A German Catholic bishop has publicly defended his support for a book of blessings and rites for homosexual unions. Bishop Peter Kohlgraf of Mainz also suggested that Catholics with homosexual inclinations cannot all be expected to live chastely and the Church should adopt a pastoral approach that acknowledges this. “Quite a few people who have…
A Dublin-based deacon who spent six weeks in hospital fighting for his life battling coronavirus has thrown his weight behind a call for a return to Mass for Easter. Deacon Don Devaney – who is well-known as the organiser of the Divine Mercy Conference – spent much of his time in intensive care on a…
The Redemptoristines of Drumcondra are the latest community in Ireland to perform the Jerusalema dance challenge, responding to a nomination from their Redemptorist brothers. The video, which was posted to the community’s Facebook page, has been viewed over 10,000 times, and received over 2,500 likes and shares. “The lyrics of the ‘Jerusalema’ song are in…
The possibility of having level 5 restrictions last until May “is not great” according to Bishop Kevin Doran of Elphin who also criticised how ministers “leaked” the information. Bishop Doran took to social media last week to voice his displeasure, saying: “Level 5 until May is not great. What is worse is the way it…
Up to 4.5 million people have been forced to flee their homes in Tigray, north Ethiopia, causing “catastrophic” destitution, according to Irish charity Mary’s Meals. The charity has launched an appeal to support those without access to food, shelter and medicine. The displacement is the result of conflict between the Ethiopian government and military forces…
A Dublin parish which was allowing people to come to their church after online Mass to receive Holy Communion has been told to stop by gardaí. Traffic collision Fr Binoy Mathew SVD of Mountview/Blakestown parish told The Irish Catholic that after a traffic collision on February 14 at the gates of the church drew attention to the…
It’s important nations “work together” and not hoard vaccines, said Bishop Denis Nulty, as he warned that the Covid-19 pandemic can only end once everyone is vaccinated. That bishop’s call comes as figures reveal that the EU, US and Japan have purchased one billion more vaccine doses than their population needs. “It’s crucial ethical question…
Susie Orbach is a well-known London psychotherapist who was Princess Diana’s emotional counsellor back in the 1980s. She has recently been speaking about the wave of ‘social depression’ that has arisen from prolonged lockdown. The severe restrictions on our everyday lives make us ‘solace-deprived’ and emotionally ‘squeezed-out’. Social isolation, she notes, is a form of…
Minister Patrick O’Donovan has expressed the desire to see priests and undertakers treated as frontline workers when it comes to vaccination. The Limerick Leader reported that Minister O’Donovan said he was planning to write to Government colleague, Stephen Donnelly, in relation to vaccination for priests and undertakers. Speaking to The Irish Catholic, Mr O’Donovan said…
Researchers have found that the “desire to die” that is sometimes expressed among elderly people living in community is often “transient” and linked to experiences of loneliness and depression. Longitudinal study The Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing (Tilda) found that four per cent of 8,100 people aged over 50 expressed a desire to die when…
Chai Brady
Ruadhán Jones
Mary Kenny