Congo’s Catholic bishops denounced attempts to discredit their Church’s leaders and demanded the government lift a ban on peaceful demonstrations. The world “is witnessing poisonous campaigns of denigration and defamation, designed to weaken our Church’s moral force,” said a statement from the bishops’ conference. “Unswerving in our faith in Jesus Christ, king of the universe,…
A new plan to focus on Ireland’s religious heritage could lead to a massive influx of spiritual tourists from abroad as well as a rebirth of spirituality for Irish Catholics, organisers have said. Sharon Hearty from Lough Derg predicted that spiritual tourism in Ireland could even become the “new Camino”, a pilgrimage which saw more…
The decision to reappoint only two non-religious members of the Vatican’s child protection commission has been described as “disappointing” by leading advocate and former commission member Marie Collins, adding that this is “not a hopeful sign”. The Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors was established in 2014 for a three-year period, closing on December…
Northern politicians need to fight for a Brexit that suits the people of the North, Derry’s Bishop Donal McKeown has said. “For the sake of peace on the island, as well as for the sake of economic development on the island, we need to have those who are elected in some sort of a process…
The Pope’s city has lost the wine-drinking world title after being pipped at the post by a tiny island off the coast of Australia. The latest world wine consumption statistics show that per capita those on Norfolk Island enjoy a tipple slightly more than folk in the Vatican. Residents of the 8km long and 5km…
Eight months after ordering priests in a Nigerian diocese to pledge their obedience to the Pope and accept the bishop that now-retired Pope Benedict XVI had named for them, Pope Francis accepted the resignation of the disputed bishop. Bishop Peter Ebere Okpaleke, who since 2012 has been prevented from exercising his ministry as bishop of…
Well-known TV personality Norah Casey has taken on the task of raising around €15 million to finance the WMOF in August. Speaking on RTÉ’s Claire Byrne Live, the former dragon said Pope Francis had given her back her faith. “Like most Irish people I have a chequered history with Catholicism,” she said, going from “cradle Catholic”…
Pro-life organisations have scorned claims by the chair of the Oireachtas Committee on the Eighth Amendment that the committee could not find a single medical expert to make the case for retaining Ireland’s constitutional protections for the unborn. Speaking on RTÉ radio, Senator Catherine Noone said: “Nobody was willing to come forward, none who were…
An order of nuns has withdrawn from an especially violent city in Mexico after the parents and sister of one of the women religious was kidnapped and killed. The Diocese of Chilpancingo-Chilapa, where two priests were murdered this month, said in a statement that the nuns from the Comunidad Guadalupano (Guadalupe Community) had withdrawn because…
The Department of Education circular introducing new rules insisting that schools provide alternative tuition for students who wish to opt out of religious instruction will have the effect of making religion an optional subject, and place huge additional pressures on state schools, according to the Chief Executive of the Cork Education and Training Board, Timothy…
Chai Brady
Greg Daly
Susan Gately
Colm Fitzpatrick