The Irish Catholic has scooped a major international religious journalism prize for the second year running. The ‘Welcome, Pope Francis’ special issue won first place in the ‘Best special supplement – one-time special issue’ category of the Catholic Press Awards, held this year in St Petersburg, Florida. The award to the staff of The Irish…
“Popular opinion,” began K. Albert Little on his Twitter account @cordialcatholic a fortnight ago, continuing, “whomever is running the @USCCB twitter account is pretty much singlehandedly restoring the confidence of the laity in the clergy. Also, did I use ‘whomever’ correctly?” Chicago-based Twitter stalwart Michael Bayer responded from @mbayer1248 astutely responded: “I can pretty much…
Dioceses must be fit for mission, says Primate The future of Ireland’s smallest dioceses is coming under increased Vatican scrutiny with a policy to withhold appointing bishops once a small diocese becomes vacant. The Irish Catholic understands at least three of the smallest dioceses will not receive new bishops and will likely be amalgamated…
The Government’s Climate Action Plan lacks vital practicalities and doesn’t allow for necessary incentives and infrastructural changes to enable Ireland to play its part in tackling the global climate emergency, Ireland’s leading eco-theologian has said. “We’ve had so much of aspirational things for the last 25 years,” Columban Fr Seán McDonagh told The Irish Catholic,…
Decisions about Ireland’s dioceses must be driven by discipleship, Archbishop Eamon Martin tells Greg Daly It was inevitable that questions would be asked about the future of the Diocese of Dromore when, just weeks after a new auxiliary bishop was announced for the Archdiocese of Armagh, Bishop Philip Boyce stepped down as Dromore’s diocesan…
A religious archives repository along the lines of one newly established at Boston College in the US would be “a really good idea” for the Irish Church, Dublin’s diocesan archivist has said. “I think it’s a really good idea,” Noelle Dowling told The Irish Catholic. “I think instead of people trying to invest in archives…
Ossory’s Bishop Dermot Farrell has said he was “saddened” to hear of “inappropriate language and sentiments” in a homily preached in Kilkenny’s Capuchin friary over the weekend. Onetime UCC chaplain Fr Tom Forde had spoken on Saturday about “the abuse of drugs and alcohol, adultery, fornication and homosexuality, as well as in the acceptance of…
Elderly priests are seeking to focus on pastoral work in the face of growing administrative burdens, Ossory’s Bishop Dermot Farrell has said. Speaking to The Irish Catholic after announcing this year’s diocesan changes, Bishop Farrell said he had tried to support elderly priests. “This year the men wanted to be relieved on the administrative side…
Claims that Pope Francis has changed the Lord’s Prayer are overblown, a leading Irish ecumenist has said. “I think there’s an element of fake news surrounding the story of the Our Father in the Italian Missal,” Fr Martin Browne told The Irish Catholic. “You’d think from some of the headlines that Pope Francis had wielded…
“I always have an issue with people who say ‘it’s much more fun to play [someone] bad’,” Michael Sheen tells the Sydney Morning Herald at smh.com.au. “Is it? I think we’ve failed as a species if good is boring. If we made good boring then we are doing something wrong. Goodness is about sharing, joy and…