The Irish answer to the issue of same-sex marriage underscores Pope Francis’s isolation from the Western world and its people, writes John Lloyd.

Legislation to make same-sex marriage a reality here is expected to be enacted by the end of July.

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.

Church in Australia says clergy should get psychosexual training

The Synod of Bishops must embrace reform. There is something skewed about asking male celibates to review the Church’s teaching on family life, according to TP O’Mahony

An arrogant Church hierarchy has a long history of scapegoating and trying to cover up serious scandals, says Ryle Dwyer

SO are we becoming a nation of pagans?

Most Irish bishops believe we have become a “nation of pagans” who bought in to the “evils of materialism and consumerism” of the Celtic Tiger era.

The diocese of Cork and Ross will start a recruitment drive in the coming months aimed at encouraging both married and unmarried parishioners to join the clergy by becoming deacons.

Pope Benedict’s message to the International Eucharistic Congress:

If similar surveys were undertaken in other countries, the results would be pretty much the same, writes Fr Seán McDonagh

The Association of Catholic Priests has accused the Vatican of trying to silence its founding member Fr Tony Flannery and warned the move will exacerbate the perceived “disconnect” between the Irish Church and Rome.

Communities will be involved in any plans to radically reorganise the amount of dioceses in this country, according to the summary report presented by the Vatican team who visited the country last year.

The apostolic visitation report strongly underlines the need for the Catholic Church to continue listening to and providing counselling services to the thousands of people abused in its care.

The Vatican was accused today of not accepting responsibility for its role in the cover-up of the sex abuse of children in Ireland.

IRELAND’S decision to close its embassy to the Vatican is a huge blow to the Holy See’s prestige and may be followed by other countries which feel the missions are too expensive, sources have said.

ONE of Ireland’s most controversial clerics, Bishop Eamon Casey, was admitted to a Clare nursing home last week because of ill health.

NOT all those who support the Fine Gael Party, nor all members of that party, approve of the tone of the Taoiseach’s recent address to the Dáil.

I FEEL again compelled to take issue with the nature of political, press and interest group reaction to the Cloyne Report and the ongoing fallout in terms of the Vatican’s relations with Ireland.

THE Cloyne report into clerical child sex abuse has exposed the “dysfunction, disconnection, elitism and narcissism” at the heart of the Vatican, Enda Kenny has said in a blistering denunciation of the Holy See.

IN THE first sign of a reaction by the Vatican to the Cloyne report, its press officer has claimed the Holy See never instructed Irish bishops to withhold information on abuse cases.

CUTTING diplomatic representation to Rome and withdrawing a ceremonial title from the papal nuncio would send a signal to the Vatican that Ireland is angry at its failure to protect children, according to a former ministerial adviser.

THERE was growing opposition in the Catholic Church last night to government proposals to bring the hearing of confessions under the remit of reporting of allegations of child abuse.

Tánaiste Eamon Gilmore has come under pressure from Cabinet colleagues to summon the Pope’s Irish ambassador over Rome‘s role in the Cloyne scandal.

A retired Catholic bishop has been singled out for failing to follow Church rules on reporting clerical sex abuse in an Irish diocese as recently as three years ago.

AS MORE and more people count themselves out of the Catholic Church the question of how and where one gets married has become more contentious.

Dan Buckley meets Jennifer Sleeman, who is galvanising Irish Catholic women to make their voices heard by a church that does not appreciate their anger.

Cardinal Sean Brady tonight said he was confident he had the prayers and support of many people despite three quarters of adults believing he should stand down over child sex abuse scandals in the Irish Church.

THE Catholic Church’s child protection watchdog is to meet Archbishop Diarmuid Martin this week over his claims that strong forces within the Church were still trying to hide the truth about paedophile priests.

THE Primate of All-Ireland, Cardinal Seán Brady, is recovering in hospital after collapsing during a Confirmation Mass.

Cardinal Seán Brady in his Easter homily today said there was "no hiding place for abusers in the Church in Ireland".

The Archbishop of Canterbury tonight said he “had no intention of criticising or attacking” the Catholic Church after an interview in which he appeared to suggest the Church in Ireland had lost all credibility over the child abuse scandal.

The Archbishop of Canterbury tonight expressed his “deep sorrow and regret” after declaring the Catholic Church in Ireland had lost all credibility over the child abuse scandal.

UNDER-FIRE bishops are likely to face further pressure, following direct criticism by the Pope of their handling of clerical child sex abuse.

BISHOPS criticised in the Pope’s pastoral letter could come under renewed pressure to resign after the message to Irish Catholics sparked anger among some victims’ groups.

The Pope’s letter on how senior Catholic clergy in Ireland mishandled cases of clerical child abuse was today branded as weak.

POPE BENEDICT’S pastoral letter will be released today. Whether it will mark an ending or a beginning remains to be seen.

THE gardaí should investigate Cardinal Seán Brady’s involvement in the hushing-up of paedophilia in the Catholic Church, Labour last night insisted.

I WOULD love to be communications advisor to the bishops.

THOSE who work with the victims of rape have expressed disappointment at the outcome of emergency talks in the Vatican that addressed the clerical sex abuse crisis in the Irish church.

CARDINAL Cahal Daly was best known during his time in office as an outspoken critic of the IRA.

Garry O’Sullivan argues that, to have a credible long-term future, the Irish Catholic Church needs radical surgery

THE Pope and the heads of the Irish Church did not discuss directly the resignations of any of the bishops during their meeting in Rome, according to Cardinal Séan Brady.

Survivors of clerical abuse demanded tonight that senior clergy and gardaí who allowed known paedophile priests to prey on defenceless children be brought to justice.