Archaeologists in the Holy Land have announced plans to excavate a previously untouched site associated with the story of the Ark of the Covenant. According to the Times of Israel, researchers have at last turned their attention to Kiryat Ye’arim, the location of a biblical town dating to the story of King David and mentioned…
The Bishop of Meath has signed a decree to establish what is believed to be the first new monastery in the diocese since the suppression of the monasteries by Henry VIII. Bishop Michael Smith presided at the canonical establishment of the monastery at Silverstream Priory on Saturday, “erecting the Benedictine Monks of Perpetual Adoration of…
Catholic bishops from the United States and Mexico have spoken forcefully against the climate of fear for migrants and others which has arisen in America since the inauguration of President Donald Trump. In separate gatherings, prelates made statements to denounce “the exclusion and marginalisation” which threaten to divide families and punish the most vulnerable. In…
Pressure is mounting on RTÉ this week after it was revealed that over 2,000 complaint letters have been sent in response to the ‘haunted bread’ incident on The Late Late Show. Fr Gerard Ahern of Abbeyleix, who has led the growing letter campaign to RTÉ since a guest on the flagship programme went unchallenged when…
The condition of a Christian community in any given nation of the Middle East is “an indicator of security and stability” a leading Russian prelate has told ambassadors drawn from the Arab world. In an address to a gathering of 11 diplomats in Moscow, Metropolitan Hilarion chairman of the Moscow Patriarchate’s Department for External Church…
An analysis of complaints lodged with the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland (BAI) for the last six years has revealed that broadcaster Ray D’Arcy has garnered more complaints than any other radio personality. Released by The Sunday Times, the breakdown in figures for BAI complaints reveals that, in just three years with RTÉ Radio, D’Arcy was…
Pope considering trip to famine-struck South Sudan Pope Francis has revealed he is considering the possibility of an official trip to South Sudan. Days after he made a plea for the international community to respond to “a severe food crisis, which has hit the Horn of Africa region [and] condemns to death by starvation millions…
The closure of Cistercian College Roscrea has been stalled as a result of a passionate campaign by parents and past pupils. Following the revelation that the Cistercian order was to close the boarding school due to financial pressures, a ‘Save CCR’ group has formed with the intention of sourcing funding for the school’s future. Speaking…
The current scale of humanitarian need is “unprecedented” warned Trócaire, as it launched Ireland’s largest annual fundraising campaign this week. The bishops’ overseas aid agency is targeting humanitarian relief for up to one million people with its Lenten campaign, which will see schools, communities and parishes coming together over the next six weeks to pledge…
Papal nuncio, Archbishop Charles Brown (centre) flanked by students Kieran Murray and Caoimhe Nugent, along with local clergy, at a Mass to celebrate the 50th anniversary of St Ciaran’s College in Ballygawley, Co. Tyrone.
Mags Gargan
Paul Keenan
Courtney McGrail