The Archdiocese of Dublin has issued an appeal for parishioners to donate foodstuffs to its Crosscare appeal for those in need this Christmas.  Commencing with Masses taking place this weekend, Crosscare is accepting donations for its collection of non-perishable food items and hygiene products to stock its seven food banks in time for the season.…

Inés san Martín Fidel Castro, Cuba’s communist leader who died on November 25 at the age of 90, was by far the most dominant figure in Cuba’s one-party state which he ruled with an iron fist for almost five decades before handing over the powers to his brother Raúl in 2008. A hero to the left across the…

A documentary examining the impact of the 1916 Easter Rising in Australia and on Ireland’s Archbishop Daniel Mannix, the then Archbishop of Melbourne, is now available on the RTÉ Player.  Michael, They’ve Shot Them was filmed by a Melbourne-based Irish production company founded by Eoin Hahessy and relates how the Rising and its aftermath fed…

Christians in post-ISIS Iraq face new challenges, writes Paul Keenan

Staff reporter Archbishop Eamon Martin of Armagh has described the opening of a new Irish missionary seminary in Dundalk, Co. Louth as a sign of the “New Evangelisation for Ireland”. Speaking as he officiated at the opening of the Redemptoris Mater Seminary last weekend, the Primate of All Ireland referenced the great legacy of Irish…

The North’s leading pro-life group Precious Life has submitted a massive 300,000-strong petition to Stormont urging legislators to keep Northern Ireland abortion-free. In a response to a recent petition on behalf of Amnesty International calling for abortion access to be extended to the region, which claimed 45,000 signatures, Bernadette Smyth of Precious Life joined with…

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…

A new report into religious persecution worldwide is an important tool for breaking the cycle of violence that threatens to engulf our world, Dromore’s Bishop John McAreavey has said. Speaking at the Irish launch of Aid to the Church in Need’s Religious Freedom in the World Report – 2016, Bishop McAreavey called on those who…

Protestants urged to embrace papal visit