Pope Francis apologised to victims of clergy sex abuse, saying he unknowingly wounded them by the way he defended a Chilean bishop accused of covering up abuse by his mentor. Speaking with journalists on his flight to Rome from Lima, Peru, the Pope said he only realised later that his words erroneously implied that victims’…
Hundreds of thousands of people gathered across the US on Friday for the annual March for Life, with this year’s theme being ‘Love Saves Lives’. The march marks the US Supreme courts decision in 1973 to legalise abortion. President Donald Trump made a very public show of support for the campaign with his address to…
A government move that could see publicly-funded Catholic counselling agencies closing has been described as “an attack on the independence of civil society”. Currently the Department of Children and Youth Affairs pays almost €1.6 million per year to Accord, the marriage and relationship counselling service run by the Irish Catholic Bishops’ Conference, via Tusla –…
Fishermen held a fluvial procession in the southern Philippine city of General Santos in Mindanao to honour the Santo Nino, or the Child Jesus. At least 200 fishing vessels of all sizes took part in the procession, an annual event that started 40 years ago to show thanks to the Lord for the bounty people get…
Cranberries singer Dolores O’Riordan had a great interest in monasteries and loved to listen to monks chanting Vespers, it was said during her funeral homily. Fr Liam McNamara said that he first met the late musician in 1989 when she was playing a keyboard and singing with the choir of the Church of St Ailbe.…
The decision to invite Scotland’s First Minister of State to speak at a major lecture focusing on Catholic education was defended by a native bishop following criticism from pro-life advocates. The 2019 Cardinal Winning Lecture is held after Catholic education week each year, however this year marks the Centenary of the Catholic Education Scotland Act…
Bishop Donal McKeown has said that experiencing narratives of victimhood and hopelessness during a recent trip to the Holy Land reminded him of ministering in Belfast during the civil conflict in the North. The Bishop of Derry was speaking on his return from the Holy Land where he was part of the annual ‘Holy Land…
“Bold steps” are needed before Ireland closes the gap between its climate change commitments and its performance, overseas development charity Trócaire said following the release of an embarrassing government memo. Supporting bills that encourage divestment from fossil fuels and the banning of their extraction will see Ireland move from “laggard to leader” according to the…
Church leaders in South Sudan and Congo wonder if they have laboured in vain because too often their own people are waging war against each other, a Sudanese priest said during a meeting of hundreds of men and women from dozens of religious orders. The root of the conflict, Fr Maurice Ibiko said, is “the…
All faiths must protect Jerusalem’s current status Christians, Muslims and Jews who are sincere about their faith must be committed to protecting the special character of Jerusalem and to praying and working for peace in the Holy Land, Pope Francis wrote in a letter to the grand imam of Egypt’s al-Azhar University. Only a special, internationally guaranteed statute on the status…
Chai Brady
Susan Gately