A Catholic bishop from Sudan has criticised the European Union’s ongoing support for the Sudanese government and called for the bloc to instead contribute to a peaceful settlement to the “hidden and forgotten conflict” there.  Speaking in Brussels, where he was a guest of the Commission of the Bishops’ Conferences of the European Community (COMECE),…

The US bishops’ head of the Ad Hoc Committee for Religious Liberty has called on President-elect Donald Trump to undo those executive orders and mandates enacted by President Barack Obama which, the bishops insist, negatively impact on religious liberty. In a guest column for Catholic News Service, Archbishop William Lori writes: “The federal government has…

Britain’s Prime Minister Teresa May has said Christians should be able to speak openly of their faith in the workplace.  Ms May’s comments came in response to an intervention by MP Fiona Bruce during Prime Minister’s Questions in Parliament last week in which she raised concerns felt by Christians that they could be disciplined or…

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 …

The ‘Mercy Tent’ initiative held by priests and volunteers from Clonard Monastery in Belfast has been hailed “a great success” following high demand and positive feedback from visitors. Entering the hustle and bustle of Christmas shopping at the Kennedy Shopping Centre, Clonard set up its tent for two days, November 18 and 19, inviting shoppers…

St Patrick’s Cathedral in Armagh will be the setting for a special ‘Bambinelli Sunday’ this month. Adopting a tradition from Italy in which people bring the Baby Jesus figure, their Bambinelli – from their homes to receive a blessing from the Pope on the Third Sunday in Advent, the Armagh diocese is inviting people to…