Priests in Ireland are now legally obliged to break the Confessional Seal and report the sexual abuse of children, reports The Tablet. The change was confirmed by Ireland’s Justice Minister Alan Shatter who said the laws were intended to encourage every individual to report abuse, and it would apply to priests in the confessional. Shatter Read more
The Archdiocese of Wellington, New Zealand, is presenting a four-day orientation session in May for recently arrived priests coming to serve in the NZ church, called “Landing the Waka.” These priests come from Samoa, Kiribati, the Philippines and India. As well as information about the church, their welcome pack includes information on New Zealand and Read more
Catholic priests in Ireland were treated like imbeciles during a Vatican probe into the clerical child abuse crisis that rocked the country, it has been claimed. Father Sean McDonagh criticised the investigation and maintained processes used by Rome when examining complaints about clergy were appalling. The Columban Father, a founding member of the liberal Association Read more
A South Side priest who was brutally beaten in his own church is set to return to services Thursday evening.
The Rev. Daniel Mallette, 80, is expected to be at mass Thursday night at St. Margaret of Scotland Church, at 9849 S. Throop St. in the Longwood Manor neighborhood.
He was attacked and robbed while sound asleep in bed in the church rectory just before 12:30 a.m. Tuesday.
Parishioners at the church are expected to come out to support Mallette and other victims of violence at the service Thursday night.
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The people in Ireland have been misled about the extent of abuse by priests and priests subject to unjustifiable wrongs, according to the Archbishop of Dublin, Diarmuid Martin. Dr Martin, speaking at Mass to celebrate the lives of the nine priests who had died in the diocese this year, said he had been thinking about Read more
Spice up your sermons, is the message Cardinal Gianfranco Ravasi is giving to priests. Ravasi, President of the Pontifical Council for Culture, said that priests who used theological language that was formulaic and boring risked making the gospel irrelevant. Grey, dull and flavourless sermons need to be livened up with graphic stories and scandal contained within the Bible, Read more
Monday evening in the Vatican Basilica, Pope Benedict presided at Vespers for the opening of the academic year in pontifical universities. His homily focused on priestly ministry. The Pope then went on to identify three preconditions for a priest’s life to ensure its conformity to Christ: “the aspiration to collaborate with Jesus in spreading the Read more
While the following article concerns the US, much of what is reported here is reflected in Catholic parish life in Aotearoa New Zealand: A lot has changed in parish life in a quarter-century, yet American Catholics are still predominantly attached to territorial parishes headed by a priest pastor. The model is being stretched and transformed, Read more
Ninety percent of priests say they are happy. One priest who has studied them say a feeling of inner peace, a positive view of celibacy, and a good relationship with God contributes to their happiness.
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A survey conducted in Ireland establishes half the population believes one-in-five priests is guilty of child abuse, when in fact the figure is 4%, or one-in-twenty-five. The survey, commissioned by the pro-religion Iona Institute, showed only a third of those surveyed were closer to the 4% figure and shows a clear majority of the public overestimates the number Read more