In Brief A 3D virtual tour of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem – the site of Jesus’ tomb – will open next week in the National Geographic Museum in Washington DC. The tour opened on November 15 and will continue until August 15 next year. Academic dean and theology professor at St John’s Seminary in…
Pope Francis will celebrate the Catholic Church’s first World Day of the Poor this Sunday by celebrating a morning Mass with people in need and those who assist them. After Mass, he will offer lunch to 500 people in the Vatican audience hall. As the Year of Mercy was ending in November 2016, Pope Francis…
In Brief Last month thieves in France robbed and desecrated ten churches in the Diocese of Annecy, in the France’s Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes region. The perpetrators are believed to be two men who gained access by forcing open the church doors with a crow bar. In Sainte Marie Madeleine de Morzine parish, the criminals broke open and desecrated…
Catholic Church officials have quelled speculation that the placement of a memorial for the 1987 Enniskillen bombing on Church ground was blocked because there was a poppy in the design. Monsignor Joseph McGuinness from the Diocese of Clogher said the memorial was a way to provide comfort and solace and bring the community together in…
Vatican Concerned by the damage caused by smoking, Pope Francis has banned the sale of cigarettes in Vatican City. Starting in 2018, the Vatican “will cease to sell cigarettes to employees,” Greg Burke, Vatican spokesman said. “The reason is very simple: The Holy See cannot contribute to an activity that clearly damages the health of…
The Association of Catholic Priests (ACP) has welcomed plans for a meeting between representatives of the ACP and the Irish Episcopal Conference (IEC). The meeting, proposed for Monday, January 15, follows a request from Fr Brendan Hoban for such a meeting ahead of next August’s proposed visit by Pope Francis to the World Meeting of…
Rosary for borders event to preserve Faith and protect unborn Irish Faithful are being asked to pray for the preservation of the Faith and the protection of life at all stages along Ireland’s coastline, in an event that mirrors other international demonstrations. ‘Rosary on the Coasts for Life and Faith’ is similar to ‘Rosary at…
Vatican The existence of nuclear weapons creates a false sense of security that holds international relations hostage and stifles peaceful coexistence, Pope Francis said. “The threat of their use as well as their very possession is to be firmly condemned,” the Pope told participants at a conference on nuclear disarmament hosted by the Vatican. For…
Organisers of next year’s World Meeting of Families in Dublin – which Pope Francis is expected to attend – will be buoyed up by new research that reveals that Irish people remain among the most religious in Europe. Despite a fall-off in church attendance, more than one in three Irish Catholics still attend Mass weekly…
Elaborate tax dodging methods used by wealthy Irish people and companies revealed in the Paradise Papers have been condemned by Catholic charity workers who are fighting the homeless crisis. After 13.4 million records were leaked to German newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung some of Ireland’s wealthiest businessmen and celebrities were linked to valuable assets stashed in offshore…
Chai Brady
Greg Daly