Pope Francis has convened a special synod meeting of bishops for 2019 that will address issues facing the Church in what’s known as the Pan-Amazon region of South America. The meeting will look at Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guyana, Guyana, Peru, Venezuela and Surinam. Francis announced the move at the weekend and said the…

“Catholics need to become better at standing up for themselves”, writes Michael Kelly There has been much to criticise in the Catholic Church recently. And Catholics have not been shy about naming the serious wrongs that have been done in the name of the Church or by people within the Church. The Church has also…

“People speak of a fresh and increasing enthusiasm for youth ministry”, writes Michael Kelly A Nigerian priest once told me that there were so many Irish priests in his homeland when he was growing up he just assumed that Jesus was Irish. For him – and most other Catholics in Nigeria – the spread of…

Bishop Eamonn Casey “…was greatly loved by the priests and people of the dioceses of both Kerry and Galway”, writes Michael Kelly It’s hard to get across to younger generations today the enormity of the scandal that was the revelation in 1992 that Bishop Eamonn Casey had secretly fathered a child years earlier. One got…

“The Church will still continue to work and pray for a flourishing of vocations to the priesthood”, writes Michael Kelly “The last person out should switch off the lights.” That’s Donegal-based priest Fr Edward Gallagher’s stark reaction to revelations this week that dozens of rural post offices are set to close. Fr Gallagher, parish priest…

“Pope Francis once said that Catholics had to understand the current situation as not so much an era of change, but a change of era”, writes Michael Kelly Irish bishops have been in Rome meeting with Pope Francis and senior Vatican officials as part of the ad limina process. In theory every bishop in the…

“Much of what passes for debate about faith in Ireland is a mishmash of tired clichés and ignorant bombast”, writes Michael Kelly In a recent perceptive letter Jesuit theologian Fr Gerry O’Hanlon took up the issue of the so-called ‘dialogue of the deaf’ between secularists and religious believers in Ireland. “At a time,” Fr O’Hanlon…

“Any crisis facing the family also becomes a crisis for the Church” writes Michael Kelly This year will see preparations for the 2018 World Meeting of Families in Dublin intensify. Much focus around the event – so far – has centred on whether or not Pope Francis will attend the gathering. All of the signals…

When considering your vote, Christians should consider the concept of the ‘common good’, writes Editor Michael Kelly Voters in the Republic go to the polls next week to elect the members who will make up the 32nd Dáil. To this point, it’s been a particularly dull election campaign and many of the party leaders are…

“The Church needs to find a way to help families, often with a limited sense of the Faith, explore whether or not the sacraments are important to them”, writes Editor Michael Kelly There’s no doubt that the report on the Archdiocese of Dublin showing a dramatic decline in the number of priests and the number…