Ireland Archives

Irish bishops praise court ruling recognizing the dignity of work

Catholic News Agency, Global Church
June 8, 2017

The chair of the Irish Bishops’ Council for Justice and Peace wrote in a statement that he supports the ruling by Ireland’s supreme court calling unconstitutional all laws which indefinitely prohibit asylum seekers from gaining employment.

Coptic pope meets Dublin archbishop during Ireland visit

Catholic News Service, Global Church
May 19, 2017

In a meeting with Coptic Orthodox Pope Tawadros II, Dublin Archbishop Diarmuid Martin expressed his solidarity with the suffering of the Coptic community in reference to recent attacks by ISIS which have claimed more than 45 victims.

Ireland could legalize abortion just as Pope Francis visits the country

Global Church
April 26, 2017

Pope Francis’ expected visit to Ireland in 2018 for the World Meeting of Families will be happening during one of the most intense political debates in recent decades. On Sunday, a Citizens’ Assembly proposed the country change protections for the unborn in the constitution. The announcement came just two years after another referendum legalized same-sex marriage in the predominantly Catholic state.

With decline in priest numbers, an Irish diocese preps for change

Catholic News Agency, Global Church
March 30, 2017

With the number of active priests plummeting in the area, Bishop Francis Duffy of Ardagh and Clonmacnois calls his flock to take on more active roles. In a pastoral letter, Duffy lamented the lack of new vocations as well as the difficulties ahead and prepared the community for change.

Northern Ireland bids farewell to ex-IRA chief McGuinness

Associated Press
March 24, 2017

Former U.S. President Bill Clinton praised former Irish Republican Army commander Martin McGuinness as a leader able to grow beyond what he called “a time of rage and resentment” and pursue policies such as his acceptance of police authority, his role in helping to govern a Northern Ireland state that the IRA long pledged to destroy, and his rejection of IRA splinter groups still trying to upset the peace. McGuinness died on Tuesday at the age of 66.

These monks in Ireland spend their lives praying for priests

Catholic News Agency, Global Church
March 18, 2017

Ireland has been hard hit by scandals involving the sins of priests in recent years, but it’s also home to a new Benedictine priory with a commitment to prayer for the sanctification of priests, rooted in St. Benedict’s example of adaptation to changing circumstances.