Colm Fitzpatrick and Greg Daly Catholic hospitals need to resist performing abortions “at all costs” and medical professionals should have the right to oppose carrying them out, an Irish bishop has said. Waterford’s and Lismore’s bishop, Alphonsus Cullinan said that many Irish people working in healthcare entered the profession to do good rather than harm, and that these…
The Irish Church’s safeguarding advisory body has rowed back on previous advice that priests should not inform State authorities about incidents of child sex abuse disclosed during Confession, instead pointing out that canon and civil law differ on this issue. The National Board for Safeguarding Children in the Catholic Church had advised in their 2016…
Two bishops have pushed for a more lay-led Church during separate homilies over the weekend. A priest’s work is to “channel” the gifts of lay people, and is not a lone enterprise, said Bishop Noel Treanor during Fr Tony McAleese’s ordination. “Priestly work and ministry is not a solo run: the passage from the letter…
Ireland’s Catholic bishops are crowdsourcing for input on a new council that aims to respond to the “very challenging reality” of legalised abortion in Ireland. A ‘Council of Life’ will be established by March 2019 in response to the result of the abortion referendum – it was decided in a general meeting of the bishops.…
A leading charity has criticised the absence of convictions after laws criminalising sex buyers meant to “erode Ireland’s sex trade” were implemented 15 months ago. This comes after Ruhama revealed they’ve assisted over 300 people affected by prostitution and sex trafficking in their 2017 Annual Report this week. Sarah Benson, the CEO of Ruhama, has…
Pope Francis has denounced the practice of administering prenatal tests to determine birth defects that often lead to abortions, comparing it to the Nazi-era eugenics programme that determined what lives were worth keeping or eliminating. Children are God’s greatest gift and should be welcomed “as they come, as God sends them, as God allows, even…
Matthew Carlson Mexico’s World Cup team experienced a miracle of sorts on Sunday with a stunning victory over Germany, some say because of one faithful grandmother. A girl named Paola of El Paso, Texas posted a video via Twitter of her grandmother blessing the Mexican team moments before the game started on Sunday. The video…
Almost 3,000 young people attended the annual ‘Fan the Flame’ Mass on June 7. The event is for all children who received the Sacrament of Confirmation in the Diocese of Derry during the past year and was celebrated in Celtic Park GAA Ground. The Mass also marks the end of their primary education, an important…
It’s an inevitable fact that much of the religious patrimony of Ireland built up over centuries will disappear in coming years as religious orders sell off property to fund retirement care for elderly members. There is upset amongst some returned Spiritan missionaries in Dublin this week after they were told that their nursing home will…
The environment has taken centre stage in Indonesia’s regional elections in South Kalimantan after it emerged that the vast majority of mining and palm oil businesses in the province flout environmental laws. According to the Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry as many as 600 out of 700 businesses break the rules. They include contributing to air pollution, mismanagement…
Colm Fitzpatrick
Greg Daly
Chai Brady