Doubts raised on 'brain death' as criterion of death
An Italian historian has cast doubt on brain death as the true criterion for death. Writing in the Osservatorio Romano, Professor Lucetta Scaraffia has said it is now time ....

Palin stresses family credentials in VP acceptance speech
Families of special-needs children in the US “will have a friend and advocate in the White House”, if Senator John McCain is elected to the White House, according to Vice Presidential candidate and ....

Practise of moving priests around parishes, a wise one: bishop
The practise in the Catholic church of moving diocesan priests from parish to parish is a wise one, according to Bishop of Elphin, Christopher Jones. “Priests are human.  When they are ....

Referendum needed to protect children: Barnardos
Fergus Finlay, Chief Executive of Barnardos, has claimed that “a Constitutional referendum is urgently needed” to protect children. In a statement, he said he was dismayed by signals from the ....

In Iraq, Catholics and Muslims pray together for peace
Prayers for peace and coexistence were held in the cathedral of Kirkuk, in northern Iraq, with hymns, psalms, petitions, and readings from sacred Scripture, attended by both Christians and Muslims: ....

Freed Chilean hostage meets Pope, appeals for those in captivity
On Monday, a former hostage Ingrid Betancourt, met the Pope.  Since her daring rescue by Colombian special forces on 2nd July, the devout Catholic, had expressed her wish to meet the pontiff, ....

Kildare church survives major fire
A fire that had been smouldering for up to eight hours caused massive damage to a church in County Kildare last week, but miraculously the church suffered no major structural damage. Opening the ....

Vietnam police clash with Catholic land protesters
Vietnamese Catholics have rallied outside a Hanoi police station in an escalating row over disputed Church land taken over by the communist state half a century ago. Police detained three ....

Mexican Supreme Court upholds legalised abortion law
Mexico's Supreme Court upheld the capital's abortion law last Thursday, setting a precedent that could reverberate across the rest of the largely Roman Catholic Latin America. Abortion rights ....

No dedicated cemeteries for atheists in Donegal
It appears there may be nowhere in Co Donegal where someone who is openly an atheist can be buried. Journalist Roy Greenslade discovered this last week, following the recent death of his mother. ....

Sentence revoked for two elderly Beijing women
Last month two Beijing women in their late 70s were sentenced to a year of administrative detention after applying to protest in the Chinese capital's Olympic protest zones. Wu Dianyuan, 79, and ....

Violence against Christians in Orissa
Orissa is India’s ninth largest state by area and the eleventh largest by population with 37.6 million. Violence began in the state a week ago. Now thousands of people, most of them Christian, are ....

Church to woo farmers
The Catholic Church – in the form of the diocese of Ossory – is to take its message to Ireland’s farming community next month, with a stand at the National Ploughing Championships in Cuffesgrange, ....

McCain chooses an ‘active woman’ as his aide for Presidency
“It is a great privilege to be John McCain's running mate and to be considered by the American people for the Vice-Presidency. This honour is a testament to the reforms and progress we have made ....

Catholic teaching provides holistic response to AIDs: Trócaire
The Church is often the first port of call for HIV sufferers, and Catholic social teaching leads to a holistic response to HIV, and not just a medical one. So said HIV and Gender Policy Officer ....

Ferns convent hermitage expands
Three new private hermitages are to open for personal retreats at a convent in Ferns. Co. Wexford. They will augment seven hermitages which have been operated for some years by the nuns at St. ....

Gaming and cycling in the name of St. Paul
The Year of St. Paul, proclaimed by Pope Benedict from June 2008-2009 continues to be celebrated around the world in unusual ways. For example, an interactive internet game on the life and work ....

Irish tradition of ‘Meitheal’ lives on in Heritage Week
“Look forward, look back, and look around” is the message of this year’s Heritage Week which seeks to communicate the message that “our heritage matters.” During the week, which ends tomorrow, ....

French ruling bans TV for children under three years
An Irish psychologist and family therapist has said he is in agreement with a French decision to ban TV shows aimed at children under three. France's broadcast authority has also ordered French ....

Tipperary priest launches memoirs and celebrates diamond jubilee
A County Tipperary born priest who ministers in England celebrated the diamond jubilee of his ordination by publishing a memoir of his time in school and the seminary. Canon Matthew Hayes, who ....

Fragile peace deal reached in Somalia, but fighting continues
The signing of a formal peace pact between the Somali government and opposition forces last  week is a significant step towards peace, according to the African Union (AU). The ....

Back-to-school aid requests on rise, says V de P
The Society of St Vincent de Paul has seen a major increase in the number of people seeking help with the costs of sending children back to school. Spokesman Stuart Kenny said that statistics from ....

Priest’s eighth book launched
 An Athlone-based Franciscan priest and author has just published his eighth book. Cry me a river by Fr John O'Brien is an in-depth look at spiritual healing, and he says he has written it to ....

Orange head open to lifting Catholic Church service ban.
The head of the Orange Order in County Fermanagh Lodge has said he would be happy to see the organisation change a rule which forbids its members from attending Catholic Church services. Grand ....

Allow God access at all times, Pope tells clergy, seminarians
We should carry out human tasks well, and structure our day so that God has access to us all the time, the Pope told clergy and seminarians during a question and answer session with them at a ....

Bavarian primary school to keep crucifixes
Teachers in Bavarian state primary schools may not remove crucifixes from classrooms in accordance with their personal beliefs, because the crucifixes stand for Christian values and represent ....

Ireland and Malta linked through Gospel choirs
The forging of a strong link between two Gospel choirs – one in Malta, the other in Ireland, has led to international goodwill and  a cross fertilisation of styles and music. The link ....

Government plan on child poverty in difficulty
Government attempts to tackle child poverty by identifying families who are most at risk of deprivation have run into major difficulties. Officials have spent several years trying to plan a ....

Pope approves beatification of St Therese's parents in Lisieux
Pope Benedict XVI has approved the beatification of Louis and Marie Zelie Guerin Martin, the parents of St. Thérèse of Lisieux. The couple will be beatified October 19, World Mission Sunday, ....

Cross-border thief gang targets churches
A gang of thieves from Northern Ireland is suspected of involvement in robberies from churches and presbyteries across the border in County Louth. In one of a series of thefts, a candelabra valued ....

My brother was a trustworthy guide: Pope
Last Friday (22nd) Pope Benedict XVI said he is living his old age with serenity thanks to the example and companionship of his older brother, Mgr. Georg Ratzinger. The Holy Father spoke during a ....

Jews, Christians at odds over Last Supper site construction
An ancient monastery adjacent to where, according to Christian tradition, Jesus held his last supper, has turned into a legal battleground for Catholics and Jews. Last week the High Court of ....

Cardinal Brady appeals to Omagh bombers to give themselves up
Cardinal Séan Brady has appealed to those responsible for the Omagh bombing to give themselves up to justice in this world "before you face judgement in the next." Cardinal Seán Brady was ....

Irish pilgrimage inspires Pope to write prayer for grandparents
Over 4,000 Irish grandparents, who attended the first-ever National Grandparents’ Pilgrimage in Knock Shrine last year, have inspired Pope Benedict XVI to write a new prayer in honour of ....

Obama chooses Catholic senator Binen as running mate
After a most intense media game of “cat and mouse” the Obama Presidential campaign in the US managed to keep the suspense alive for well over a week. He promised that it would be the first campaign ....

In utero surgery in Irish hospital saves lives of twins
Surgery performed on 21 week old unborn babies in the womb was used to save the lives of twin girls in Dublin. It was the second such operation performed in Ireland, said the Rotunda hospital ....

Running for God: Olympians witness to faith
The American athlete who won silver in the 200 metres says that as an athlete her responsibility is to glorify God. “God is the one who gave me this gift.  My responsibility is to glorify ....

Floating Anglican church provides respite for financiers
A floating Anglican church at Canary Wharf, East London, has added an extra lunchtime service to cope with demand from worshippers seeking solace amid the growing global credit crisis, according to ....

Mexico conference affirms faith groups action on Aids
33.2 million people live with HIV, with  5,000 in Ireland, according to the World Health Organisation. A recent ecumenical pre-conference to a major conference on AIDS  in Mexico ....

Celebrations mark 200th anniversary of Edmund Rice's first vows
Fifty Presentation Brothers renewed their religious vows at a special ceremony to mark the 200th anniversary of their Founder, Blessed Edmund Rice, making his first vows. As part of the ....