Incumbent US President Joe Biden, a Catholic, is battling a high unfavorability rating among his fellow Catholics, according to survey data released by the Pew Research Center. According to the data, neither Biden nor his Republican rival, former president Donald Trump, are viewed favourably by a majority of Catholics surveyed, but Biden is the more…
Deputy Leader of Aontú Gemma Brolly has criticised the recently passed Alliance Party motion which seeks to enforce “compulsory, standardised, inclusive, high-quality, evidence-based and age appropriate” RSE teaching into classrooms. Ms Brolly has described some of the language used in the motion as “misleading”. The motion was passed on Monday by a margin of 49…
Belgium’s highest court ruled late last night that a conference upholding conservative values in the public square could go ahead in the country’s capital after a Brussels district mayor had ordered police to shut it down yesterday. Emir Kir issued the order to halt the National Conservatism conference that was scheduled to take place April…
Church in Ireland is facing a very well publicised crisis in vocations to the priesthood, one which the recently ended Year for Vocation was an attempt to tackle. If we’re not careful, our local Church could be facing a second vocations crisis – this time among the laity – and the window is narrowing in…
Dublin diocese has announced the divestment of St Mary’s Primary School, Dorset Street, Dublin 7, which has transferred to secular patronage. As of April 15, St Mary’s will be under the patronage of the Education Training Board (ETB). The primary school was one of 29 schools involved in a pilot consultation process in the diocese…
Ruadhán Jones and Chai Brady There are mixed feelings in the West after Pope Francis announced the effective merger of four dioceses in the archdiocese of Tuam, the largest diocesan shake up in Ireland since 1111AD. The diocese of Killala and Tuam will now be headed by one bishop, Archbishop Francis Duffy, while Bishop Kevin…
The Catholic Police Guild of Northern Ireland has highlighted a damning report examining the culture in the PSNI which found that many officers believe there is a two-tier disciplinary system. The ‘audit of organisational culture’, also found there was a perception of “a growing environment of fear” with officers worried about serious consequences for small…
April 10, 2024 will be noted in the annals as a significant day for the Church in the west of Ireland, because after almost 900 years the number of dioceses in the province was reduced from six to three. Two years ago, a new bishop was appointed to Galway with responsibility for the diocese of…
Dear Editor, I fully agree with the sentiments expressed by Fr Barry Matthews, Fr Joe Deegan, and Fr Tom Ryan regarding online Mass [The Irish Catholic – April 11, 2024]. While livestreamed Mass has undoubtedly been a lifeline for many during times of restricted physical gathering, it is essential to recognise its limitations. The Mass…
Changes not seen in the Irish Church for 1000 years happened today, when the Papal Nuncio announced the effective amalgamation of western dioceses. What does this mean for the Irish Church and is this the end of the beginning of the end of institutional Irish Catholicism? Michael Kelly joins us in studio for a Confession…