Shift in party’s position EXCLUSIVE The DUP has given the strongest indication yet that the party will welcome a visit by Pope Francis to the North during the Pontiff’s expected visit to the island of Ireland next year. Sir Jeffrey Donaldson – one of the party’s most-senior figures – told The Irish Catholic that…
Editor’s Comment BBC One aired the first instalment of Gunpowder at the weekend, a three-part retelling of the 1605 Catholic plot to blow up the House of Lords. It made for tough – if gripping – viewing. The scenes of the executions of Catholics amidst a blaze of anti-Catholic hysteria were brutal and it seemed…
If ever there was a precise date we can point to and say that it changed the world, October 31, 2017 would surely be a contender. Then it was that the young German professor, the Augustinian friar Martin Luther, gave notice of an academic debate around 95 ‘theses’, signalling the beginning of what we now…
With music sessions night and day the Diocese of Kerry are revitalising liturgical music among people young and old. A day long workshop, night sessions for those involved in adult choirs and special training for anyone interested in acting as cantors in church have been provided throughout the year. Youth Music Ministry Workshops are being…
The spirituality publisher Columba Press is teaming up with musicians, poets and mindfulness practitioners to hold a day of calm and reflection in opposition to the increasing dominance of so-called ‘Black Friday’, the annual shopping frenzy which sees customers queuing and shoving to get bargain deals. ‘Bright Friday’ which is on November 24th this year will…
People who are morally opposed to abortion should never be legally forced to take part in a procedure that would end a life according to Bishop Kevin Doran. The suggestion that it could be a healthcare professional’s duty to take a life is “totally strange” and “is in so much conflict with what healthcare is…
Luther was by no means the first Christian to claim to be a reformer, Carlos Eire tells Greg Daly Until the 1970s almost all historical writing about the Reformation was written from a confessional standpoint, according to Yale’s Prof. Carlos Eire. Since then, though, serious efforts at objectivity have been more commonplace, he says,…
The Irish Government should look to resettle and relocate 4,500 refugees by 2020 after only reaching a third of what was committed according to a report by the Irish Refugee and Migrant Council. Under the Irish Refugee Protection Programme, Ireland pledged to resettle 4,000 people over a two year period, so far only one third…
Claims that under new guidelines the Vatican will still be able to impose specific words and phrases onto local translations of the Mass have been rejected by Pope Francis. Earlier this month, the Vatican’s liturgy chief Cardinal Robert Sarah said that although the Pope’s new directive on translating liturgical texts gives greater control over the…
One of the most-prominent voices for peace and moderation during the Troubles has warned that the North faces much uncertainty if political leaders are unable to reach a compromise. Robin Eames – who as leader of the Church of Ireland from 1986-2006 played a key role in reaching out to loyalist and republican paramilitaries in…
Michael Kelly
Greg Daly
Chai Brady