The United States Commission of International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) has noted the trend towards ‘hate speech’ legislation as a cause for concern when it comes to religious freedom in Europe. This comes as Justice Minister Helen McEntee continues to back a bill, The Criminal Justice (Incitement to Violence or Hatred and Hate Offences) Act 2022,…
Archbishop Eamon Martin has announced the latest clergy appointments for Armagh Archdiocese. Among those on the move are Fr Michael Murtagh, PP, Dunleer, who is to be PE, AP, Holy Family, Dundalk; Fr Seán O’Neill, PP, Termonmaguirc, to be PP, Keady and Derrynoose, while Fr John Gates, PP, Magherafelt, will also be be Adm, Newbridge.…
Cardinal Louis Sako, patriarch of the Chaldean Catholic Church, announced July 15 that he is withdrawing from his seat in Baghdad after Iraqi President Abdul Rashid revoked a decree recognising him as head of the Christian Church in Iraq. Cardinal Sako said he will be taking up residence in a monastery in Kurdistan, an autonomous…
European bishops July 18 released a statement condemning the drafting of a right to abortion in the European Union’s Charter of Fundamental Rights, arguing that the proposed amendment would run afoul of European Union law and human dignity. The enshrining of abortion rights in the EU’s rights charter has been a prolonged subject of debate there.…
The relationship between Achonry diocese and Nigeria’s Ogoja diocese has been strengthened following Bishop Paul Dempsey’s recent trip to the African nation, during which a seminarian scholarship plan was agreed upon by the two dioceses. Scholarships are now open to seminarians in the south-eastern Nigerian diocese to complete their studies in Ireland, after which they…
Saint of the Week July 22 sees the Church celebrate another of its greatest saints; indeed, one of those closest to Christ as he walked among us. The ‘Apostle of the Apostles’ according to Christian tradition, Mary Magdalene was the first to encounter the risen Lord, the first to catch a glimpse of the heavenly…
Questions of Faith There is an enormous gap between the public perception of sainthood and the reality of it. The vast majority of people believe that saints are born rather than made, titanic figures of myth and legend that we devote art to and tell stories about, nearly like Hercules or Prometheus, except that their…
Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly has vowed to implement so-called ‘safe access zones’ around abortion providers that would see churches limited in their ability to display pro-life messaging on their own grounds. Addressing the Dáil on July 5, Minister Donnelly said that his Bill would ensure protections for sermons that would be given in churches…
Pakistani Christians have called for prayers during a “dangerous” period following the burning of the Islamic holy book, the Koran, in Sweden. An Iraqi-born refugee burned a Koran outside a mosque in the capital, Stockholm, on the first day of Eid al-Adha, which sparked protest in many Muslim-majority countries across the world. Speaking to The…
Saint of the week If you’re at all like me, the distances the Gospel has reached constantly astounds you. This week’s saint, remembered and celebrated by the Church July 14, is a good reminder of that. Born in 1656, St Kateri Tekakwitha was the child of a Christian, Algonquin mother and a Mohawk father, both…