The faith of Ireland’s Catholics continues, despite all

What sort of country will Pope Francis encounter? One where Mass attendance – though falling – is still among the highest in Europe, where scandals have dented people’s faith in the church, but faith itself has not died

Public consultations ahead of papal visit to begin in Mallow

Summaries of what is discussed will be forwarded to Pope Francis

Description of Yes result as an end to Catholic Ireland greatly exaggerates

Voters were almost all educated in church-run schools

Pope seeks new version of Lord’s Prayer: Has he tried it in Irish?

‘It’s Satan who leads us into temptation, that’s his department,’ says Pope Francis

Religious instinct will outlive evangelical secularists

Populist rants of Stephen Fry and Richard Dawkins insult intelligence as well as the faithful

Death of ‘sex as sin’ brought confession era to an end - priest

Remarks counter clergy at Galway novena who suggested practice making a comeback

Fr Tony Flannery vows to keep fighting for church reform

Banned priest: ‘It’s all falling apart so fast; it’s collapsing rapidly. Some say it’s too late’

Fr Brendan Hoban: Ireland’s last priests are a lost tribe

As we grow old as priests, we realise how little care, esteem or affection is in our lives

Archbishop accused of releasing ‘tsunami of invective’ on church

Fr Seán McDonagh says comments about ‘goings on’ in Maynooth caused embarrassment

Handling of Maynooth seminary claims could ‘damage’ church

Moving trainees from college amid gay subculture claims not fixing more important issues, Fr Brendan Hoban says

Catholic extremists do ‘untold damage’ to church, says priest

Public debate left to ‘obsessive’ religious who ‘psychologically bludgeon’ their opponents

Rome’s treatment of censured Irish priests a ‘great scandal’

Catholic bishops urged to develop more just and respectful process for dealing with cases

Priests seek national synod to tackle Catholic vocations ‘crisis’

Association of Catholic Priests says members are subjected to ‘huge mental and physical pressure’

Irish priests’ group to discuss vocation crisis with bishops

Meeting comes amid tensions between priests and bishops’ conference

Rite & Reason: Priest’s passing underlines crisis faced by church

As clergy die, who will replace them? Without priests, there can be no Eucharist

Mass attendance in Dublin to drop by one-third by 2030

Number of priests serving in parishes expected to fall by 60%, report says

Time for fair admissions to our primary schools is long overdue

Unwillingness to change the terms of the Equal Status Act that allows intake preference to be given to baptised children suggests a failure of political nerve

Priest says demand for secular schools is low

Catholic parishes ‘have no intention of handing over their local school to anyone’

Threat to separate church and civil ceremonies was a crude scare tactic

Expense and inconvenience involved would have one certain outcome: the abandonment of Catholic church weddings by even more couples in favour of civil weddings

Same-sex marriage vote an ‘unmitigated disaster’ for Church

People ‘no longer willing to listen to speeches and sermons on morality from the church’

Catholic priest advises Protestant guidance on referendum

Priest ‘unconvinced by many of arguments offered by both sides’

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