Dissident republican groups bent on creating friction and curtailing free speech is a “form of fascism”, a Derry-based priest has said. Fr Joe Gormley of Creggan parish told this newspaper that attempts to stop the police from talking to young people about critical issues shows the “fascist element” of dissident republicanism. His comments after the…
Ireland’s longest-serving diocesan bishop has hailed the appointment of his successor as “a new beginning” for the Diocese of Cork and Ross. Bishop John Buckley, who has headed the Diocese of Cork and Ross since 1998, welcomed the announcement that Dublin archdiocesan chancellor Fr Fintan Gavin [pictured] will succeed him as Bishop of Cork, saying…
The majority of people would reject the introduction of female deacons to their parish according to a survey conducted by this paper. Over 1,300 people responded to a social media survey with two-thirds saying they would not support their diocese if this was considered. Overall 979 people voted against the idea, while 361 approved. This…
Brunei has implemented a sharia penal code that punishes such crimes as adultery, sodomy, rape and blasphemy of Muhammad with the death penalty. “Brunei Darussalam has always been practising a dual legal system, one that is based on the Syariah Law and the other on Common Law,” Brunei’s prime minister’s office said at the end of…
The Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS) this week launched #ThePowerofVote campaign, calling on citizens to use their vote in the upcoming European Parliament elections to protect the rights of asylum seekers and refugees. Recent practices in Europe, such as the absence of safe and legal pathways to protection; the extensive use of detention of asylum seekers;…
Australia’s Catholic population fell by 2.7% between 2011 and 2016, but Catholics are more likely to have a higher education, according to an analysis of census data by the National Centre for Pastoral Research. Analysing statistics from the country’s 2016 census, the centre reported on April 4 in its ‘Social Profile of the Catholic Community…
A coffee shop set up with the support of over a dozen different Catholic groups offers a model of outreach and co-operation which could be vital for the Church going forward, organisers say. Brew132 on Cork’s Washington Street aims to provide a place where students on their way to and from college might be exposed…
Pope Francis to celebrate Holy Thursday with prisoners Pope Francis will celebrate the Holy Thursday Mass of the Lord’s Supper with prisoners in Velletri, about 36 miles south of Rome. The Pope will celebrate the Mass and the foot-washing ritual at the Velletri Correctional Facility on April 18, the Vatican announced last week. The late-afternoon visit will include a meeting with prisoners,…
Sometimes Christians seem to prefer complaining and being unhappy in life, but that makes them a perfect target for the devil, Pope Francis has said in a morning homily. “Desolation is from the serpent”, who tempted Eve in the Garden of Eden and who “always bites” when a person sinks in despair, the pope said…
Lucien Chauvin A Peruvian archbishop has won a defamation suit against a local journalist in a long-running case involving alleged cover-up in an abuse scandal. A court in Piura, on the northern coast, ruled late on April 8 in favour of Archbishop Jose Eguren Anselmi of Piura in the suit against journalist Pedro Salinas.…
Greg Daly