Book chronicles Jesuit Far East missions
A new book by Limerick Jesuit priest Fr Todd Morrissey chronicles the work of Irish missionaries in Hong Kong and south China over the last century. Jesuits in Hong Kong, South China and Beyond: ....

Support centre for torture victims forced to cut staff
The Irish Centre for the Care of Survivors of Torture has been forced to cut its doctors' hours by 50 per cent and has lost 12 per cent of its staff in the past nine months due to a funding ....

Cardinal Brady seeks commitment to child protection guidelines
Every Bishop, every Religious Congregation and every Missionary Society in Ireland must commit in writing that they will implement child protection guidelines, Cardinal Séan Brady has said. In ....

Grand-nephews retrace missionary’s footsteps with Gambia charity trek.
Three grand-nephews of a pioneering Irish missionary are participating in the annual  Plymouth-Banjul overland challenge to trace his footsteps and raise money for charity. Ross Griffin from ....

Massacres in DCR over Christmas
Ugandan rebels carried out a series of massacres in the Democratic Republic of Congo on Christmas Day and the days following according to Caritas Internationalis. The international aid ....

Multicultural start to 2009 at St. Mary’s Pro-Cathedral
People from around the world who have made Dublin their home in recent years will be central to New Year celebrations in St. Mary’s Pro Cathedral over the coming days. For the first time, the ....

Iconographer nun dies
A Derry nun who was one of the country’s most talented iconographers has died t the age of 85. Sr Aloysius McVeigh, who was a native of Dungiven and a member of the Mercy order, was a teacher and ....

First Masses in decades for remote Vietnamese villages
In two provinces in Vietnam's northwestern corner, a priest led Christmas Masses for local Catholics, capping the first public Christmas celebrations for most of them since being relocated here ....

Irish Church leaders call for end to Gaza hostilities, and prayers
The Leaders of the Catholic and Church of Ireland churches in Ireland have appealed for a cease to the hostilities in Gaza. In a joint statement released on Wednesday, Cardinal Seán Brady, ....

Church must protect, says Dr Martin
We need a Church that protects, and a society that protects, said the Archbishop of Dublin, Dr Diarmuid Martin, at an address for the World Day of Peace in Dublin yesterday. Archbishop Martin ....

Brigidines celebrate 200 years in Mountrath
The Brigidine Congregation in Mountrath is beginning celebrations of its bi-centenary with the launch of a 2009 Diary. The commemorative diary features the story of the Brigidine congregation which ....

To fight poverty is to build peace, says Pope in peace message
Poverty is the main theme of Pope Benedict XVI in his message for the 42nd World Day of Peace today, 1 January 2009. Many global church leaders have pointed to the timely nature of the ....

Priest in 140 mile 'walk of atonement' for sex abuse victims
A Dublin-based Augustinian priest has begun a nine-day "walk of atonement" for all who have suffered clerical child sex abuse. Fr Michael Mernagh (70) is walking 140-mile (225-kilometer) ....

Church of Ireland archbishop calls for renewal of hope
The Anglican Archbishop of Dublin has appealed for a renewal of religious belief in Ireland in 2009 to overcome the uncertainty and insecurity caused by the recession. In his New Year message, ....

Huge Mass in Madrid
Hundreds of thousands of people on Sunday last attended an open-air Catholic Mass in Madrid designed to promote family values in a country where the Socialist government has undertaken sweeping ....

Bogus Mass cards prohibited
The Government has added an amendment to the Charities Bill 2007 to prohibit the sale of bogus Mass cards. Independent NUI Senator Rónán Mullen who had tabled his own amendment was more than happy ....

In Orissa, a peaceful Christmas, but "armoured"
Under strict security measures, Catholics have celebrated midnight Mass "without problems" in the district of Kandhamal and in all of Orissa, after the serious anti-Christian violence by Hindu ....

Palestinian death toll increases
The Palestinian death toll has risen to 345 with over 1,600 wounded in the on-going conflict in the Holy Land. Mo'aweya Hassanein, chief of emergency in the Palestinian health ....

Burglars target novena takings
A five strong community of Franciscan friars in Wexford have become recent victims of crime. The thieves, who forced their way into the friary during the night, ransacked an office and made off ....

Attorney General in California refuses to defend traditional marriage
California Attorney General Jerry Brown has reversed his pledge to uphold the decision of the voters on Proposition 8, (the Californian referendum that changed the state constitution to restrict ....

Tens of thousands of pilgrims in Bethlehem for Christmas
Tens of thousands of pilgrims have celebrated Christmas in Bethlehem, protected by about 900 policemen belonging to the force of Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas. On the morning of the 25th, ....

Great support after attack on Presbyterian church in Donegal
The Presbyterian Church in St Johnston, County Donegal, was inundated with offers of support and goodwill after its hall was damaged in an attack. The car park was defaced with graffiti. A door ....

Pope’s Christmas Message
Pope Benedict XVI proclaimed his Christmas message to the whole world last Thursday from St Peter’s in the Vatican.  He appealed for this peace as bombs were falling on Gaza and killing ....

Pope announces themes of next three WYDs
Pope Benedict XVI has announced the themes for the next three World Youth Days in order to help young Catholics better prepare for the next international gathering in Madrid in 2011. WYD 2011 ....

Belfast monastery launches £1m repair fund.
Belfast’s Clonard monastery has launched a campaign to raise £1m stg for what it calls essential repairs to the famous church. The church is currently being renovated externally, with a priceless ....

French Sunday shopping for increase
Attempts to legalize Sunday shopping in France have been described by Bishops as an “unhealthy development”.  The Bishops Conference pointed to the meaning of Sunday itself and the risk of ....

Dublin's Pro Cathedral appeals for unwanted gifts for homeless
If you are  wondering what to do with the jumper that didn’t fit; the fancy soaps that aren’t needed or the DVD you had already had  – staff at St. Mary’s Pro Cathedral in Dublin can put ....

Possible change to Communion on the tongue
Incoming Prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, Cardinal Antonio Canizares Llovera has praised receiving communion on the tongue as recognising the ....

100 candles for Irish Mercy sister
A Longford-based Mercy nun has celebrated her 100th birthday. Sister Rosario Deery, who was born in Dundalk into a family of eleven, of whom one died a month before his 102nd birthday and another ....

Pope laments global instability in Urbi et Orbe message
Pope Benedict XVI has called for peace in the Middle East and stability in Africa in his Christmas Day message. Speaking from the Vatican, the Pope prayed for the opponents of the "twisted logic ....

Willpower no use in overcoming addiction, says former bishop.
Telling people with addiction problems that they should use will-power to overcome them is futile, according to former bishop Brendan Comiskey. Speaking this month at a novena in Shannon, Co. ....

Trafficked women need help not jail
Concerns have been raised about the jailing of a victim of human trafficking for the Christmas period. A 22 year old Nigerian appeared at Castlebar District Court for not having correct ....

Learn recollection, to taste joy of Christmas: Pope
The Holy Father has invited Catholics to "gaze upon the ineffable mystery that Mary carried for nine months in her virginal womb: the mystery of God who becomes man." He urged people to learn from ....

Over a third of people in UK still believe in Virgin birth
More than a third of Britons continue to believe in the Virgin Birth, according to new poll commissioned by Theos, the public theology think tank. In the poll of over a thousand adults, 34 per ....

Nepal marks Christmas as formal holiday for first time
For the first time ever, the  formerly Hindu country of Nepal will mark Christmas as a formal holiday. According to the country’s first and only bishop, churches that 20 years ago could not ....

Dublin archdiocese considering own guidelines: Archbishop
The Archdiocese of Dublin is considering implementing its own system of child protection, according to a statement from Archbishop Diarmuid Martin. His remarks come amidst growing calls for the ....

World media misquotes Pope on homosexuality
Pope Benedict's Christmas address to the Curia which dealt, among other things,with marriage and the differences between the sexes, has been badly misquoted in a series of media outlets which claim ....

Pope, Cardinal, President and Irish troops feature in Christmas religious broadcasts
People from all over the world will be able to follow the celebration of Christmas midnight Mass tonight by Pope Benedict XVI thanks to a network of Catholic TV stations. In Ireland, midnight ....

'Re-capitalise' the family and community: Cardinal Brady
This Christmas people should live in hope and ‘recapitalise’ their families and local communities with concern for one another and with love. So said the Primate of all Ireland, Cardinal Séan ....

Vietnamese officials plan to demolish Catholic monastery
Repeating a government tactic used in disputes with Vietnamese Catholics seeking the return of confiscated property, the People's Committee of Vinh Long on Friday announced that it will demolish ....