What Census 2022 tells us about religion in Ireland
The number of Catholics in Ireland has dropped, according to the results of Census 2022, but this change must be properly interpreted. While there has been a decline among the Catholic population, a lot of immigrants are religious, and the way the re
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3 Dublin schools to stay under Catholic patronage after public consultation
Three schools in Raheny are to stay under Catholic patronage after an in-depth debate in the North Dublin community. The schools took part in a pilot scheme that investigated local interest for divestment, but Minister for Education Norma Foley co
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Progress of radical abortion bill very disappointing, says PLC
A preliminary Dáil vote in favour of a radical expansion of Ireland’s already permissive abortion regime has been met with dismay by pro-life representatives. The bill by People Before Profit TD, Bríd Smith, would, if passed in
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The Misguided Lord Carey
The 87 year old Lord George Carey, made the news because he recently wrote to the Health and Social Care Committee of the British Parliament supporting the introduction of Assisted Suicide on the grounds that it is 'profoundly Christian.'&nbs
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There is no such thing as a life without value – Bishop Doran
This week, in response to a media query on the Church’s pastoral teaching on caring for people in critical and terminal phases of life, Bishop Kevin Doran of Elphin and chair of the Council for Life of the Irish Catholic Bishops’ Conferen
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Archbishop Rino Fisichella addresses vocations conference in Maynooth Pray for Priests
Yesterday in Saint Patrick’s College, Maynooth, Archbishop Rino Fischella’s, Pro-Prefect of the Vatican Dicastery for Evangelisation, was the keynote speaker who addressed an audience of over 100 people committed to vocations to the dioce
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Catholics Pray at Knock With Exorcism Salt After Biden Visit
He helped to bring about the Iraq War, he was overseeing the Iraq War when Christians suffered under the rise of ISIS and he is a staunch defender of abortion. Yet despite all of these things, those in charge of Knock Shrine allowed the holy site
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Rosary Rallies To Take Place All Over Ireland May 13th
On May 13, Ireland will be blanketed with over 500 Public Square Rosary Rallies. Organised by Irish Society for Christian Civilisation (ISFCC). These rallies will honour the requests made by Our Lady of Fatima. “Since 2013, we have been hold
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Pope Francis appoints Father Paul Connell as Bishop of Ardagh and Clonmacnois
His Holiness Pope Francis has appointed Father Paul Connell, a priest of the Diocese of Meath, as the new Bishop of Ardagh and Clonmacnois.  The news of this Episcopal appointment was announced by Monsignor Julien Kaboré, Chargé d&
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Minister gets hundreds of letters of complaint over proposed sex ed changes
Hundreds of letters have been sent to Education Minister Norma Foley by medical professionals, parents, teachers and school principals over plans to include lessons on pornography and gender ideology in sex education classes at primary and secondary
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Gender theory a dangerous ideological colonisation says Pope
Pope Francis has said that gender ideology is “one of the most dangerous ideological colonisations” today. In an interview with journalist Elisabetta Piqué for the Argentine daily newspaper La Nación, Pope Francis explain
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Belfast Rally for Life hears call for Peace in the womb
A massive pro-life rally in Belfast at the weekend heard a call for “peace in the womb” in order to “end the violence of abortion”. Bernadette Smyth of Precious Life said the Rally shows “the plight of our unborn babi
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Pope Francis to make Apostolic Journey to Hungary in April
In a statement from Director of the Holy See Press Office, Matteo Bruni announced on Monday 27 February, “Accepting the invitation of the civil and ecclesial Authorities, His Holiness Pope Francis will make an Apostolic Journey to Hungary from
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New framework respects the ethos and curriculum of all primary schools – Bishops
The Irish Catholic Bishops, in their role as patrons of Catholic primary schools, have welcomed the launch this morning by the Minister for Education, Ms Norma Foley TD, of the new Primary Curriculum Framework. Bishops recognised the importance of up
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If you want to explore your call to priestly ministry, make contact today with a priest or the National Vocations Office
During the Spring General Meeting of the Irish Bishops’ Conference in Maynooth, the Council of Vocations announced a year to promote Vocations to the Diocesan Priesthood, on the theme: ‘Take the Risk for Christ’. To announce this
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Ethos of Catholic schools must be guaranteed before further divestment
The divestment of Catholic schools to other patron bodies must stop until the Government gives a guarantee that the State will not attempt to undermine the Catholic identity of remaining schools, leading education experts have warned. Then the handov
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Arson attacks on churches in Germany and France
Historic churches in both Germany and France have suffered extensive damage in arson attacks in the last few weeks. The historical Baroque “Church of the Cross” in Wissen, Germany, was desecrated and severely damaged on February 10. Th
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FBI retracts document targeting Traditionalist Catholics
The US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has retracted a field-office report lumping some “traditionalist” Catholics with “violent extremists”. The prestigious Wall Street Journal criticised the report’s embrace of a
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Prayer is as important as the air we breathe – Bishop Leahy
To mark the beginning of Lent on Ash Wednesday, Bishop Brendan Leahy of Limerick reflected on ways that the faithful can live out the “three pillars” which characterise this penitential season: charity, sacrifice and prayer. Bishop Lea
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Stay at home parents overlooked again in new Govt childcare scheme
Parents minding their children at home will again miss out as the Government is set to announce a new childcare subsidy scheme. Proposed new legislation includes subsidies for parents using childminders as well as a framework for properly regulati
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Pope Francis appoints Bishop Donal McKeown as Apostolic Administrator of the Diocese of Down and Connor
In response to the announcement of Bishop McKeown’s appointment, Archbishop Noel Treanor said, “I warmly welcome the appointment this morning, by Pope Francis, of Bishop Donal McKeown as Apostolic Administrator of Down and Connor, pending
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Catholic education chief warns against crowbarring gender theory into schools
A radical theory of sex and gender should not be crowbarred into Catholic schools under any guise, according to a leading Catholic education figure. The head of the Catholic Education Partnership, Alan Hynes, made the comments on ‘The Week t
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Saint Ita dedicated herself to prayer and simplicity. There’s a great message in that for us
Speaking at Mass for the Feast of Saint Ita in Raheenagh Church, Kileedy, where Limerick’s patron saint set up her community of nuns in the fifth century, Bishop Brendan Leahy of Limerick said that an example for the future of the Church can be
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Parents reluctant to change Catholic patronage due to admissions issue 
A recent law prohibiting Catholic schools from prioritising the enrolment of local children of the same faith is emerging as a “stumbling block” for parents as schools consider changing their patronage. That’s according to the bo
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A corrective to the negative portrayal of the Catholic Church
It is now commonplace in Ireland to present the Catholic Church in the most negative terms. Sometimes this is deserved, but on its own it leads to an unbalanced view of the Church in Ireland and in the world more generally. In practice, very few peop
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The crib does not distract us from the relevant issues of today. It exposes them – Bishop Dempsey
As we reach this the final week of Advent, Bishop Paul Dempsey, Bishop of Achonry and chair of the Catholic Bishops’ Council for Emigrants, published an opinion article in The Irish Times reflecting on the real issues that underpin the season o
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Taoiseach rejects Archbishop Martin's defence of pro-life gatherings
Hospitals are no place for protest, Taoiseach Micheál Martin has said, following comments by Archbishop Eamon Martin against banning pro-life gatherings, including prayer, outside hospitals and GP clinics administering abortion. Archbi
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Working families availing of Crosscare's Christmas Food Poverty Service
Crosscare, the social support agency of the Archdiocese of Dublin, is asking for public support for its Food Poverty Service as hundreds of families are now seeking help to obtain basic food supplies in the run-up to Christmas. Crosscare’s F
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Galway Cathedral's Live Crib to open on 15 December
Galway Cathedral’s Live Crib will be open on Thursday, 15 December 2022 from 11:30am to 4.00pm. The Live Crib, which has been a very important part of Christmas preparations in the city for many years, features a life-size traditional Bethle
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Health-care professionals urge Minister to keep 3-day waiting period
More than 100 doctors, nurses, midwives and other healthcare professionals, including consultants, obstetricians and senior medical staff in maternity services, have signed an open letter “strongly urging” the Minister for Health, Stephen
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Religious schools must teach pro-choice and gender ideology, say NGOs
Faith-based schools should be forced to teach pro-choice and gender ideology, according to a report by a group of Irish NGOs submitted to the Council of Europe. Published on Friday by the Irish Observatory on Violence Against Women, it says the la
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Legislating for assisted suicide to be considered by Dail committee
A special Dáil committee is to be convened to examine the issue of assisted suicide, with calls that it should begin work before the Christmas break. The issue was last examined by the Justice Committee, which looked at a Private Members Bi
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China appoints Bishop in violation of Holy See agreement
For the first time since brokering a controversial deal with China on the appointment of bishops four years ago, the Vatican Saturday called out Beijing for violating the terms of the accord by installing a bishop in a diocese not recognised by Rome.
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Live animal crib returning to Dublin in new location
The live animal crib is set to return to Dublin in a new location from the 8th December, the feast of the Immaculate Conception. Read more here
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New Irish ambassador to the Holy See presents credentials to Pope
On 28 November Ireland’s new ambassador to the Holy See, Her Excellency Frances Collins, presented her credential letters to Pope Francis in the Vatican. Read more here
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Pope Francis appoints Bishop Noel Treanor as Apostolic Nuncio to the European Union
Archbishop Treanor will continue to govern as Apostolic Administrator of the Diocese of Down and Connor, as sede vacante, until he takes up appointment in Brussels in mid-to-late January 2023. An announcement will be made regarding the pastoral care
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Nigerian Bishop says West must act to stop mayhem of Christian genocide
Nigeria is at risk of following in the footsteps of Afghanistan and being overrun by Islamic rebels unless the West acts firmly to stop terrorist violence in the African nation, a Nigerian Bishop has warned British politicians. Christians make up
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Human life in general, and your police service in particular, is built upon the virtue of hope – Archbishop Farrell
On Thursday, 17 November, Archbishop Dermot Farrell delivered a homily in Church of the Holy Family, Aughrim Street for the Deceased Members of An Garda Síochána in this, their Centenary Year 2022. Opening his reflection, Archbishop Far
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Rotunda doctor reveals 95pc of babies with DS diagnosis are aborted
The vast majority of babies – up to 95pc – that receive a prenatal diagnosis of Down Syndrome at the Rotunda maternity hospital are aborted afterwards. Their mothers travel to the UK for the procedure because abortion in these cases is no
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Submission to the NCCA concerning the draft SPHE/RSE programme
The National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA) has recently published its draft programme for the Junior Certificate Social Personal and Health Education (SPHE) curriculum, which includes Relationships and Sexuality Education (RSE). We
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Vatican - Priests cannot absolve
In ‘Samaritanus Bonus: On the Care of Persons in the Critical and Terminal Phases of Life’, a recently released Church document, the pertinent question of euthanasia was once more tackled by Church theologians. The document goes to gre
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The voices of doctors opposed to euthanasia and assisted suicide must be heard
In a recent answer to a parliamentary question asked by Carol Nolan TD, the Ministers for Justice and Health both confirmed that they did not consult with palliative care doctors before voting in favour of a euthanasia bill. The so-called Dying wi
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Garda representatives expose flaws in exclusion zones bill
Numerous flaws in a proposal for abortion exclusion zones have been laid out by Gardai at an Oireachtas committee meeting on Wednesday. Representatives from An Garda Síochána appeared before the Joint Health Committee as part of its
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Theologian says Kerry bishop should correct misleading statement
An Irish theologian has called on Bishop Ray Browne to publicly correct an “egregiously wrong” statement the prelate made about a controversial homily in Listowel, Co. Kerry. Dr Tom Finegan of Mary Immaculate College in Thurles said th
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Nigerian Catholic bishop to Irish president: Church massacre not linked to climate change
Attributing violence against Nigeria’s Christians to climate change is “incorrect and far-fetched,” according to the bishop of a diocese where at least 40 people were murdered at a Pentecost Sunday Mass. Bishop Jude Ayodeji Arogu
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Will war chaplain Willie Doyle be Ireland’s next saint?
Ireland’s Father William Doyle, SJ, is one step closer to sainthood. Bishop Thomas Deenihan of the Diocese of Meath announced his intention Oct. 27 to open the Jesuit’s cause for beatification and canonization. Doyle was an Irish milit
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Bishop Fintan Gavin announces the death of Archbishop Patrick Coveney RIP
Bishop Fintan Gavin has announced that the death has occurred of Archbishop Patrick Coveney.  Since his retirement as Apostolic Nuncio to Greece in 2009, Archbishop Coveney resided in Crosshaven Parish in the Diocese of Cork and Ross. Archbis
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Pope Francis appoints Bishop-elect Niall Coll as Bishop of Ossory
On 28 October last, in Saint Mary’s Cathedral, Kilkenny, in the Diocese of Ossory, Monsignor Julien Kaboré, Chargé d’Affaires of the Apostolic Nunciature in Ireland announced that his Holiness Pope Francis has appointed Fath
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Bishop Treanor to welcome holy relics of Saint Pio to Down and Connor
During 2022 the Church celebrates twenty years since Pope Saint John Paul II canonised Padre Pio (1887 – 1968) as Saint Pio of Pietrelcina.  In Ireland the faithful have always had a special devotion to Padre Pio, including thousands atten
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Don’t exclude Christ from Christmas – plea to Lord Mayor
What’s the point of Christmas without Christian symbols like a crib, Dublin-based priests have asked after the cancelling of the traditional nativity scene outside the Lord Mayor’s residence in Dublin. The live animal crib, which has been
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Kerry Priest Shares Catholic Teachings, Causes Controversy
From the Irish Examiner: "Tánaiste Leo Varadkar has said he "profoundly disagrees" with a Kerry priest who said gay politicians are going to hell if they do not repent. Mr Varadkar, who is on a trade mission in Singapore t
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“Anxiety is the greatest evil that can befall a soul except sin. God commands you to pray, but He forbids you to worry.” 

St. Francis de Sales