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#Religion

A collection of articles relating to religion.

A COMPREHENSIVE SERIES OF ARTICLES ON THIS TOPIC

<p>Monica Bellucci, Maia Morgenstern, and Hristo Jivkov starred in Mel Gibson’s controversial film ‘The Passion Of The Christ’ in 2004. In casting Monica Bellucci as Mary of Magdala, Mel Gibson depicted her as a femme fatale — a woman whose beauty and sexual allure drew men to her, even Christ himself. </p>

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TP O'Mahony: Slander of Mary Magdalene was a deliberate choice by early Church

The depiction of Mary Magdalene — who was probably an apostle — as a sex worker hardened over time in order to reduce the influence of women in the Church, writes TP O’Mahony

<p>Gardaí at the Holy Cross Church. Photo: Joe Evans.</p>

munster

Woman, 50s, injured in alleged stabbing during mass at Waterford church

<p>Walter and Bernie in the hairdressers’ chairs in the Capuchin Day Centre, Bow St, Dublin, as Trudy Hayes and Trevor Hynes — volunteers with Haircuts 4 Homeless Ireland — set about giving them nice haircuts. <span class="contextmenu emphasis CaptionCredit">Pictures: Moya Nolan</span>
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spotlight

Haircuts 4 Homeless: ‘What’s shared in the chair stays in the chair’

Gareth O'Callaghan.png

Gareth O'Callaghan: There’s nothing modern about Latin Mass — that's why I love it

St Augustine's Church in Cork overflows with emotion for its last-ever Mass

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St Augustine's Church in Cork overflows with emotion for its last-ever Mass

The St Augustine's Christy Ring chalice 'must remain in Cork'

munster

The St Augustine's Christy Ring chalice 'must remain in Cork'

Young School Boy With His Hands Clasped

Slow progress of divestment shows parents want a choice of schools — not to change existing ones

The school divestment plans first mooted in 2011 have been slow and underwhelming, because policymakers misunderstood a desire for choice as a desire for change, writes Anne Marie Kavanagh

Fri, 10 Jul, 2026

Image Title: The Primary School

In Plain Sight is a photographic exhibition by Dublin born photographer Kim Haughton. It opens

Mick Clifford: The Dunderrow women prove Ireland’s child abuse cover-up never truly ended

Two redress schemes were set up to compensate them for the failure of the State to protect their childhoods. Both determined they didn’t qualify for redress for the crimes.

Mon, 06 Jul, 2026

Cork sect excommunicated by Pope Leo to celebrate Mass 'as usual' on Sunday

Cork sect excommunicated by Pope Leo to celebrate Mass 'as usual' on Sunday

Cork SSPX (Society of St Pius X) church to celebrate Mass ‘as normal’ despite their excommunication this week

Fri, 03 Jul, 2026

Man (40s) arrested after suspected arson attack at Islamic prayer hall

Man (40s) arrested after suspected arson attack at Islamic prayer hall

The blaze was started this afternoon at the Al-Madinah prayer hall on Talbot St

Mon, 29 Jun, 2026

Lithuanian man pleads guilty to terrorist plot to attack Galway mosque

Lithuanian man pleads guilty to terrorist plot to attack Galway mosque

He is further charged with the possession of an explosive substance — four threaded pipe end caps and six litres of hydrogen peroxide

Mon, 29 Jun, 2026

Noel Howard: The Cork divorce trial that gripped the Victorian world

Noel Howard: The Cork divorce trial that gripped the Victorian world

A landmark Victorian courtroom battle saw Lady Louisa Mount Cashell challenge convention and secure an extraordinary legal victory

Sun, 28 Jun, 2026

UK's Freedom Of Expression Ranked In The Third Tier

From Karl Marx to TikTok: What Speakers' Corner says about free speech today

A visit to London's historic Speakers' Corner explores whether face-to-face debate still has a place in the digital age

Sat, 27 Jun, 2026

Abortion services in NI

Gardaí issue appeal for victims of abuse by the Presbyterian Church in Ireland

Gardaí have issued an appeal to anyone who may have experienced abuse at the hands of figures within in the Presbyterian church in Ireland.

Wed, 24 Jun, 2026

Tributes after death of 108-year-old Cork nun Sr Colette Hickey, who was Ireland's oldest woman

Tributes after death of 108-year-old Cork nun Sr Colette Hickey, who was Ireland's oldest woman

Sr Colette joined the Good Shepherd Sisters over 90 years ago at the age of 17, and founded Edel House in 1972. She become Ireland's oldest living person just weeks ago

Wed, 24 Jun, 2026

School stock

Q&A: What is the primary school survey and what does it mean for children and parents?

Parents were asked their preferences on school patronage and ethos, co-educational or single-sex schools and language of instruction, either English or Irish

Tue, 23 Jun, 2026

Free School plans

Landmark survey shows strong preference for change to multi-denominational primary schools

The Department of Education has published in full the findings of its primary school parents' survey, which found a strong preference amongst parents for co-educational schools, over all-boys or all-girls schools

Tue, 23 Jun, 2026

Pension power: How nuns drove the medieval economy before banking began

Pension power: How nuns drove the medieval economy before banking began

Women certainly had an active role in the 15th century economy — but convents emerged as key providers of pension annuities

Sat, 20 Jun, 2026

Bishop Leahy speech

Limerick Catholics call for stronger representation of women in the Church

In a letter read out at Masses in the Diocese, Bishop Brendan Leahy said 'the most urgent priority identified was the need to engage more deeply with young people and families'

Mon, 15 Jun, 2026

Back to School

S Jennifer Horgan: Teachers aren't responsible for childcare and workplace challenges

Parents should be embarrassed to hear themselves complain about holidays and training days for teachers, writes Jennifer Horgan

Fri, 05 Jun, 2026

Keeping the faith: Cork man carries on grandmother’s Eucharistic tradition

Keeping the faith: Cork man carries on grandmother’s Eucharistic tradition

Craig Clinton is continuing a decades-old street altar tradition in Shandon, honouring the deep faith and legacy of his late grandmother

Thu, 04 Jun, 2026

Umar al-Qadri: We can be both proudly Irish and proudly Muslim this Eid

Umar al-Qadri: We can be both proudly Irish and proudly Muslim this Eid

As Eid begins, we can honour the special heritage of native Irish people while recognising that contemporary Ireland includes people who became Irish through belonging, contribution and shared civic life

Wed, 27 May, 2026

Leo XIV

S Sarah Harte: If we can’t make AI work for us, I’ll meet you at the barricades

Meta's layoffs of Irish staff, Geoffrey Hinton's fears about AI, and Pope Leo's encyclical have all raised fears about AI this week

Wed, 27 May, 2026

A crucifix on a book against the background of a chalkboard

Primary schools to find out next week if parents want to drop religious ethos

The first national primary school survey found that 40% of parents with children attending religious-run schools do not wish to retain their school's religious ethos

Tue, 26 May, 2026

Rosary in Girl's hands

Letters to the Editor: Religious education can open up a sense of wonder

Several readers responded to Aoife Cassidy's opinion column about religious education in schools — and, as ever, what they have to say may surprise you

Sat, 23 May, 2026

Cork Eucharistic procession to welcome relics of 'God's influencer' St Carlo Acutis

Cork Eucharistic procession to welcome relics of 'God's influencer' St Carlo Acutis

A piece of the heart of St Carlo Acutis, canonised in September last year by Pope Leo XIV, is among items that will travel to different locations across diocese as part of 100th anniversary of Eucharistic procession in Cork.

Fri, 22 May, 2026

Micheál Martin invites Pope Leo to visit Ireland during state visit to Vatican

Micheál Martin invites Pope Leo to visit Ireland during state visit to Vatican

But Martin may not be in office for such a papal visit: Taoiseach's Paris and Rome trip during a by-election campaign comes amid rumours he may step down as party leader after Ireland's EU presidency

Fri, 22 May, 2026

Bishop Paul Colton on 25 years of change in Ireland as he retires from Cork diocese

Bishop Paul Colton on 25 years of change in Ireland as he retires from Cork diocese

After decades of service, Bishop Paul Colton reflects on leadership, social change, and the evolving role of faith in Ireland

Sun, 03 May, 2026

Limerick diocese puts land between city schools up for sale for €2.27m amid financial strain

S Limerick diocese puts land between city schools up for sale for €2.27m amid financial strain

The 5.6-acre greenfield site, which is zoned for housing, is being sold to address 'sustained' budget deficit in the diocese

Wed, 29 Apr, 2026

David O'Mahony: My folk horror era has happened without me realising

David O'Mahony: My folk horror era has happened without me realising

In all likelihood, I probably would have found my way into horror one way or another

Sat, 25 Apr, 2026

Donald Trump

TP O'Mahony: Link between religion and politics in the US is unique in the West

Unlike Europe, the USA remains an intensely religious society

Wed, 22 Apr, 2026

Cameroon Africa Pope

‘I’m not a politician’: Clash with Pope Leo could prove dangerous for Donald Trump

Asymmetric clash between a president who treats power in transactional terms and a pope who frames war, migration, and human dignity as matters of moral principle

Mon, 20 Apr, 2026

Dramatic crucifixion scene with sun rays and clouds

Jennifer Horgan: We've lost the language of death by turning away from religion and poetry

I notice that I need stories more than ever before. I am reading far more books, watching far more films, far more TV. It’s an escape from my own story, I think

Fri, 10 Apr, 2026

Religious patrons to have 'ultimate say' on ethos of primary school, says minister

Religious patrons to have 'ultimate say' on ethos of primary school, says minister

It comes after a landmark survey found strong demand for more multi-denominational education

Tue, 07 Apr, 2026

A crucifix on a book against the background of a chalkboard

73% of parents with children in single-sex primary schools favour move towards co-education

40% of parents with children attending religious-run schools do not wish to retain their school's religious ethos

Tue, 07 Apr, 2026

Silhouette Crucifixion of Jesus Christ and the sunset

Gareth O'Callaghan: What if everything we thought we knew about Jesus was wrong?

Gareth O'Callaghan explores controversial theories about Jesus’s life, questioning accepted narratives while examining evidence, faith, and enduring historical uncertainty

Sat, 04 Apr, 2026

TOPSHOT-ISRAEL-US-PALESTINIAN-CONFLICT-TRUMP

Colin Sheridan: 21st century would be incompatible with a modern-day Jesus

If Jesus were alive today, it is hard to believe his message would be well-received, writes Colin Sheridan

Sat, 04 Apr, 2026

Colin Sheridan: For the faithful, to visit the Holy Land is to inhabit two timelines at once

Colin Sheridan: For the faithful, to visit the Holy Land is to inhabit two timelines at once

The last days of Jesus are rooted in places that still exist but they are part of the most contested landscapes in the world

Fri, 03 Apr, 2026

Cork mayors ring Shandon bells to mark completion of major restoration project

Cork mayors ring Shandon bells to mark completion of major restoration project

'Bells of Shandon' and 'Ode to Joy' ring out over Cork after renovation work on the iconic tower under the 'Goldie Fish'

Fri, 27 Mar, 2026

Sarah Horgan: Stained glass artist learned from the medieval masters

Sarah Horgan: Stained glass artist learned from the medieval masters

From the Tower of London and Windsor Castle to small local churches, Colette Langan says she learned her art while restoring windows in historic buildings

Mon, 16 Mar, 2026

Rosary in Girl's hands

Dear Dáithí: My sister was told to return a Communion dress as another pupil had it

My sister was taken aback to get a call from the shop where she had purchased the dress to say when they checked their files, another pupil at the school had already bought the same one...and she needed to return the dress she bought

Sun, 15 Mar, 2026

Rosary in Girl's hands

The 'choice' not to practice religion is a myth in Irish education

There is a striking irony in how Irish people discuss America’s freefall into theocracy, undergirded by a rise in Christian nationalism — we treat it like fascism, while blithely ignoring our own almost entirely doctrinal education system

Wed, 11 Mar, 2026

Hundreds of students apply to study at US‑run third‑level campus in former Mount Melleray

Hundreds of students apply to study at US‑run third‑level campus in former Mount Melleray

Florida-based Ave Maria University is offering students the chance of 'a transformational semester of prayer, study, work, and adventure'

Tue, 10 Mar, 2026

Clodagh Finn: A woman’s toolkit for change for the next 100 years

Clodagh Finn: A woman’s toolkit for change for the next 100 years

As we mark International Women’s Day, a new book looks at how women overcame the barriers and restrictions imposed on them

Sat, 07 Mar, 2026

Ireland among most religious countries in Europe, new study finds

Ireland among most religious countries in Europe, new study finds

New research shows Ireland remains highly religious, with notable growth in faith practice among young adults

Wed, 04 Mar, 2026

St Augustine's Church in Cork city centre to close this year

St Augustine's Church in Cork city centre to close this year

Once visited by Pope Leo, St Augustine's Church is set to close, with the decline in vocations to the priesthood behind the decision

Fri, 27 Feb, 2026

Bishop condemns 'shocking and worrying' attack on Limerick mosque

Bishop condemns 'shocking and worrying' attack on Limerick mosque

No one injured after petrol bomb thrown through window

Fri, 13 Feb, 2026

Birthday boy

Dear Dáithí: Should we attend or ignore a 'non-communion party'?

This occasion just doesn’t sit right with us at all. People who don’t get married don’t usually decide to just have a non-wedding party

Mon, 09 Feb, 2026

Winter weather Jan 27th 2026

Irish Examiner view: Home insurance falls victim to Storm Chandra and climate change

People in Cork still dealing with the fallout from Storm Babet look on with sympathy as residents in the east are battered by Storm Chandra

Sat, 31 Jan, 2026

Medieval fortified city of Carcassonne, France

Timoleague and Quin abbeys could be Ireland's Carcassonne

Cork and Clare abbeys are among Ireland's many crumbling monasteries and friaries. We should take our lead from a 19th century French architect who restored Carcassonne — or emulate our own restoration of Holycross in Tipperary

Wed, 28 Jan, 2026