Eight Christians accused of kidnapping 60 children for the purpose of converting them to Christianity have been acquitted in India. The six men and two women were alleged to have attempted an illegal religious conversion of tribal children were freed in Madhya Pradesh on February 18. The adults were on their way to Nagpur with…
Catholic bishops in East Africa have called for increased action to combat the region’s worst desert locust infestation in 70 years. Like scenes from the Book of Exodus, swarms of locusts are ravaging grazing lands and endangering the economies of seven countries heavily dependent on agriculture for food security. Bishop Giorgio Bertin, who heads the Church…
Fr Ray Kelly says he will not quit RTÉ1’s Dancing With The Stars despite receiving abusive emails, letters and threatening phone calls demanding his departure from the show. The Co Meath priest, 66, has been the subject of a hate campaign for his continuing presence on the show, which has made him consider leaving. “I…
First meeting between China and Vatican for 70 years A first meeting between The Holy See and the People’s Republic of China (PRC) since 1951 took place in Germany on February 14. Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, the Holy See’s Secretary for Relations with States, met with PRC State Councillor and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Wang Yi,…
An Irish Benedictine monk is showcasing his huge oil-on-canvas painting of Mary at an exhibition in Canada during the month of February. Emmaus O’Herlihy’s painting of Mary, called Red Magnificat, pictures her as both indigenous and almost young enough to be called a child. His painting is in Toronto’s Regis College as part of an exhibition called…
With the current archbishop of Dublin, Diarmuid Martin, sending his resignation to Pope Francis on his birthday in just over a month, April 8, The Irish Catholic looks at some likely contenders in the search for a new leader. Bishop of Ossory Dermot Farrell – ‘The Manager’ As a former President of Maynooth College…
The RDS was packed with people of all ages at the weekend for the Divine Mercy Conference. The three-day event is in its 29th year and ran under the theme ‘Deliver us from evil’. This was spoken about extensively by guest speakers which included Primate of All Ireland and Archbishop of Armagh Eamon Martin, Fr…
Catholic Bishop in China overcomes coronavirus A retired priest in China has made a remarkable recovery from the coronavirus just days after being diagnosed with the epidemic. Bishop Joseph Zhu Baoyu of Nanyang, who is 98 years old, fell ill with pneumonia from Covid-19 on February 3. On February 12 he tested negative, but two…
The Pope may have to fast-track a replacement for Archbishop Diarmuid Martin in Dublin or face the prospect of the country’s largest diocese not having a bishop for up to a year, The Irish Catholic understands. Informed sources confirm that Dr Martin – who is due to reach the mandatory age of 75 at which he…
We have moved too far away from traditional fasting says a Glenstal Abbey monk. Fr Fintan Lyons OSB, has said “I feel we have gone too far in avoiding the older practice of fasting from food; in the Church’s tradition it was associated with feasts, the fast before the feast, and based on what the…
Chai Brady