The historic Church of the Immaculate Conception in Saint-Omer, in the Pas-de-Calais department of northern France, was ravaged by arson on the night of September 2. The suspect, a multi-recidivist who has attempted to set fire to numerous places of worship in the past, was apprehended a few hours after the blaze was brought under…
Public meetings are set to take place in Strokestown, Athlone and Castlerea from next week to discuss the amalgamation of two local dioceses, the Diocese of Elphin and the Diocese of Achonry. It was announced in April the Dioceses of Elphin and Achonry would merge, in a major reorganisation of the Catholic Church, spearheaded by…
The Archdiocese of Cashel and Emly has recently commenced a lay funeral ministry initiative, which hopes to equip lay parishioners with the necessary skills to undertake a wide range of roles during funerals in the archdiocese. Speaking to The Irish Catholic in the aftermath of the archdiocese’s invitation to parishioners who are interested in the…
The exodus of Iraqi Christians from their ancestral homeland is once again making headlines. Many families are fleeing the country, seeking refuge in neighbouring nations as a temporary stopover before heading to distant destinations such as Australia. Some believe this new wave of emigration began in late 2023 following a tragic fire in Bakhdida in northern Iraq.…
Our readers are likely, by now, to be familiar with the offensive, and some may say, racist, section in a Junior Certificate textbook that depicted a ‘traditional’ Irish family as a plastic Paddy-type trope in contrast to a multi-cultural uber-progressive family. The publishers, EdCo – the Educational Company of Ireland – has apologised for this…
“This year, in homage and gratitude to you, I am going to decree that the Christmas season [begins] on October 1,” declared Nicolás Maduro, leader of the ruling socialist regime in Venezuela, September 2 on national television. “For everyone, Christmas has arrived with peace, happiness, and security,” Maduro added. According to the Spanish newspaper El Mundo,…
Letter of the week Left with uncompromising ideologies… Dear Editor, I find it disturbing that a Junior Cert school book presenting a course that aims at promoting inclusion, has had a cartoon and write-up depicting traditional Irish families as boring, wearing Aran jumpers, red heads, knowing nothing of the world outside their immediate surroundings or…
Pope Francis arrived in the Indonesian capital Jakarta on Tuesday, kicking off the longest and farthest trip of his tenure to the Asia Pacific region. He is expected to highlight environmental concerns and the importance of interfaith dialogue during the 12 day trip, which will also see him travel to Papua New Guinea, Singapore and Timor-Leste –…
The Irish Catholic Autumn Legacy Supplement 2024 Professor Nick Maynard is a consultant gastrointestinal surgeon at Oxford University Hospital in England who has been visiting Gaza regularly since 2010. Working with Trócaire’s partner organisation Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP), Prof. Maynard has travelled to Gaza three times since the latest devastating war began last October, putting himself at great personal risk…
Singer Morrissey has sent a letter to Pope Francis asking him “to condemn the sinful spectacle of bullfighting”. The former frontman of The Smiths, who lent his support to Notre Dame Cathedral after it was damaged following a fire and has famously championed animal rights, sent an open letter addressed to the head of the…