A leading expert on Pope Francis will address the Pontiff’s reform agenda and its relevance for the Church here just ahead of the Pope’s historic trip to Ireland. John L. Allen – a journalist who has covered the papacies of St John Paul II, Benedict XVI and Francis – will speak about the revolution that…
A former English footballer has praised hundreds of young pilgrims for travelling from England to Lourdes to help the sick. Commenting in response to a message on Twitter, Stan Collymore, a former Liverpool football player, said that the 400 young people making the trip to the Marian Shrine will have an obvious impact on those…
Matthew Carlson Councillors in South Dublin have rejected a call to fly the traditional Papal flag during the Pope’s historic trip here next month. Renua Councillor Ronan McMahon had proposed that the flag – the official flag of the Holy See – would fly above South Dublin County Hall in Tallagh during the visit. However,…
Davis Clark Pilgrims across Ireland will be trekking through the country in order to reflect and pray at some well-known ancient sites. After a successful inauguration last year, Ireland’s second pilgrim journey was launched on Wednesday, July 18 to great excitement. The journey will take place from August 18 until August 25, taking pilgrims through…
A prominent pro-life group has condemned politicians who a signed an “outrageous” letter calling on the UK government to legalise the killing of Northern Ireland’s unborn babies. The Northern Irish group, Precious Life, said that the letter to Prime Minister Theresa May and her Irish counterpart Leo Varadkar which was coordinated by Labour MP Stella…
Editorials in national Catholic publications have taken the US Catholic Church to task for its failure to root out all forms of clergy sexual abuse in the light of allegations made by former seminarians against Cardinal Theodore E. McCarrick, retired archbishop of Washington. “The Catholic Church cannot pretend to be shocked about the pattern of…
Letter from Rome US President Donald Trump spent most of last week desperately trying to spin his controversial summit with Vladimir Putin [pictured below] as a breakthrough, despite widespread impressions of near-total capitulation on the question of Russian interference in the 2016 election. “The Summit with Russia was a great success, except with the…
Pope Francis will canonise a teenage boy during the Synod of bishops on young people in October. Nunzio Sulprizio will be declared a saint alongside Oscar Romero and Paul VI and four others in a ceremony on October 14. Sulprizio was born on April 13, 1817, in the Abruzzo region near Pescara. Both of his…
New York Cardinal Timothy Dolan [pictured], has called for prayers that “the change in the US Supreme Court will move our nation closer to the day when every human being is protected in law and welcomed in life.” Noting the lobbying that began by pro abortion groups as soon as Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy…
The visit of Pope Francis should be a moment when even those who feel alienated or hostile to the Church can reconnect, Archbishop Eamon Martin has said. He described the theme of the World Meeting of Families ‘the Gospel of the Family – Joy for the World’ as a message “not only for ‘faith-full’ Catholic…
Colm Fitzpatrick
John L. Allen Jr.