Customers of Sky Cinema will be aff orded the chance to view a fi lm relating the story of the young Jesus this Christmas. From December 18, the channel will air The Young Messiah, which focuses on the life of Jesus at the age of 7 as he contemplates his religious identity and deciphers his…

An Taoiseach Enda Kenny exchanges gifts with Pope Francis during a private audience at the Vatican. Photo: CNS

The burning of historic and irreplaceable Christian texts is among reports of the damage inflicted on the ancient Syriac Catholic Mar Behnam monastery in Iraq following its liberation from so-called Islamic State (ISIS). Troops led by the Christian Babylon Brigades reached the site in the town of Khidir Ilyas last week as the advance against…

The historical religious drama Silence has been screened at the Vatican. In the company of legendary director Martin Scorcese, some 400 priests and invited guests attended the screening at the Pontifical Oriental Institute for the Jesuits on November 29. Based on the novel of the same name by Japanese author Shūsaku Endō, Silence follows the…

The Church in Rwanda has apologised for the role some clergy played in the 1994 genocide in that country.  In a statement issued by the Rwandan Conference of Catholic Bishops, read out at all parishes, the prelates stated: “We apologise for all the wrongs the Church committed. We apologise on behalf of all Christians for…

Staff reporter While much of the commentary around the Taoiseach’s meeting with Pope Francis on Monday has focused on plans for the Pontiff’s trip to Ireland, discussions were much more wide-ranging – according to the Vatican. Mr Kenny met with the Pope on Monday for 27 minutes in the Pope’s library in the Apostolic Palace.…

Mass-finder App is launched A new app to help the faithful locate the nearest Mass or confession service to them has been launched. A collaboration between Scotland’s Archdiocese of St Andrews & Edinburgh and technology company Musemantik, the app uses GPS satellite technology to highlight sites within a given diocese to guide users to Churches…

Bishop Fintan Monahan of Killaloe will join priests of his diocese for this year’s Mercy on the Mall event at Shannon’s Skycourt Shopping Centre on December 8. Now in its second year, and building on the warm reaction from shoppers in 2015, Mercy on the Mall will take place from prime shopping time of 1pm…

More details of the horrendous suffering of Christians at the hands of so-called Islamic State (ISIS) in Iraq have been released. World Watch Monitor, which examines anti-Christian persecution worldwide, has reported on cases of torture and crucifixion carried out by members of the terror group. Among testimonies gathered is that of Karlus, a 29-year-old who…

Trócaire has urged TDs to back a bill published on Wednesday, November 30, that would see State investments in the fossil fuel industry banned.  In 2015 the State had approximately €133 million invested in global fossil-fuel companies. The bill, introduced by Thomas Pringle TD, seeks to withdraw that investment and ban future similar investments. Trócaire…