Charlie Bird saw many remarkable things in his 40 years in RTÉ but nothing could have prepared him for meeting the people who live in a graveyard.

The Catholic Church hierarchy here has said it will no longer carry out the civil elements of weddings if marriage is extended to gay couples.

In an attempt to distance himself from his initial robust defence of the remarks of the Belfast Protestant evangelical minister Pastor James McConnell who described Muslims as heathen, satanic and spawned evil, Northern Ireland’s First Minister Peter Robinson said he believed the pastor "has the right to freedom of speech" but that he "would never seek to cause any insult to any section of our community".

I REFER to Claire O’Sullivan’s article (Church will not take bishop’s celibacy remarks too kindly, Sept 14) which refers to retired Bishop Dr Edward Daly’s questioning of the need for the continuation of the long-established rule of mandatory celibacy in the Catholic Church.

The pope stepped into the row over Pakistan’s blasphemy laws today, declaring them an excuse for violence against non-Muslims and urging their removal.

Rights groups rounded on the Catholic Church today after Bishops called for TDs to be allowed a free vote on new civil partnership laws.

There is no statistical connection between the abuse of minors and a celibate way of life, the leader of Catholics in England and Wales said tonight.

Patriarch Pavle, who led Serbia’s Christian Orthodox Church through its post-Communist revival and called for peace and conciliation during the Balkan conflicts of the 1990s but failed to openly condemn Serb nationalism, died today. He was 95.

Tensions are rising in parts of Derry and Antrim in advance of a disputed loyalist parade next week.

Three Catholic churches in the Ballymena area of Co Antrim were damaged in sectarian attacks in the early hours of this morning.

'Da Vinci Code' director Ron Howard had to shoot the movie's forthcoming prequel using imitations of the Catholic churches in the storyline - after the Vatican banned him from all of its holy buildings.

ONE of only six Catholic churches allowed to hold Mass in penal times is to undergo a €1 million restoration to save its historic windows.

THE Church of Ireland is showing a greater sense of purpose than the Catholic Church here.

Catholic churches around the country are promoting their pro-life stance today with masses to celebrate the "Day for Life" campaign.

Palestinians wielding guns, firebombs and lighter fluid attacked four churches in the West Bank town of Nablus on today, while gunmen opened fire at a fifth in Gaza, following remarks by Pope Benedict XVI that many Muslims view as disparaging.

A DISTRICT police commander in the North said yesterday he was disgusted by the daubing of sectarian slogans on two Catholic churches in his town.

The IRA could reportedly complete the process of arms decommissioning within a matter of weeks following its historic decision to end armed activities.

A father whose son was killed by the Omagh bomb tonight called on Sinn Féin to fully cooperate with investigations into the atrocity.

Loyalists were blamed today for setting fire to a bar and attacking two Catholic churches with paint bombs in Co Antrim.

THE Pope declared a Eucharistic year from October 2004 to October 2005 and I believe it is time for the Catholic hierarchy to organise a Eucharistic congress in Ireland - the last one was in 1932.

The United States presidential election could have been computer hacked, the wife of Democrat candidate John Kerry has claimed.

TP O’MAHONY has been reporting on religious affairs for more than 30 years. He dislikes the Humanae Vitae encyclical and Pope John Paul II (Irish Examiner, April 8) because the pontiff proclaims the gospel and not the meanderings of liberal trendies.

WHY is the Irish Catholic Church so determined to make church-going such an uncomfortable experience.

The Catholic Church in Singapore has temporarily banned priests from hearing confessions to help stem the spread of severe acute respiratory syndrome, or Sars, it was reported today.

Three Catholic churches in south Armagh have been damaged following weekend break-ins.

Thousands of people are expected to attend an anti-sectarianism rally in Belfast city centre today.