China harvesting organs from minority groups, activists say The Chinese government is harvesting organs from religious and ethnic minorities, a human rights organisation told the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva last week. The China Tribunal, which calls itself an “independent, international people’s tribunal” that investigates allegations of organ harvesting in the country, said…
Clergy have called for peace following the attack last month on Fermanagh businessman Kevin Lunney, which saw the Quinn Industrial Holdings director abducted, beaten, and dumped at a Cavan roadside. At a Mass in support of Mr Lunney in Kinawley, Co. Fermanagh, Fr Maurice McMorrow described the attack on the 50-year-old father of six as…
The Government must be “pushed” to enshrine housing in the constitution as the housing crisis becomes a “catastrophe”, according to a bishop and campaigners. Speaking after an event involving Ireland’s Christian Churches on homelessness, Bishop Alan McGuckian of Raphoe said having a home is as fundamental as the right to life and education. “It’s a…
One of Ireland’s top exorcists has called for the Church to reintroduce the prayer to St Michael at the end of Masses. Between 1886 and 1967, Masses around the world concluded with a prayer calling on St Michael the archangel to protect Catholics from the devil and evil spirits, but following the Second Vatican Council…
A call for Catholics to go to Confession if they had voted to allow abortion in Ireland last year was an attempt at bringing healing to Irish society, Elphin’s Bishop Kevin Doran has said. Speaking at the opening Mass of the MaterCare international medical conference in Rome, Bishop Doran told a congregation of health care…
The CEO of Trócaire has questioned Taoiseach Leo Varadkar’s seemingly contradictory approach to tackling climate change after he opened a renovated Mayo runway the day after a global climate strike. Caoimhe de Barra’s comment comes as Mr Varadkar celebrated the projection passenger numbers to Knock airport would increase by 20%. Ms de Barra posted on…
France’s Catholic bishops have opposed legislation to allow medically assisted procreation for single mothers and lesbian couples and urged citizens to help block its enactment. “We hear and understand the suffering of those who cannot have children from their union with a person of the opposite sex and of homosexual women who aspire to have…
Eritrean bishops protested the government’s seizure of Catholic schools and asked that the Church be enabled to continue its educational and health services. “If this is not hatred against the faith and against religion, what else can it be?” the bishops said in a letter to Eritrea’s minister of public education. “Our voice of protest”…
The Pro Life Campaign (PLC) have said they remain “resolutely determined” to protect the right of citizens to hold demonstrations outside abortion clinics as the Minister for Health continues to pursue legislation that would make it illegal. The pro-life group said that Minister Simon Harris has invited a select group of Oireachtas members to a…
A bill to decriminalise abortion in all cases of rape failed in the Ecuadorian legislature last week, amid opposition from the Church and civil organisations. It would have allowed abortion also in cases of non-viable foetal deformity, incest, and non-consensual artificial insemination. Sixty-five members of the unicameral National Assembly voted in favour, five short of…
Chai Brady
Greg Daly