Bishop of Cork and Ross Dr Fintan Gavin has congratulated Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin on his election as Taoiseach. Meeting in the National Convention Centre in Dublin this morning, the 33rd Dáil elected Mr Martin with 93 voted in favour of his nomination and 63 against. Three deputies abstained. Reacting to the news, Bishop…
Despite an assurance from outgoing Taoiseach Leo Varadkar that churches would be exempted from a ban limiting attendance to 50-people, officials in his department now say the rule must remain in place. A senior bishop told The Irish Catholic tonight (Friday) that Government flip-flops on the issue are causing extreme frustration in parishes that have…
EXCLUSIVE The Archbishop of Dublin Diarmuid Martin warned the Government weeks ago that Catholics were increasingly unhappy and felt they were not being listened to about an earlier return to public Masses as churches re-opened in other parts of Europe, The Irish Catholic can exclusively reveal. In a note to Taoiseach Leo Varadkar on May…
Churches and other places of worship will be exempt from the 50-person indoor limit, after the one-size-fits-all nature of the rule drew sharp criticism from religious leaders. The Taoiseach Leo Varadkar announced the restriction on Friday night, and on Saturday Archbishop of Dublin Diarmuid Martin described the rule as “strange” and “disappointing”. He pointed out…
St Saviour’s Church in Dublin saw long queues for confession as preparation for public Masses continue, Fr Conor McDonough OP has told The Irish Catholic. “The attendance has been really impressive, with the (socially distanced!) queue sometimes stretching well up the street,” said Fr McDonough. “It’s not just Penney’s that’s drawing the crowds, the Lord is…
Staff and inmates at Hydebank Wood College and Women’s Prison have given food and raised £500 for a soup kitchen in Belfast. NI prison chaplain Fr Stephen McBrearty said St Patrick’s Church on Donegall Street, where the soup kitchen is located, was a site that some of the young male offenders and female prisoners would…
During the height of the pandemic the majority of Irish Catholics have welcomed and engaged with online Church services, feel their faith has been strengthened and believe now there is a “great chance” to re-think the Church’s future, according to new research. The study was conducted by the Mater Dei Centre for Catholic Education at…
The Head of Religious Programming in RTÉ has hailed a new initiative which saw Mass broadcast live on the station for the first time without an outside broadcast crew. For the first time last Tuesday and again on Sunday, iCatholic.ie delivered “high-quality”, live Mass to RTÉ, which has traditionally been done by media production company…
The Irish Bishops have withdrawn 78 schools from the first phase of the state’s National Broadband Plan (NBP) over fears they could be sued, The Irish Catholic understands. The schools, as well as other buildings such as libraries and GAA clubhouses, were to act as broadband connection points (BCPs), providing hubs of high-speed broadband for local communities. The hubs were to be an…
A new ‘camino’ style 22km pilgrim walk is being launched in Downpatrick by St Patrick Centre, the only permanent exhibition in the world dedicated to Ireland’s patron saint. New pilgrim guides, Martina Purdy, former BBC political correspondent, and former barrister, Elaine Kelly will lead pilgrims along St Patrick’s Way, visiting seven locations, from July 1.…
Michael Kelly
Ruadhán Jones
Chai Brady