Ireland’s recently won seat on the United Nations Security Council can be an opportunity to “leverage” the council to support persecuted Christians, according to Aid to the Church in Need Ireland (ACN). Last week it was announced that Ireland secured enough votes, along with Norway, to win a two-year non-permanent seat. Dr Michael Kinsella, Director…
Chai Brady speaks to a widow coping with grief and single parenthood When a freak tornado took a woman’s husband leaving her to raise her two young children by herself, faith, family and her writing helped her through the isolation and sorrow. Ohio-born and bred, Shannon Savage told The Irish Catholic that despite the…
We are facing a period of new poverties as we come out of lockdown, of economics, of education and of hope, said Bishop Donal McKeown of Derry. “In a society with huge gaps between the well-off and the poor, an economic downturn first strikes the weakest and those who were hanging on by their fingertips,”…
The passing of Garda Colm Horkan has been a tragic reminder of the heroism and bravery of an Garda Síochána as they work daily to make society safer for all, said Bishop Brendan Leahy of Limerick. Speaking following a remembrance service outside Henry Street Garda station in Limerick, Bishop Leahy said an unmistakable sense of…
While hopes had been high that pilgrims could return in late July, Fr La Flynn of Lough Derg has confirmed that the traditional three-day pilgrimage will not take place this summer. It is the first time since 1828 that the pilgrimage has been suspended with organisers conceding that the nature of the pilgrimage involves close…
Elderly men, deemed vulnerable by public health officials, are now expected to roll up their sleeves and get back to maintaining essential services writes Fr Paddy Byrne Since the start of Lockdown, I have celebrated 25 funerals. I pray for all families whose bereavement was so difficult because of the restrictions in place as a…
Does the Pope vote for a Green party? He clearly is supportive of the Green cause. I was surprised to turn on BBC radio last Monday morning and hear, at the top of the news programme, not a politician talking about the state of the country, nor a reporter analysing the tragic killing in a…
In a reflection offered to BBC Rethink, a series asking how society can change for the better after the Covid-19 crisis, Pope Francis has warned the poor have “become part of the landscape”. The Pope [pictured] was speaking in Spanish with a voiceover provided by the BBC and was provided by the Vatican for the series,…
Aontú leader Peadar Tóibín has criticised the “flagrant mistreatment of childcare providers” by Minister Katherine Zappone. In a recent statement, TD Tóibín suggested that the actions of her department threatens the childcare sector as a whole. “Minister Zappone pledged that in addition to the 70% wage subsidy, the Department for Children and Youth Affairs (DCYA) would…
The episcopal consecration of the new bishop of Achonry, which was postponed due to coronavirus restrictions, will now go ahead on August 30 a spokesman for the diocese has confirmed. Bishop-elect Paul Dempsey will be ordained bishop in the Cathedral of the Annunciation and St Nathy in Ballaghaderreen. Fr Dempsey, who has been serving as…
Chai Brady
Ruadhán Jones
Mary Kenny