Gina Christian Pope Francis has evoked both praise and protest for his outreach to LGBTQ persons during his decade-long papacy, as he has offered warmth and welcome while upholding the Catholic Church’s teaching on human sexuality. “My experience of Pope Francis has been hope-filled and also frustrating,” Dr Ish Ruiz, a gay theologian and post-doctoral…
A homeless charity has decried the fact 4,741 people were given notices to leave their rented accommodation in the summer of last year, following data provided by the Residential Tenancies Board (RTB). The charity Depaul believes that while the Government’s decision to end the eviction ban should be reversed, now the consequences of the decision must…
Bishop Fleming welcomes Ukrainians to plant 500 trees Bishop of Killala John Fleming welcomed members of the Ukrainian community for the planting of 500 trees to mark the anniversary of Russia’s invasion. Bishop Fleming said he was delighted to welcome them, adding that “their lives have been uprooted and they have put down roots in…
In the face of adversity, our patron saint’s deep trust in God grew even stronger, writes Fr Eamonn Conway St Patrick faced three major challenges in his life. The first was when he was captured as a slave; the other two, when he returned to Ireland as a missionary bishop. Patrick was 15-years-old when he…
The German Synodal Way has voted to adopt “implementation texts” related to same-sex blessings, lay preaching during Mass, and a request for Pope Francis to re-examine the discipline of priestly celibacy in the Latin-rite Catholic Church. The votes took place during the first two days of the fifth synodal assembly in Frankfurt, Germany. The assembly…
Jonathan Roumie, of The Chosen, fame says he’s doubling down on God this Lent, writes Gina Christian This Lent, Jonathan Roumie has a full plate at work – and an empty one at home, he told OSV News, thanks to some “heavy fasting” he plans to undertake between now and Easter. “Fasting is super-powerful,” Mr…
Jem Sullivan Throughout the seasons and feasts of the liturgical year, the Church pauses to give special honour to Mary, mother of Jesus, the son of God. As mother of the Church, we turn to Mary as our mother in the order of grace for she brings about the birth of all believers in…
Talk of Irish joy in Prague must have seemed strange to delegates given that the only voices represented were of hurt, anger and alienation, writes Fr Andrew McMahon While its ‘final document’ is — at time of writing — still awaited, the European stage of the Synod on Synodality effectively concluded with the widely…
The majority of people who don’t identify as unionist or nationalist in the North of Ireland believe there should be a return to 50:50 recruitment of Catholics and Protestants in the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI). The Patten Report paved the way for 50:50 recruitment to address the under-representation of Catholics, it was introduced…
Almost €1 million of taxpayers’ money has been spent advertising the Government’s My Options hotline, according to recently released figures. The figures were released by the HSE in response to a parliamentary question from TD Carol Nolan about the MyOptions agency, which links women experiencing an unplanned pregnancy with abortion providing GPs. Since 2019, in…