Young priests giving hope

Letter of the week Young priests giving hope Dear Editor, I’ve just returned from some time spent in Knock where I met several people who had forgotten the value of this newspaper – there are so many good articles. I find Fr John Harris’ articles so very good. Today many great blessings are bestowed on…

Brazil and Nicaragua cut ties over President Ortega’s persecution of clergy

Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega and his Brazilian counterpart Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva cut the diplomatic ties between the two countries with the mutual expulsion of their ambassadors to Managua and Brasilia, carried out over the past week. Long-time allies who take part in international left-wing organisations like the São Paulo Forum – that gather…

Polish shrine shattering records

Poland’s most popular shrine could receive a record number of pilgrims in 2024, according to local media. The shrine of Our Lady of Czestochowa, at Jasna Góra Monastery in southern Poland, received as many as 4.5 million pilgrims a year before the COVID pandemic, when annual visitors dropped below 1 million. But pilgrim numbers have bounced back since…

Keep your lamps lit

Letter of the week Keep your lamps lit Dear Editor, I have just finished reading the history of the Catholic Church, and how the early Christians and Christianity in general, survived the persecutions of the first 300 years, is a testament to the words of Jesus to St Peter, “On this rock I will build…

From the mouths of babes

The Office of the Ombudsman for Children Office marked its 20th anniversary this year with a survey – and given their focus, they decided: “who better to ask than those we work for, the children of Ireland, how that future should look and what we, as defenders of children’s rights, should be prioritising?” Yes, it…