I remember exactly where I was on August 15, 2004. Sitting in my grandparents’ house, all I wanted was to watch Match of the Day. Chelsea had played, and I was eager to see the highlights. But there was no football that morning—RTÉ was broadcasting a Mass from Lourdes, celebrated by a very frail Pope…
Irish-born Cardinal Kevin Farrell has taken centre stage in the Catholic Church following the death of Pope Francis on Easter Monday. As Camerlengo of the Holy Roman Church, Cardinal Farrell holds a critical role overseeing Church operations during the sede vacante – the period of papal vacancy. Cardinal Farrell, 77, confirmed the Pope’s death from…
The election of Pope Francis on March 13, 2013, following the unprecedented retirement of the scholarly, gentle, spiritual Pope Benedict came as a huge surprise to many of us. In my lifetime there have been seven popes: Pius XII, St John XXIII, St Paul VI, St John Paul I, St John Paul II, Benedict XVI…
“Our role as priests…is more important now than ever,” said Bishop of Ossory Niall Coll, in his homily at the Chrism Mass in St Mary’s Cathedral, Kilkenny on April 16. “The Ireland we serve today is different from the one many of us knew in years past. The Church no longer holds the central place…
The misunderstanding of technological advancement and human progress As we entrust Pope Francis to the loving mercy of God after his twelve years of Petrine ministry, it is good to ponder aspects of his legacy. One aspect – perhaps among the less obvious ones, but which we can ponder with great gratitude – is the…
The Vatican announced Monday that the canonisation of Blessed Carlo Acutis, scheduled for April 27, has been postponed following the death of Pope Francis. The Holy See Press Office confirmed the suspension of the canonisation, which was to coincide with the Vatican’s Jubilee of Adolescents and expected to draw over 80,000 teenagers to Rome from…
I write this column in a state of shock – at the dramatic news of the death of Pope Francis. I saw the sad news breaking on Sky News last Monday morning. The general reaction was one of shock but not surprise, given the Pontif’s ill-health. Last Sunday, watching the coverage of the Easter ceremonies…
When Karol Wojtyla was elected Pope in 1978 taking the name John Paul II, he joked with the Roman crowd that the cardinals had called him da un paese lontano – from a faraway country. After all, the Archbishop of Krakow had come from behind the ‘iron curtain’ and was the first non-Italian Pope since…
A leading American exorcist due to speak at Knock Shrine in June has said that the collapse of Catholic faith in Ireland is leaving individuals and the country exposed to the demonic. Msgr Stephen Rossetti, a priest of the Diocese of Syracuse, psychologist and exorcist, told The Irish Catholic: “More and more people are abandoning…
Lough Derg has received a permanent relic of Blessed Carlo Acutis, the soon-to-be canonised Italian teen known as the “influencer of God.” The relic—a lock of his hair—now rests in St Mary’s Chapel on the island, following a request by Bishop Larry Duffy to the Diocese of Assisi. Carlo Acutis, who died in 2006 and…
Fr Barry White
Nuala O’Loan
Renata Steffens
Brendan O’Regan
Michael Kelly
Chai Brady