“Confidence and hope” were the feelings reported last week among displaced Iraqi Christians as news emerged that forces combating so-called Islamic State (ISIS) in Mosul have driven the terror group from all parts of the east-side of the city and are set to launch a final push for the remainder. The reports of elation were…
Irish people frustrated by the escalating homelessness crisis have been urged to give vent to their feelings by offering their time volunteering for charities working in the frontline. The call comes after Irish bishops discussed the ongoing issue of homelessness during their meeting with Pope Francis in Rome at the weekend and told him about…
Oscar-winning singer Jennifer Hudson has spoken of the strength she found in faith after the trauma of losing her family to murder. The star, currently a panellist on television’s The Voice, became famous after an appearance on the reality show American Idol led her to a starring role in the film Dreamgirls, for which she…
Just 1.2% of applicants for admission turned down by schools in Dublin were on the basis of no baptismal certificate, a new survey by the Catholic Primary Schools Management Association (CPSMA) has shown. Prompted to undertake the study amid an ongoing debate around the so-called ‘baptism barrier’ and Minister for Education Richard Bruton’s proposed consultation…
Senators calling for a prayer room in a newly-refurbished Seanad could take inspiration from the success of the dedicated chapel for Catholics in Britain’s Houses of Parliament, the duty priest there has said. Appointed in 2009 following a request from Catholic MPs to the Diocese of Westminster, Fr Pat Browne – a native of Rathoath…
Killaloe’s Bishop Fintan Monahan has welcomed an ambitious new plan to revive rural Ireland and said the Church will do its best to be proactive in maintaining rural life. The bishop’s comments come following the announcement of ‘Realising our Rural Potential: Action Plan for Rural Development’, a €60 million plan intended to revive Ireland’s rural…
Students from the choir of St Mary’s College, Derry, singing at an ecumenical service at First Derry Presbyterian Church during the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity.
Monsignor Fernando Ocáriz Braña has been named as the new prelate of Opus Dei. The body’s former Auxiliary Vicar thus becomes the third successor to Saint Josemaria, and replaces Msgr Javier Echevarría, who died on December 12. Msgr Braña was born in Paris in 1944 to a Spanish family in exile. He graduated from the…
Irish bishops felt encouraged to face challenges by their Roman encounter, writes Michael Kelly It’s easy to dismiss the traditional ad limina visits that bishops make to Rome as out-dated. In an age of email and instant messaging, it hardly seems necessary for bishops from all over the world to travel to Rome every five…
Pope Francis has called for people to “wait and see” what newly-inaugurated US President Donald Trump does in his leadership role and not rush to judgement. Amid a weekend of protests worldwide and angry denunciations on both sides of the political divide in America, Pope Francis’ was a voice of calm as he warned against…
Greg Daly
Paul Keenan
Courtney McGrail
Michael Kelly