Cork Communion wars

The issue of Catholic politicians and the Eucharist is once again in the headlines this week, after Fine Gael TD Colm Burke expressed surprise that he was refused Holy Communion by a priest at a recent funeral Mass in Co. Cork. According to reports, the priest went further and told Mr Burke that he was,…

Nigerian priest kidnapped goes free

Nigerian priest Fr Mikah Suleiman was released last Sunday after more than two weeks in captivity. The parish priest of St Raymond’s Catholic Church, in Damba, Zamfara State, had been abducted from his presbytery in Sokoto diocese, north-west Nigeria, in the early hours of Saturday, June 22. In the days that followed, fears for his…

Antrim gang targets Catholics and migrants

An LVF-linked gang responsible for a sectarian attack on the new home of a nine-year-old disabled boy in Antrim has also carried out a series of attacks on properties. The gang, based in the Ballycraigy estate, has targeted several families in the area over recent days and weeks. It’s believed their aim is to drive…

11 Christians jailed in Vietnam are missing, US NGO says

Five Catholics and six Protestants who were jailed in Vietnam for a range of offenses related to religious activities dating back to 2011 have gone missing, highlighting a larger problem within the communist country’s judicial system, International Christian Concern (ICC) has said. It said nine of the Christians had been jailed for “undermining national unity policy” due…