More than 6,700 Catholic women religious are among those helping more than 1 million people taking shelter in relief camps after unprecedented floods ravaged Kerala state in southwest India. “This is the biggest rescue and relief operation the Catholic Church in Kerala has undertaken in its history,” said Fr George Vettikattil, who heads the Church’s…
A church in Cork was filled with applause and tears on Sunday after baby shoes were placed on the altar to commemorate the victims and survivors of clerical abuse. Canon David Herlihy said he proposed the commemoration ceremony that took place in St Mary’s Parish Church in Youghal after members of the Standing4Women movement had…
Reproduce St Joseph’s ‘ideal of service’ Pope tells Oblates Pope Francis told the Oblates of St Joseph that for decades he has relied on the intercession of St Joseph, and “never, ever has he told me ‘no’”. “We should draw courage from this,” the Pope said on August 31 as he met with members of the order’s general chapter. “For more than 40…
Radical change is needed in the Irish Church if it is to stay afloat, a Limerick-based priest has said. Speaking in the wake of a two-day conference in Thurles last week, entitled ‘The Future of the Irish Parish: Lessons from Abroad’, Fr Eamonn Fitzgibbon said that the Irish Church needs more pastoral lay leaders to…
Over 70% of people who took part in a social media poll conducted by The Irish Catholic believe Pope Francis gave fresh hope to the Church during his visit. Over 1,000 people responded to the question with the majority reacting positively to the 36-hour papal trip which took place from August 25-26, saying it was…
I am close to you: keep moving ahead with courage, Pope tells bishops All of us, as bishops, are conscious of our responsibility to be fathers to God’s holy and faithful people. As good fathers, we want to encourage and inspire, to reconcile and unify, and above all, to preserve all the good handed…
People are fully behind Pope Francis’ efforts to tackle abuse and concealment of abuse in the Church, according to a Belfast priest who was sexually assaulted by a priest while a seminarian and who was one of eight survivors of clerical and institutional abuse who met the Pope on Saturday evening. The Pontiff was “obviously…
The blue car used by Pope Francis during his WMOF trip to Ireland is to be donated to help the homeless. On Monday, Archbishop Diarmuid Martin announced that the car would be donated to Crosscare, the social care agency of the Archdiocese of Dublin. It will be used by Crosscare staff based in the agency’s…
The Primate of All Ireland has said that “decisive action” against clerical abuse will be proof of whether the Pope’s visit to Ireland has been a success or not. Speaking on RTÉ’s Morning Ireland programme on August 27, Archbishop Eamon Martin said that Francis has taken lead in addressing the clerical abuse crisis, referencing a…
People are fully behind Pope Francis’ efforts to tackle abuse and concealment of abuse in the Church, according to a Belfast priest who was sexually assaulted by a priest while a seminarian and who was one of eight survivors of clerical and institutional abuse who met the Pope on Saturday evening. Describing the encounter as…
Colm Fitzpatrick
Greg Daly