Council of Europe says 'Euthanasia must always be prohibited'
The adoption of a resolution by an important European political body banning euthanasia has been welcomed by pro-life organisations. On Wednesday (January 25) the Parliamentary Assembly of the ....

New Cardinal has Drogheda connection
While Ireland may not be getting a new member of the College of Cardinals next February, a Canadian Archbishop who is due to be appointed to the rank of Cardinal by Pope Benedict XVI next month has ....

Jesus’ favourite song was not Cole Porter’s 'anything goes' - Bishop McKeown
People who want their children to have a world view that is open to the transcendent should not be portrayed as either social luddites or divisive bigots, the auxiliary bishop of Down and Connor ....

Cardinal pledges to uphold constitutional rights to Catholic education
The Catholic Primate of All Ireland has said the Church is committed to upholding the constitutional rights of parents who wish to provide their children with a Catholic education. Speaking at the ....

Major celebrations planned for return of True Cross relic to Holycross
The village of Holycross in County Tipperary looks set for major celebrations next month when the relic of the True Cross on which Jesus died returns to the Abbey. Parish priest of Holycross, Fr ....

Bosnian Catholics face increasing Islamic fundamentalism
In Bosnia-Herzegovina,nuns now only leave the convent in pairs out of fear of abuse.  Nuns wearing habits are subjected to verbal abuse in public more and more frequently.  Speaking to ....

French in bid to lower divorce rate
The French Government is to introduce longer civil ceremonies and a, “marriage preparation kit” that will remind soon-to-be husbands and wives what they are signing up for, in a bid to reduce the ....

Children "uncertain" about gender to be given puberty-delaying injections
Six children in Britain are to be given hormone injections to delay the onset of puberty because they and their parents believe they suffer from gender-identity-disorder. The monthly injections ....

Bishop urges recognition of journalists' contribution
Society must recognise the, “valuable work that journalists undertake and their contribution to the common good,” Bishop Denis Brennan of Ferns said in a statement issued to mark the Feast of St ....

First Native American saint
Native Americans throughout North America and Canada are hugely excited about having a saint come from within their own community. Responding to the recent announcement that Blessed Kateri ....

Pope speaks of daily commitment to Christian Unity
At Sunday’s Angelus the Pope invited those present, "to join the prayer which Jesus addressed to the Father on the eve of His Passion: 'That they may all be one, so that the world may ....

Bishop Kirby responds to Michael Noonan's comments on "lifestyle" emmigration
In response to the recent public debate on the causes driving contemporary Irish emigration, Bishop John Kirby, chair of the Irish Bishops’ Council for Emigrants, said, “While some Irish ....

No place for religious ethos in schools: Labour TD
Religious ethos has no place in Irish schools according to a prominent Labour TD. Aodhán Ó Ríordáin, vice-chair of the Oireachtas education committee, told The Irish Catholic “religious ethos has ....

Man who attacked priest during Mass has case adjourned
A County Donegal man, convicted of attacking a priest while saying Mass, had his sentencing adjourned when he appeared before Letterkenny District Court last Friday. The man, who is in ....

Church to launch global safeguarding initiative
Bishops and religious superiors from across the world will come to Rome in February for the launch of the Catholic Church’s global initiative on safeguarding children and vulnerable ....

Campaigners in Westminster write to the Pope to prevent Pastoral Centre sale
Campaigners in the Archdiocese of Westminster in London have written to Pope Benedict XVI, asking him to intervene in the sale of a local pastoral centre. The residents of Colney believe that the ....

Concerns raised in Britain over 'three parent test tube baby' experiments
News that babies with three biological parents could be a reality within three years using a new IVF technique, have been described as 'unethical' and 'macabre' by Catholic scientists and pro-life ....

Chaplain shares moving account of Costa Concordia tragedy
The chaplain of the ill-fated Costa Concordia has given a moving account of what he experienced as the luxury cruiser foundered off the coast of Italy. Fr Raffale Malena worked as a chaplain on ....

Junior minister backs re-opening of embassy
A Junior Government Minster has become the latest politician to lend her support to a growing campaign to reopen the Irish embassy in the Vatican.  The embassy was closed last year for what ....

Sporting priest to be honoured in Westmeath.
A Cork-born Carmelite priest, Fr Michael Cremin has been chosen for the Hall of Fame award in this year’s Westmeath Independent / Hodson Bay Sports Awards for his contribution to the GAA in ....

Social Justice Ireland welcomes Troika statement on protecting vulnerable
Social Justice Ireland (SJI) has welcomed the ECB / IMF / EU troika statement on the need to protect the vulnerable. Fr Seán Healy, a director of the group, urged the international lenders to ....

New deacons in Kildare and Leighlin
Seven men from the diocese of Kildare and Leighlin were received as candidates for the Permanent Diaconate in Carlow Cathedral.  Fr Ruairi O’Domhnaill (pictured), who gave the homily on the ....

Diocese buys house for retired bishop.
The diocese of Limerick has confirmed that it has bought a house for its former bishop, Dr Donal Murray. A spokesman confirmed the purchase, pointing out that the diocese has obligations under ....

IEC2012 launches ecumenical programme
On the first day of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, which continues until January 25, and in a gesture of “common witness” with all members of the Christian faith, the organisers of the ....

Couple to take surrogacy case to Supreme Court
A couple who commissioned a child through a surrogate mother in India and cannot obtain an Irish passport for the child are planning to take a case to the Supreme Court after a Circuit Court ruling ....

Redemptorists' vocations weekend
The Redemptorist missionaries have announced they are to hold a vocations weekend next month.  The posters were up for less than a week when Fr Tony Rice (pictured), Director of Vocations, ....

Bishop Buckley and chaplain support lost fishermen's families
Bishop of Cork and Ross Dr John Buckley went to Union Hall and led families and locals in a multi-denominational prayer service on the pier near where five fishermen went missing when their trawler ....

Relic of True Cross returns to Holycross
A number of religious relics of the True Cross, stolen from the historic Holycross Abbey in County Tipperary last October, have been recovered by Gardaí. The relics, said to be part of the true ....

Cameron faces Tory revolt over same-sex marriage
Prime Minister David Cameron (pictured) is facing the threat of a backbench Tory revolt as up to 100 MPs may line up to oppose government plans to legalise same-sex marriage. According to The ....

Limerick Francisan priest to be ordained Bishop in Honduras
A missionary priest from a small county Limerick parish is to be ordained Bishop of a newly created Catholic diocese in Honduras next month.  Fr Michael Lenihan, OFM (pictured), who hails ....

Dialogue between Jews and Catholics
Tuesday was the Day for Dialogue between Catholics and Jews in Italy.  A special day preceding the week of Prayer for Christian Unity and organised by the Italian Episcopal Conference since ....

Churches can hire and fire their own ministers: US Supreme Court
The US Supreme Court has upheld the right of Churches in the US to hire and fire their own ministers in a ruling that is being hailed on the most important on religious freedom in several ....

Public overwhelmingly opposed to Vatican embassy closure
Correspondence received by the Government over its decision to close its embassy to the Vatican was overwhelmingly negative, it has emerged. The news comes after reports suggesting that many Fine ....

Synod of Rathbreasil Remembered 900 Years On
While debate has existed for centuries about the exact location of the famous Synod of Rathbreasil, which is responsible for the current administrative layout of the Catholic Church in Ireland a ....

New catholic school planned for Diocese of Westminister
Plans for a new Catholic Secondary School in the London Borough of Richmond will move a step forward with the launch of a public consultation by the Diocese of Westminster on January 20. The ....

Radharc Films celebrate 50th anniversary of first screening
RTÉ Radio 1’s Pat Kenny Show will today pay tribute to the ground-breaking Radharc Films to mark the 50th anniversary of the screening of the first Radharc documentary on January 12 1962. The ....

Famous fresco by Clarke goes on display in Donegal
A famous fresco painted by the country's greatest acknowledged stained glass artist, Harry Clarke, and which had been hidden for decades at a County Donegal Cathedral, was finally unveiled this ....

Pakistan Church and housing for poor destroyed
Poverty-stricken families living on a two-acre site in Lahore were woken at 6:30am and told to evacuate their homes.  All the buildings on the site were destroyed, including a small church ....

Ireland's opening Euro 2012 games will be screened at Eucharistic congress
The Secretary General of the International Eucharistic Congress, Fr Kevin Doran, has assured soccer fans that they will be able to watch the first Irish Euro 2012 matches, while taking part in the ....

Migrants and refugees need understanding and welcome - Pope
Asylum seekers who have fled violence, persecution and situations that put their lives at risk need the understanding and welcome of the Church and society, Pope Benedict XVI has said in his ....