David Agren Bishops from Texas and Mexico called for solidarity with migrants as a Catholic response to the national emergency declared at the U.S.-Mexico border. They also questioned if the emergency — declared by U.S. President Donald Trump to free up funds for building a border wall — was as urgent as attending to…
Christians must not take advantage of God’s forgiveness — selfishly repeating sin after sin — because God’s wrath for those who refuse to change their ways is just as great as his mercy, Pope Francis has said in a morning homily. “Do not say, ‘God’s compassion is great, he will forgive my many sins’ and…
Everything must be experienced – and understood – in context. And the context in which I remember the Birmingham bombings – when 21 mostly young people died in two Birmingham pubs targeted by the Provisional IRA in 1974 – is personal. I had just had a baby who wasn’t, in the first weeks, very well…
€8m a year spent helping grieving relatives Rising funeral costs are forcing some families to face the heartache of choosing to bury relatives long distances from their loved ones, The Irish Catholic can reveal. This newspaper has also obtained figures which show that more and more people are also being forced to rely on government handouts…
The View The recent four-day meeting on child protection in Rome raised very high hopes. It was almost inevitable that some of those hopes would be dashed. The Pope had articulated clearly what he wanted to do. The three themes of responsibility, accountability, and transparency were well chosen – they are key for any…
As a decisive move towards a unified approach to the cancer of abuse, Rome’s unprecedented summit is a step forward, but the proof will be in the detail, writes Michael Kelly In his closing remarks to the summit on the protection of minors at the weekend, Pope Francis summoned the bishops and religious superiors…
An Australian court has found Cardinal George Pell guilty on five charges related to the sexual abuse of two 13-year-old boys; sentencing is expected in early March, but the cardinal’s lawyer already has announced plans to appeal the conviction. The jury’s verdict that Cardinal Pell, shortly after being named archbishop of Melbourne in 1996, sexually…
Junno Arocho Esteves If they are truly serious about fighting clerical sex abuse, bishops must join forces with journalists and not view them as enemies plotting against the Catholic Church, Mexican journalist Valentina Alazraki said. Ms Alazraki, who has covered the Vatican for over four decades, told bishops at the Vatican summit on abuse that journalists…
Ireland’s newest political party has called for the return of the 50/50 recruitment policy in the PSNI, saying the drive to attract Catholics has “reversed”. Currently only one in five Catholics are successful in merit-based competitions and over 80% of officers above superintendent rank are Protestant. This comes as the Ulster Unionists rejected calls for…
A popular Sydney-based Irish priest has said he has serious doubts about the conviction of Cardinal George Pell for sexual abuse. Fr Brendan Purcell, who has known Cardinal Pell for more than 20 years insisted that there are serious questions about the fairness of the trial in which the cardinal was found guilty of abusing…
Mary Kenny
Colm Fitzpatrick
Nuala O’Loan
Michael Kelly
Chai Brady