Singing and dancing priest Fr Ray Kelly said if he was chosen for the Eurovision the song he entered could be a winner for Ireland. Fifty years on from Irish singer Dana Rosemary Scallon’s win with the song ‘All Kinds of Everything’ in 1970, Meath-based Fr Kelly said he would be “shocked and amazed” to be…
Gary Lightbody from Snow Patrol encouraged people to see each other as equals at a Christian festival in Belfast last Friday. The Northern Irish singer [pictured] from Bangor said “I think that whether we see it or not we all have a bond with each other and a lot of that is to do with…
One of the four seminarians kidnapped from their seminary in Nigeria last month has reportedly been killed by his abductors. Michael Nnadi (18), the youngest member of the group, was separated from the others and murdered, with his body being formally identified at the weekend. “With a very heavy heart, I wish to inform you…
A new independent database listing nearly 6,000 priests accused of abuse was launched this week, marking what some observers say is a sign of a new era of transparency in the Church and others labelling it the “privatisation of justice” after years of Church leaders blocking such efforts. The database, which was activated last week,…
The decision by Mary Immaculate College (MIC) in Limerick to reject a course in Christian ethics has been dubbed “deeply regrettable” by outgoing Tipperary TD Mattie McGrath. A programme was developed and submitted to the college authorities after academics in MIC were approached by hospital chaplains who asked for professional training to deal with difficult…
The religious way of life could disappear in the Diocese of Ossory within a generation if “radical action” is taken according to the Bishop Dermot Farrell. In a homily for the World Day of Consecrated life on Sunday, Bishop Farrell told the congregation in St Mary’s Cathedral in Kilkenny that “bold decisions must be taken…
A clergyman has stressed that Christians must take an active role in the country’s future if they want a unified, multi-religious Iraq. Archbishop Bashar Warda of the Chaldean Catholic Archdiocese of Erbil made the plea during a discussion of the country’s future with a US congressman. This follows months of protests against Iraqi government corruption and…
A French cardinal says he will ask Pope Francis to allow him to resign, despite an appeal court judgment overturning his suspended jail sentence for failing to report abuse. Cardinal Philippe Barbarin of Lyon was speaking after last week’s court ruling which quashed the prison term, imposed in March 2019 for failing to report accusations…
A veteran religious writer has applied for Irish citizenship after renouncing his UK citizenship this week in protest at Britain leaving the European Union (EU). Scotland born John Cooney holds the distinction of being the only journalist who has been the Religious Affairs Correspondent of the Irish Times and the Irish Independent. His books include…
Fourty-two Christians accused of lynching two Muslim youths in the aftermath of the terror attack on two churches in Pakistan have been acquitted. The twin suicide bombings took place at Christ Church and St John’s Catholic Church in Lahore on March 15, 2015 which killed at least 14 and injured several others. After the attack,…
Chai Brady