Staff Reporter The Catholic Church prefers that Catholics are buried rather than cremated, according to a major new Vatican document. The instruction – which Pope Francis ordered to be published this week – also says that where Catholics are cremated, the ashes are to be kept in “sacred places”, not at home, divided among family…

Bishops launch prayer day for Middle East peace Ireland’s bishops have extended an invitation to all the faithful to pray with them, and Pope Francis, this October 31 for peace in the Middle East, and especially for the people of Syria. Co-organised by the Catholic Church, Caritas International and the Lutheran World Federation – as Pope Francis travels to Sweden – the…

Pope Francis has said 2018’s World Meeting of Families is a gift to the Irish Church, Dublin’s Archbishop Diarmuid Martin has said. Speaking in Drumcondra at the formal launch of preparations for the ninth global Catholic family gathering, which Dublin will host with Dr Martin presiding, the archbishop warned against allowing the meeting to be…

Pictured at the inaugural ‘Miles for Mission’ fundraising walk in the Phoenix Park, organised by World Mission Ireland, was Kenyan Ambassador to Ireland, Richard A. Opembe accompanied by religious participants in the event. The 5km walk was held as part of the mission month of October celebrations, with proceeds raised going to the Love and…

The son of the late Munster rugby player Anthony Foley has launched a Facebook prayer appeal in honour of his father. Eleven-year-old Tony created the online appeal just hours after he lined out with younger brother Dan and his father’s team-mates at Limerick’s Thomond Park to pay tribute to Anthony, who died suddenly in Paris…

The chairperson of the Central Catholic Library has insisted there is no crisis after almost a third of the library’s board members dramatically resigned after a recent meeting. The Irish Catholic understands that six long-standing board members – including the keeper of the collection and the treasurer – resigned last week having lost confidence in…

There have been calls for a change to “oppressive” equality legislation in Northern Ireland in the wake of the failed Ashers Bakery appeal. Following a decision by the Appeals Court in Belfast to uphold a discrimination finding against the McArthur family in refusing to decorate a cake in support of same-sex marriage, the Christian Institute,…

Kilmainham Gaol is a “sacred space”, Dublin’s Archbishop Diarmuid Martin has said, declaring the prison sanctified by the men and women who were executed there after the 1916 Rising. Speaking at a Mass in the prison chapel, Dr Martin said rather than being formally consecrated as a sacred space, the prison was sacred “because of…