Opus Dei Prelate Echevarria dies in Rome The Opus Dei community in Ireland is mourning the passing of the congregation’s prelate, Bishop Javier Echevarria, who died in Rome on December 12. According to Paul Harman, spokesperson for the prelature, “the Irish community takes a small measure of comfort from the fact that Bishop Echevarria passed…

Real dialogue is Venezuela’s last hope, writes Paul Keenan

Nearly 40% of people in the Republic plan to see Pope Francis when he visits Ireland in 2018, a new poll has found. Conducted by Ipsos/MRBI on behalf of The Irish Times newspaper, the poll is the first since the announcement that the Pontiff will travel to Ireland for the World Meeting of Families. Overall,…

A House of Lords report that has recommended that questions of freedom of movement across the border between Northern Ireland and the Republic has been welcomed by Derry’s Bishop Donal McKeown. “It’s certainly very encouraging for us here to discover that there are people in significant positions who are concerned about the effect that Brexit…

Vatican watchdog will not comment on Amoris Laetitia issue As the row about the Pope’s Amoris Laetitia encyclical continues, the prefect for the Congregation of the Faith (CDF) has said that he cannot respond to the questions – the dubia – posed by four cardinals in a letter to the Pontiff. Speaking during an interview…

‘Time to re-imagine parish and diocese’ – Primate

People pray on the feast of St Barbara, December 4 at St Barbara Church in Havana, Cuba. Barbara was an early Christian Greek martyr, whose relics lie today in Kiev, Ukraine. Photo: CNS

Alfie Windum, Aitan Bass and Harrison McKenzie from St Joseph’s Maryland in Dublin provided the Christmas carols at the opening of the IFA live crib and winter wonderland at the Mansion House on December 6. The Crib is open daily from 11am to 5pm. Entry is free but donations are welcome to the Mansion House…

Doreen Abi Raad The Syriac Catholic patriarch said he was horrified to see widespread devastation and what he called “ghost towns” during a recent visit to northern Iraq. Patriarch Ignace Joseph III Younan wrote in an email to Catholic News Service that there was little left in some of the communities that he toured November …

Depaul to open emergency night service The homeless charity Depaul has announced it is to open an emergency night service in Dublin this month. Located on Little Britain Street, the service will provide 67 beds nightly, from 6.30pm for those at risk of sleeping rough. Those accessing the centre will receive a light meal in…