Before washing the feet of 12 prisoners, Pope Francis told them and hundreds of inmates to remember that Jesus constantly stands before them with love, ready to cleanse their sins and forgive them. “Jesus takes a risk on each of us. Know this: Jesus is called Jesus, not Pontius Pilate. Jesus does not know how…
A leading pro-life obstetrician has said that there is no justified medical incentive or reason to repeal the Eighth Amendment in Ireland, and that medical opinion is being overshadowed by personal views. Speaking at the launch of Save the 8th’s referendum campaign last week, Dr John Monaghan, who is based at Portiuncula Hospital in Ballinasloe,…
A top official with Catholic Relief Services, visiting northern Iraq, said new life is evident for those who suffered the injustices and atrocities of the so-called Islamic State invasion of their ancestral lands but some grave challenges remain. “I see the hope of the Resurrection, while still the experience of the Cross is the reality…
A new poll shows that 73% of respondents who identified as Catholic said they would be attending church for Easter, with 53% of all Americans saying they planned to attend church services on Easter Sunday. Among respondents who said they were practicing Catholics, 95% said they planned to go to Easter Mass. For Good Friday,…
Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has agreed that party members who are not in favour of repealing the Eighth Amendment can use party funds to print campaign literature. Fine Gael will not pay for posters as well as television, radio or newspaper advertising, in addition the party press office are not issuing comments in favour of either…
Olivia Elliot The ninth World Meeting of Families, celebrating the joy of being part of God’s family of families, will be opened in Cathedrals throughout Ireland in less than five months’ time. The countdown is underway and the excitement is really tangible. In the Diocese of Waterford and Lismore we are in preparation mode. On…
Clergy urged: spread Good News to ‘new culture’ of youth If Jesus and his truth are to become truly present in today’s world, priests must do what Jesus did and be “street preachers”, going out to encounter and accompany sinners with tenderness and compassion, Pope Francis told the world’s priests. Jesus “could have been a scribe or a doctor of the law, but he…
Bishop of Raphoe, Alan McGuckian SJ, ordained two seminarians to the diaconate yesterday in the Basilica of Saint Prassede, Rome. The two new deacons, Rev. Anthony Briody, from the Diocese of Raphoe, and Rev. Declan McGeehan, from the Diocese of Derry, are resident in the Pontifical Irish College in Rome, from where they are pursuing…
Pope Francis has said today that the Eucharist is key to living an authentic Christian witness, and that those who leave Mass unchanged, continuing to gossip or hold onto unholy habits, have missed the point. “While the Mass ends, the commitment for Christian witness opens. We leave the church to go in peace to bring…
An earlier version of this article has been corrected to reflect the fact that the homilist at Knock Shrine was Fr Tom Keane rather than Fr Tom Doherty as referred to in the original article. We apologise for any confusion this error caused. A Fine Gael senator has apologised for offensive remarks she made…
Colm Fitzpatrick