Parents are struggling to support their children financially during the Christmas holidays, a Dublin-based priest has said. Speaking about how Christmas has become over-commercialised, Fr James Noonan OCD, Prior of St Teresa’s Church in Dublin’s city-centre, said that buying presents “is starting earlier and earlier every year”, and that even before Hallowe’en, preparing for Christmas…
The world’s youngest cardinal, 51-year-old Cardinal Dieudonne Nzapalainga of Bangui, Central African Republic, insists the key question before the Synod of Bishops is: “What is God trying to tell us through young people?” Finding better ways to pass the Faith on to younger generations is one part of the task, the cardinal told reporters on…
The Franciscan Friary at Multyfarnham, Co Westmeath, has marked 750 years of continuous service and presence. It began with an historical drama for local 5th and 6th class children on Tuesday morning, telling the story of the years since 1268 to the present time; that evening there was a Novena to St Anthony of Padua…
Leaders of the main religious traditions in Ireland have said it is vital to focus on restoring devolution in the North, which must happen through “ongoing dialogue”. Bishops and religious met with the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Rt Hon Karen Bradley MP, on October 8 at Stormont House in Belfast. The meeting took…
Ireland’s new ambassador to the Vatican is already working in Rome and will formally present his credentials to Pope Francis next month. Ambassador-Designate Derek Hannon succeeds Emma Madigan as Irish Ambassador to the Holy See. Ms Madigan, who was appointed to the role in 2014, is widely acknowledged as having played a key role in…
A Catholic university professor’s tweets that white Republican men should die a “miserable death” for supporting Judge Brett Kavanaugh’s nomination for the Supreme Court are more than just about free speech, the head of Students for Life of America has warned. “Recommending violence, death and mutilation for members of Congress is not a simple ‘free…
The leader of North Korea wants Pope Francis to visit his country and believes he would be welcomed “enthusiastically”, according to South Korean officials. Kim Jung Un is said to have expressed his desire for the Pontiff to make the trip to Pyongyang during his latest summit with South Korean counterpart Moon Jae-in last month.…
Cardinal: damage of abuse scandal caused by Church leadership, not media The days of making “weak excuses” in response to the sexual abuse crisis are over, German Cardinal Reinhard Marx of Munich and Freising has warned. The fallout and damage that has resulted, he added, “has not been caused by the press doing their job…
Pro-life activists have described as “obscene” the setting aside of €12 million in the Government’s budget for the initial roll out of abortion in Ireland. The Government made clear yesterday that the €12 million contained in the budget is not the total cost envisaged for abortions but just an initial roll out cost, campaigners have…
BREAKING NEWS The UK’s highest court has ruled that a Northern Ireland bakery’s refusal to make a cake with a message supporting same-sex marriage was not discriminatory. The Supreme Court found today that the Christian owners of Ashers bakery did not discriminate against a customer and did not refuse to bake the cake because…
Colm Fitzpatrick