Cardinal Vincent Nichols of Westminster said he will not “walk away” from leadership of the church amid pressure to resign over his handling of child abuse cases. Cardinal Nichols, president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales, has faced calls from sexual abuse survivors, lawyers and the media to step down since an…
Longford-based dairy farmer Mike Magan has expressed his gratitude to his fellow farmers after raising just under €200,000 for people suffering in Yemen. “It’s now close to €200,000. All of the co-ops got involved and they have collected, by one means or another, the equivalent of €10 from every one of 16,000 dairy farmers. Some…
Minister Paschal Donoghue was pressed by TD’s not to “bring candles into the VAT net”, stressing their importance for personal prayer. The exchange occurred as a proposal in the Finance Bill 2020, which would introduce a tax on prayer candles, was being debated. TD PeadarTóibín questioned the timing of the VAT change and highlighted the…
Pope Francis spoke recently about supporting civil unions for homosexual people, and it’s not the first time he has made that point. He did so as Archbishop of Buenos Aires. He has always been keen to emphasise that gay Catholics are part of the family and that is a point that would, I think, be…
In 2020, the Shrine of Our Lady of Fatima in Portugal has lost scores of pilgrims and, with them, large amounts of revenue, amid coronavirus travel restrictions which have kept foreigners away. Pandemic Spokeswoman Carmo Rodeia told CNA November 18 that the low number of pilgrims has had “a profound impact on donations” to the…
Biomedical Controversies in Catholic Ireland by Don O’Leary (Eryn Publishers, €18.99/£ 17.99) This book is a historical analysis by historian Don O’Leary of the biomedical controversies played out in Ireland in the time-frame from the 1968 Encyclical Humanae Vitae to repeal of the Eighth Amendment in 2018. The issues involved were abortion, stem cell research, assisted…
Advent is a period of anticipation and preparation, writes Ruadhán Jones Advent begins this Sunday, November 29. It’s no secret as to what it’s about – preparing for the arrival of Christ. Because it’s so obvious, because it happens every year, we can overlook the wonder of his coming. But this year we may be…
Almost half the women presenting for early abortion services at a family planning clinic were already mothers, according to the clinic’s report. The Irish Family Planning Association’s (IFPA) 2019 annual report, which covers the first year of abortion services, analysed data from 177 clients for insight into who is having abortions. The IFPA report states…
Former Minister of Justice Charlie Flanagan TD has praised the Presentation Sisters in Mountmellick, Co. Laois, for their “hugely dedicated” work in education. Mr Flanagan, who is currently the Chair of the Committee on Foreign Affairs and Defence, made the comment in a Tweet posted on the Feast of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin…
The Journey of the Mayflower: God’s Outlaws, or the Invention of Freedom by Stephen Tomkins (Hodder & Stoughton, £21.99) Today is Thanksgiving Day across the United States, a feast day that rivals Christmas in the minds and memories of its citizens. We have to particularise the United State of America, as Thanksgiving, which derives from the…
Ruadhán Jones
Mary Kenny
William Reville
Chai Brady
Peter Costello