# Religion

All time

# Abuse

Mary McAleese says her brother was 'seriously, physically, sadistically abused by Malachy Finnegan'

“My mother, almost 90 years of age, had to discover that from the Belfast Telegraph three weeks ago.”

76.9k

142

Mar 12th 2018, 11:15 AM

# empire of misogyny

Diarmuid Martin says Mary McAleese's criticism of the Church was 'brutally stark'

The former president has called on Pope Francis to address gender inequality in the Catholic Church.

51.3k

132

Mar 9th 2018, 9:12 AM

# Mary McAleese

'Male celibates advise the Pope on what women really want, that is ludicrous'

The former president said women aren’t ‘mysteries’ or ‘strawberries on the cake’, despite what popes have called them.

34.0k

116

Mar 8th 2018, 2:31 PM

# namesake

'I haven't taken a senior player' - Martin O'Neill upset with Michael for bringing religion into allegiance debate

The Republic of Ireland manager was responding to an interview his counterpart did earlier this week.

26.4k

Mar 8th 2018, 1:30 PM

# misogyny

Mary McAleese says it's 'pure codology' that women can't become priests

The former president also called the Catholic Church an “empire of misogyny”.

45.3k

195

Mar 8th 2018, 9:35 AM

# thanks be to god

Mass-goers told there is 'no obligation' to attend religious services today

The public has been told they can view mass online instead.

22.0k

122

Mar 4th 2018, 9:25 AM

# RIP

Tributes paid to influential US preacher Billy Graham who has died at age 99

He was the most widely heard Christian evangelist in history.

24.7k

115

Feb 21st 2018, 6:15 PM

# losing my religion

Atheist Ireland calls for bibles to be removed from referendum polling stations

The group calls the current system “discriminatory”.

28.4k

226

Jan 13th 2018, 7:30 AM

# Spotlight

Disgraced Boston cardinal at the centre of Spotlight case dies

Law had been sick and was recently hospitalised in Rome.

25.1k

182

Dec 20th 2017, 7:05 AM

# religious orders

Government plans to scrap provision allowing church to appoint teachers and principals

Current criteria allows the Catholic church to appoint nuns, priests, monks and brothers as principals and teachers in schools.

12.9k

Dec 19th 2017, 8:39 PM

# Discrimination

Man loses case against Irish council's refusal to hold ceremony for Christians killed by IS

The man had claimed the council was discriminating against him on religious grounds by refusing to hold a wreath-laying ceremony.

18.6k

Dec 15th 2017, 5:17 PM

# Your Say

Poll: Would you like to attend the Pope's mass in Ireland?

Pope Francis is set to visit the country next year.

38.4k

158

Dec 10th 2017, 9:27 AM

# rohingya crisis

Pope Francis arrives in Myanmar on high-stakes visit

He is expected to address claims of ethnic cleansing in the region.

6.9k

Nov 27th 2017, 8:30 AM

# iPope

The Pope had to tell bishops to put down their phones in mass today

Bishops love technology.

27.9k

Nov 8th 2017, 10:21 PM

# The Meaning of Life

Stephen Fry says he was 'enchanted' to be caught up in blasphemy row

He described our “unworkable” blasphemy legislation as “a wonderfully Irish solution”.

28.5k

117

Nov 4th 2017, 5:15 PM

# dramatic sterility

Pope Francis has criticised Europe's low birth rates at a bishops' conference

In 2014 Pope Francis described the EU as a “grandmother, no longer fertile and vibrant”.

22.7k

144

Oct 28th 2017, 6:56 PM

# Birmingham

UK court rules that Islamic school's gender segregation is unlawful

The Al-Hijrah School argued that the segregation policy was one of the “defining characteristics” of the school.

17.0k

Oct 13th 2017, 9:35 PM

# Census 2016

At 88.6%, Offaly has the highest percentage of Catholics in Ireland

Ireland’s population of Roman Catholics has fallen since 2011.

27.8k

192

Oct 12th 2017, 1:26 PM

Voices

Opinion: 'Debating religious ideas isn't inciting to hatred'

Introducing a blasphemy law in the 21st century has damaged our reputation internationally, writes Selina Campbell.

5.4k

108

Oct 8th 2017, 8:30 AM

# religious freedom

'Contempt for women reaches a new low': Trump administration rolls back free birth control access

The American Civil Liberties Union has filed a lawsuit in response to the announcement.

24.7k

109

Oct 7th 2017, 12:15 PM

# Job application

Man who listed 'standing up against homosexuality' as achievement loses discrimination case

Mark Savage claimed he was told to remove the line from his CV.

26.3k

Sep 14th 2017, 4:34 PM

# Church and State

Bishops have 'constructive' meeting with Varadkar and ministers

The agenda for the meeting included the Eighth Amendment and the possibility of a visit to Ireland by Pope Francis.

14.2k

Aug 31st 2017, 9:29 PM

# Religious Festival

Three days of mourning in Madeira after falling tree kills 13 people

Dozens more were injured, some seriously.

11.5k

Aug 16th 2017, 10:54 AM

# Madeira

'It happened in the middle of mass': 12 killed and 50 injured by falling tree at religious Portuguese festival

A 200-year-old oak tree fell on people gathered outside a church.

30.0k

Aug 15th 2017, 8:34 PM

# Knock

'Grandparents are the anchor of many families - but we don't always recognise that'

The Catholic Grandparents Association is holding its annual pilgrimage to Knock next month (and will feature a performance from Dana).

14.3k

Aug 13th 2017, 3:30 PM

# the last supper

'The priests are all old men now, and so are we': Heartbreak at Limerick's last male-only Mass

Members are disappointed that there was no vote before the decision was made to end the 150-year-old service.

39.8k

Jul 28th 2017, 6:15 AM

# Workplace Relations

Dublin bakery's refusal to make anti-gay marriage cake 'was not discrimination'

“BY THE GRACE OF THE GOOD LORD.”

97.1k

156

Jul 24th 2017, 12:13 PM

# wafer or wine

Concern from Catholics, but gluten-free communion host IS available in Ireland

A new statement from the Vatican had some people confused.

14.4k

Jul 13th 2017, 6:09 AM

Voices

Opinion: 'Leo is right to welcome people who have socially conservative views'

Pushing Christians whose politics are shaped by their religious convictions to the periphery is wrong and dumb, writes Larry Donnelly.

4.9k

102

Jun 26th 2017, 6:30 AM

# mass appeal

Huge growth in numbers attending Irish Christian conference for 'anyone who loves Jesus'

A ‘miracle night’ was held by Ireland4Jesus as part of events in Dublin last weekend.

29.6k

183

Jun 11th 2017, 10:00 PM

# end of life matters

'You can only do a funeral once, and you have to do it right': The story behind RIP.ie

We speak to one of the siblings behind the death notice website.

47.6k

Jun 10th 2017, 12:05 AM

# Your Say

Poll: Should the Angelus be scrapped?

Some people think it’s not appropriate in modern Ireland.

46.8k

247

Jun 2nd 2017, 9:29 AM

# National Maternity Hospital

'It was clear that public opinion influenced the Sisters of Charity's decision'

But who now owns the National Maternity Hospital? The government still needs to clarify its position.

15.1k

May 30th 2017, 12:05 AM

# Distraction

Philippine authorities ban hanging rosary beads off car dashboards

“With these religious images, drivers feel they are safer, that there is divine intervention and they are being guided and protected.”

20.7k

May 28th 2017, 8:45 AM

# Our Lady's Grove

Five acres of Dublin school grounds to be sold by religious order

“It feels like the school’s being stripped back,” one parent said.

28.6k

May 25th 2017, 9:46 PM

# Vatican visit

Climate Bells: The gift Michael D Higgins gave Pope Francis today

President Higgins was expected to discuss ‘issues of global importance’ with the Pope in the Vatican today.

22.2k

May 22nd 2017, 4:40 PM

# Mountjoy Prison

Chalice given back to Spike Island after 134 years in Dublin

When the island ceased to be a prison in June 1883 the chalice was taken to Mountjoy Prison.

14.0k

May 15th 2017, 8:16 PM

# Faith

Ireland's first ever beatification to take place in Dublin this morning

The ceremony will make a formal request for the beatification of Dublin man Fr John Sullivan, who died in 1933.

29.7k

May 13th 2017, 6:00 AM

# George Lemaitre

Vatican celebrates big bang theory to dispel 'science conflict'

The head of the Vatican Observatory said people can believe in both God and the big bang theory.

20.1k

151

May 9th 2017, 2:38 PM

# The Meaning of Life

Simon Harris says Ireland's blasphemy laws are 'silly' and 'embarrassing'

It’s been suggested by experts that our current blasphemy laws are ‘unenforceable’.

28.6k

156

May 8th 2017, 12:25 PM