Pope Francis has appointed well-known theologian Fr Niall Coll as the new Bishop of Ossory. The announcement came in a communique from the Holy See this morning (Friday). Bishop-elect Coll (59) is a priest of the Diocese of Raphoe and up to this point has been serving as parish priest of Donegal Town. The Letterkenny-native…
Month: October 2022
Enlarge the tent: Synod document calls for greater inclusion
Around the world, listening sessions for the Synod of Bishops gave many participants a sense of finally being listened to, but they also raised questions about how to promote greater inclusion in the Church while staying true to eternal Church teaching. Two of the issues raised most often in reports sent to the Vatican were…
Movie on Mother Teresa coming to Ireland
Mother Teresa: No Greater Love, a documentary on the remarkable life of Mother Teresa of Calcutta and the heroic work of the religious order she founded, the Missionaries of Charity, will be released in select cinemas in Ireland on Wednesday, 2 November. It was a U.S. box office hit during its two-night-only release earning over…
Irish peacekeepers barred from US after serving in Middle East
Irish peacekeepers who have been prevented from entering the United States after serving with the United Nations in the Middle East say they are being “punished” for their work with vulnerable communities overseas. A priest serving as a chaplain with the Irish Defence Forces is amongst the latest to be refused permission to enter America…
Govt not treating Church equally over emergency energy grants, say priests
The Government is not giving equal treatment to churches over proposed energy grants, a number of priests have said, warning it could lead to church closures. Churches will not receive grants to be given to businesses, schools and public amenities proposed as an emergency measure to tackle the energy crisis. “I think it’s wrong,” said…
Halloween habit mix-up is a chance for evangelization
An Irish Dominican priest has said he regularly gets mistaken for a Halloween reveller in costume when walking the streets this time of year. Dublin-based Fr Conor McDonough OP said that he gets a lot of compliments for his very authentic ‘costume’ but the interactions can be good opportunities for evangelisation. Taking to social media…
Lack of clarity over youth synod letter at bishops’ meeting
Confusion reigns over whether a letter by more than 500 young Catholics challenging a perceived desire among young people for liberal reform was in fact discussed at the recent meeting of the hierarchy as planned. This newspaper previously reported that the organisers of the letter were assured by the bishops’ conference that the letter was…
No hospitali-tea from Diarmuid Martin, says ACP
Staff Reporter The hierarchy of the ACP have criticised Archbishop-emeritus Diarmuid Martin for not offering a cup of tea when they visited the archbishop’s house. The retired Archbishop of Dublin was praised at first for his engagement with priests, with Fr John Murphy PE describing him as “an extraordinarily generous man”. He added later that…
Ukrainian bishop: Irish State must make EU aware of housing situation
Ukrainian bishop Kenneth Nowakowski has praised the Irish response to the Ukrainian refugee crisis, and said that it’s important to raise awareness of the current accommodation difficulties before people arrive. Speaking to The Irish Catholic newspaper, the Ukrainian apostolic visitor to Ireland Bishop Nowakowski said that there’s nothing he can say that would be critical…
Parish hails boxer after huge Irish success in European Championship
The parish priest of Castlerea, Co. Roscommon, said there was “huge excitement” when boxer Aoife O’Rourke returned to the town following her gold medal win. The middleweight European champion was warmly welcomed by hundreds of people back to her hometown following her success over the weekend. Fr John McManus told The Irish Catholic “there’s a…