A troubled nation may face more testing times, writes Paul Keenan The dying days of March proved to be a dreadful period for the Church in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). On March 20, a much-respected Assumptionist priest, Fr Vincent Machozi, was gunned down in his parish in North Kivu Province in the east…

Music superstar Justin Bieber said he has God to thank for his ‘Male Artist of the Year’ award at the weekend.  Picking up the gong, along with the Best Fan Army prize, at the iHeartRadio Awards in California, the Canadian singer songwriter said: “[Thanks to] God… I’ve experienced some tough times. I think all of…

Bernadette Smyth Abortion is a criminal offence in Northern Ireland, governed by sections 58 and 59 of the Offences Against the Person Act 1861 and section 25 of the Criminal Justice Act (NI) 1945. The core purpose of this law is the protection of the unborn child. Ever since the Family Planning Association of Northern…

With a simple tap, Pope Francis joined Instagram and quickly set a record for gaining one million followers. The launch of the “Franciscus” account March 19, the feast of St Joseph and the third anniversary of the formal inauguration of his papacy, was preceded by huge media coverage. But still, he hit the million-follower mark…

The Capuchin Provincial has called on politicians to put the country’s “national interest” first in order to quickly form a new government. Speaking at a Mass for peace and reconciliation at the Capuchin Holy Trinity Church in Cork on Sunday, Bro. Adrian Curran addressed the country’s politicians saying it was time for their “choreography, more…

The Archbishop of Armagh has called for “the shocking increase in levels of childhood poverty” in the North to be a priority in the upcoming Assembly election. Archbishop Eamon Martin led a delegation from the Northern Ireland Catholic Council on Social Affairs (NICCOSA) for the first official meeting between representatives of the Catholic Church and…

Islamist protesters in Pakistan have ended a days-long sit in outside the national parliament claiming that the government had given in to a number of their demands, including that a Christian woman accused of blasphemy be hanged. The protest had begun as a criticism of the February 29 execution Mumtaz Qadri, the self-confessed murderer of…

The Bishop of Ossory has promised that he will shortly give priests a detailed report on controversies around his management of the diocese. Dr Seamus Freeman has been the subject of criticism from many priests in the diocese in recent years and the issue has led to considerable disquiet. The issue has caused what can…

A Derry priest has accused certain elements of the media of adding to the pain of the woman who lost five family members when their car slipped off Buncrana pier, Co. Donegal. Fr Paddy O’Kane, parish priest in the family’s hometown of Ballymagroarty in Derry, has visited Louise James every day since the accident on…

This Easter was a peaceful and hopeful one for Christians in the north of Iraq and Baghdad, one of the city’s bishops has said. Christians gathered in “crowded” churches to participate in liturgies “with joy and without any incidents of violence”, Bishop Shlemon Warduni, Chaldean auxiliary bishop of Baghdad,  said. Themes Holy Week services with…