Egyptian President hails Coptic community Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah al Sisi has lauded his nation’s Coptic Christian community. Amid a rising incidence of attacks on Copts across Egypt, President al Sisi received a delegation of Coptic prelates led by Patriarch Tawadros II and hailed their “wisdom and spirit of patriotism” despite all they have suffered and continue to endure.…
In a double first for the The Society of St Columban, the congregation has appointed a woman as the first lay editor of its mission magazine, The Far East. Journalist Sarah MacDonald, a specialist in religious affairs and former reporter for The Irish Catholic, takes over from Fr Cyril Lovett SSC. Welcoming MacDonald’s appointment, Fr…
The Venezuelan government has been accused of attempting to smear the Catholic Church as part of a tactic to keep beleaguered President Nicolas Maduro in power. With Venezuela’s economic crisis biting hard on the lives of ordinary citizens, the Church has increasingly become a lifeline for those struggling to gain everyday supplies. Meanwhile, the political…
Hollywood star Chris Pratt is urging his followers on social media to pray for a four-year-old fan battling brain cancer. A faithful Christian, Pratt, the star of blockbuster hits Guardians of the Galaxy and Jurassic World, says the power of prayer saved his own son when he was born premature and Pratt still regularly shares…
Italy has deported two Moroccan nationals for their parts in causing disturbances in churches. Interior Minister Angelino Alfano confirmed that a 25-year-old man who was arrested for throwing a crucifix to the ground in a church in Venice had been expelled alongside a 69-year-old who stormed into a church in Trentino shouting abusive comments about…
Unborn children have significant legal rights far beyond their right to life, a High Court judge has ruled. Pointing out that an “unborn” is “clearly a child”, Mr Justice Richard Humphreys said that article 42a of Bunreacht na hÉireann, entered into the Constitution last year following the 2012 Children’s Referendum, imposes duties towards unborn children…
Members of the Muslim faith in France have attended Masses in a show of solidarity after the murder of Fr Jacques Hamel. Heeding a call from the French Council for the Muslim Religion, members joined with worshippers at Masses in defiance of the message of separation communicated by so-called Islamic State (ISIS) as it inspires…
Belfast’s Church of Ireland cathedral has appointed its first ever Catholic Ecumenical Canon. Fr Edward O’Donnell, Parish Priest of St Brigid’s, Belfast, will be the first Catholic priest to serve on the Cathedral Chapter of St Anne’ Cathedral. He will join the Methodist and Presbyterian canons, both of whom are named Ruth Patterson, in working…
Prayers for an end to terrorism “We come to you today to ask you to keep in peace the world and its people, to keep far away from it the devastating wave of terrorism, to restore friendship and instil in the hearts of your creatures the gift of trust and of readiness to forgive.” These were the words of Pope…
Violent attacks on our civilisation should be met with a humanism based on a Christian willingness to emulate Christ’s self-sacrifice, Bishop Noel Treanor of Down and Connor has said. Speaking in Belfast’s St Peter’s Cathedral, Dr Treanor called the brutal murder in France of the 86-year-old Fr Jacques Hamel the most recent in a line…
Paul Keenan
Courtney McGrail
Greg Daly