilica…
Priests have stressed the need for the Church to remain present to people, including – where possible – keeping churches open as a place of sanctuary for those seeking to “reconnect” with faith and home. Fr Cathal Geraghty of the Clonfert Diocese is one of several clergy calling for church buildings to remain open as…
A Dublin-based charity has vowed that it will continue to carry its food services for the most vulnerable despite the coronavirus. However, while Merchants Quay Ireland said it will still offer urgent essentials at its Riverbank base as take-away, all other activities such as hot showers, counselling and contact work must be restricted. The homeless…
The number of Catholics are increasing worldwide as well as permanent bishops and deacons, but priests, seminarians and religious figures are decreasing, according to recent statistics. These findings were released by the Churches’ Central Statistics Office, which drafts the Pontifical Yearbook 2020 and the Annuarium Statisticum Eccleasiae 2018, last week. Between the years 2013 and 2018, there…
A bishop in South Africa has highlighted the need to identify the root cause of violence against women in order to overcome the societal challenge facing the country. Bishop Sithembele Sipuka of Mthatha, president of the Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference, was speaking last week about the alarming rates of gender-based killings targeting women and…
Chai Brady