The Pope faces being investigated after allegedly authorised the unlawful wiretaps of phones in the sale of a London property. The alleged authorisation is said to have taken place during a Vatican investigation into the “corrupt” sale of a €300 million property in London. It comes after the legal team for British financier Raffaele Mincione filed a complaint…
We have certainly seen, in recent years, the onward march of the cashless society. First, there were credit cards, which began to make their appearance in the latter half of the 20th century. Subsequently, there were bank debit cards, which allowed us to pay for an item via ‘chip and pin’. Then, in the 1990s,…
Newry’s Catholic, Anglican and Methodist church leaders have joined together to defend the city’s cathedral. Newry Cathedral Parish Administrator Canon Francis Brown, Church of Ireland Rector Canon Scott McDonald and Rev Louise Donald of the Methodist Churches of Newry, Bessbrook and Warrenpoint are united in their concern over council plans to overshadow the Gothic granite…
The Saint Patrick Centre’s Young Ambassadors from the United States have concluded a whistlestop tour which included a visit with the First and Deputy First Ministers at Stormont. Sixteen Young Ambassadors, who took part in the programme, also met the former Taoiseach Bertie Ahern in Dublin as part of the annual programme this year. The…
Syro-Malabar Church leaders in India are threatening to excommunicate priests who do not comply with facing the altar during Mass by July. The Syro-Malabar Church, with an estimated following of 4.25 million worldwide, is the second largest of the eastern Churches in communion with Rome. Ever since its synod decided in 2021 to adopt a…
Last Sunday marked the Church’s annual Day for Life, celebrated in England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland, with this year’s event centering around the theme of ‘The Lord is my shepherd – compassion and hope at the end of life’. Bishop of Elphin Kevin Doran commemorated the day by highlighting “the deep value and meaning of…
The Cathedral of Prato, Italy, was the setting last Saturday for the ordination of a former punk band guitarist and policeman. Fr Giulio Vannucci, who has long hair and a beard and who earlier in life was part of the group i Quanti, a local punk band, was ordained along with Fr Michele Di Stefano,…
Ava Westendorf The Purcell Society Gathering or Reunion is said to inspire a “gathering of unity around a surname” says Fr William Purcell PP of Clara. On June 21 through 23, 215 people from around the world who have the Purcell name, most who have never met, will gather in areas of Kilkenny and Tipperary…
Friday was among the most remarkable single days in the entire Pope Francis era, and given the way this papacy has generated non-stop thrills, chills and spills for more than 11 years now, that’s truly saying something. It was a long day’s journey into night, beginning at 8:30am with a still-unexplained, but nonetheless deeply amusing,…
According to the renowned mystic, John of the Cross, we have three essential struggles in life: to get our lives together, to give our lives away, and to give our deaths away. What is asked of us in the first two struggles is more obvious. But what does it mean to give our deaths away?…
Mary Kenny
Brandon Scott
John L. Allen Jr.
Fr Ronald Rolheiser