The Vatican has said that Catholics who want to be cremated cannot have their ashes scattered, divided up or kept at home.

THE last thing the Catholic diocese of Cloyne in East Cork needs is another scandal.

The first lay person to assume the position of child protection officer in the Catholic diocese of Cloyne has resigned in a dispute over the handling by Bishop William Crean of the case of defrocked priest Dan Duane.

Pope Francis has approved an unprecedented Vatican department to judge bishops accused of covering up or not preventing sexual abuse of minors, in an attempt to meet a key demand by victims’ groups.

The Archbishop of Dublin, Diarmuid Martin, is right — the Catholic Church now needs to carry out a reality check, especially in regard to young people and their beliefs. And after the outcome of the referendum on same-sex marriage, he won’t find the result of such a check very comforting.

Pope Francis has decreed that Salvadoran Archbishop Oscar Romero was killed in 1980 out of hatred for his Catholic faith, approving a martyrdom declaration that sets the stage for his beatification.

Pope Francis appeared to bow to pressure from Catholic conservatives when he backed the importance of the traditional family to children.

There is a recognition and growing acceptance within wider society that human sexuality is not one-dimensional, writes TP O’Mahony

The issue of divorce is stoking a spirited debate between Catholic cardinals and revealing the challenges and expectations for Pope Francis after his promises to put the Church more in touch with modern life.

A senior Vatican-based cardinal has accused Fr Tony Flannery, the founder of the Association of Catholic Priests, of undermining the faith of Catholics.

The Association of Catholic Priests elected three new leading spokesmen yesterday as rebel priest Fr Tony Flannery admitted there had been “no change” on his ban on ministry.

Fr Iggy O’Donovan has accused the Catholic Church hierarchy of “luring him into a trap” and behaving in a mean and deceitful way over a complaint made about a baptism at which he officiated.

The prior provincial of the Augustinian community in Ireland, Fr John Hennebry has insisted Fr Iggy O’Donovan is “not under any penalty or punishment”, as he begins a year-long sabbatical in Limerick.

Pope Francis today effectively demoted a highly conservative Italian cardinal who led the Vatican’s department on clergy.

Fr Tony Flannery was officially silenced and told to withdraw from public ministry by the Vatican in 2012.

A recent speech by Pope Francis held clear echoes of a centuries-old tradition stressing the need for radical, progressive action, and insights on matters of social justice, writes TP O’Mahony

Pope Francis has urged Vatican disciplinarians to act “with determination” against sexual abuse committed by members of the Catholic clergy, in his first public pronouncement on the issue.

Victims' advocates are said to be unimpressed after Pope Francis called for the Catholic Church to act “with determination” against clergy sex abuse cases.

Outspoken Redemptorist Fr Tony Flannery, who was threatened with excommunication under the reign of Pope Benedict, has paid tribute to the former pope for stepping down — because, whether he intended it or not, he had paved the way for open discussion within the Church.

FOR decades, women have been waiting for a change in the Catholic Church’s attitude towards them, and now once again with the election of a new pope many are harbouring similar hopes.

THE signs have been evident for some time — a pope no longer in control, unable to act decisively, resulting in embarrassing publicity and a leader showing increasing signs of being overwhelmed by the problems of a Church in deep crisis.

A FEW years ago, on Dec 23, I got a morning call from RTÉ.

POPE Benedict XVI has a reputation as a charming and shy man who is also deeply conservative in his outlook and teaching.

FOLLOWING the pope’s stunning announcement, the time for the Catholic Church to elect its first non-European leader is approaching — and it could be a Latin American.

THERE’S a thorny old problem in theology: free will versus determinism.

The Redemptorist religious order has come out in support of one of its priests who is to risk excommunication rather than give in to Vatican demands to stop questioning Catholic church teachings on sexuality and women priests.

With Pope Benedict XVI set to celebrate his 86th birthday in April, speculation about a possible successor abounds.

On behalf of We Are Church Ireland, I wish to express our solidarity with the Leadership Conference of 900 Women Religious, representing 320 religious communities in the US.

A leading moral theologian has said it is regrettable that all too often any questioning of policy or leadership in the Catholic Church is still seen in the 21st century as an expression of disloyalty, if not of lack of faith.

The Vatican's chief investigator has today insisted that Ireland's most senior cleric has no case to answer regarding renewed allegations of mishandling of allegations against the paedophile Brendan Smyth.

More than 200 Catholics staged a silent vigil outside the Papal Nunciature in Dublin in protest at the Vatican’s silencing of several Irish priests.

High-profile priest Father Brian D’Arcy, who has been censured by the Vatican for his writings, warned today that the creation of a “veil of secrecy” worked against efforts to prevent clerical child abuse.

Fr Brian D’Arcy has told of the pain he’s been living with because of his censure by the Vatican.

An Irish priest censured by the Vatican spoke today of his distress over the disciplinary action.

A Catholic priest is calling the censure of Father Brian D'Arcy by the Vatican "completely unacceptable".

The Vatican has censured one of Ireland's most outspoken and best known priests, Fr Brian D'arcy.

The pope began his eighth year today after spending the waning days of his seventh driving home his view of the Catholic Church, with a divisive crackdown on dissenters and an equally divisive opening to a fringe group of traditionalists.

The Vatican orthodoxy watchdog today announced a full-scale overhaul of the largest umbrella group for nuns in the United States.

The Association of Catholic Priests has said it does not expect members of the Irish hierarchy to comment on the silencing by the Vatican of one of the group’s founders, Fr Tony Flannery.

In recent days, we have again seen how an authoritarian Vatican responds to those who question the assertions it regards as absolute truths.

The public read with dismay the media accounts of Redemptorist priest Fr Tony Flannery being muzzled by the Vatican. He has done much good in his life.

COMPARE and contrast, if you will, the utterances of two Catholic priests.