Gänswein celebrates that with Leo XIV “normality returns” and speaks of a shift in the climate in the Vatican

Archbishop Georg Gänswein, apostolic nuncio in Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia, assures that with the pontificate of Leo XIV “normality is slowly returning” and that “a change in atmosphere for the better” is perceived, according to statements in an interview with EWTN.

A phrase loaded with intention

In Gänswein’s mouth, the word “normality” is not an innocent adjective. His biography in recent years - first as prefect of the Pontifical Household and, above all, as secretary to Benedict XVI - turns any assessment of his into something more than a personal opinion. 

When he states that the change of pontificate has had “a new positive repercussion” in the difficulties that existed, he is suggesting that the problem was not only one of management, but of ecclesial atmosphere: the way of governing, the internal treatment, and the manner of presenting essential Catholic emphases.

From marginalization to diplomacy: the background of the testimony

Gänswein’s intervention gains prominence because his relationship with the previous pontificate was, at minimum, rough. 

He was removed from his position in the Pontifical Household and, after Benedict XVI’s death, was sent to Germany without a specific assignment. 

Over time, the Holy See assigned him to the Baltic as nuncio. 

From that position, his reading of the new Pope has the value - and also the weight - of someone who has known the recent tensions from the inside and now observes a transition of style.

“Emphases” recovered: what had been left “under the table”

Gänswein maintains that Leo XIV has marked “some emphases” that are not novel, but that in recent years “had been completely left under the table.” 

The statement points to a widespread perception in broad sectors of the Church: that, more than a debate on contents, a stage was lived in which certain traditional priorities - doctrinal clarity, centrality of the liturgy, less political theological language - were relegated by a more pragmatic and fluctuating approach.

A Pope with a clear line and catechetical tone

Beyond the environmental impression, Gänswein underscores a fundamental trait: a “clear line” in preaching. 

He states that in Leo XIV’s catecheses and homilies, a man who lives and announces from the “Augustinian spirit” is perceived. 

The nuncio also highlights the frequent use of St. Augustine, presented not as scholarly adornment, but as the key to a pastoral style centered on the Gospel, on conversion, and on the integral transmission of the faith.

A comment that Rome will not ignore

That a nuncio - and precisely Gänswein - speaks of “normality” and improvement in the climate is not a simple sympathetic headline. 

It is a message that will be read as an internal thermometer, a confirmation that Leo XIV is reordering forms, language, and priorities without the need to invent anything new, precisely by returning to what the Church has always upheld. 

In a time of weariness, that “normality” can be, for many Catholics - like Gänswein - the best news.

Pope meets with FSSP leaders to talk about ‘Traditionis Custodes’

Pope Leo XIV and leaders of the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter (FSSP), a community dedicated to the traditional Roman Rite, held a “cordial half-hour meeting” on Monday, January 19, at the apostolic palace. 

The FSSP is a society of apostolic life of pontifical right founded in 1988 by priests who broke with Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre, the founder of the Society of St. Pius X, precisely to remain fully under the Roman pontiff while preserving the older liturgy. 

Like many traditional Roman Rite communities and parishes, the FSSP is a flourishing community with several hundred priests and seminarians worldwide, a steady flow of vocations, and well-attended liturgies.

Pope to send Parolin to Denmark for incredible milestone

In January 2026, the Church will mark a remarkable milestone: 1,200 years since the beginning of the Christian mission in Denmark. 

To commemorate the occasion, Pope Leo XIV has appointed Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Secretary of State of the Holy See, as his papal legate for the celebrations in Copenhagen on January 25, 2026.

The appointment, announced by the Vatican Press Office, places Cardinal Parolin at the heart of an anniversary that reaches far beyond Denmark — back to the very roots of Christianity in Scandinavia.

When the Gospel first crossed into the North

In a Latin-language letter dated December 8, Pope Leo XIV recalls that in 826, a young Benedictine monk named St. Ansgar set out on a journey that would quietly change European history, as shared by Sir Agenzia d'informazione. 

Accompanying Harald Klak — a newly baptized Danish ruler — Ansgar traveled north to plant what the Pope describes as “the seed of the Gospel in Scandinavian soil.”

It was an unlikely mission. Denmark at the time was shaped by Norse religion, political instability, and resistance to outside influence. And yet, Ansgar persisted — founding early Christian communities and laying the groundwork for what would eventually become a lasting Christian presence in the region.

Though conversions were slow and setbacks frequent, Ansgar’s perseverance earned him the enduring title Apostle of the North.

A small Church with deep roots

Christianity in Denmark would not become firmly established until centuries later — notably with the baptism of King Harald Bluetooth around 965 — but Ansgar’s mission marked the first decisive step. Today, Denmark remains predominantly Lutheran, following the Reformation of the 16th century, yet the Catholic Church has endured as a small but vibrant minority.

The Diocese of Copenhagen, which encompasses the entire country, serves Catholics from more than 150 national backgrounds — a quiet reminder that Christianity in Denmark has always been shaped by missionary courage and cultural encounter.

Charity as the heart of mission

In his letter to Cardinal Parolin, Pope Leo XIV underlines a theme that links the 9th century to the present: charity. He writes that “the practice of charity remains the dynamic foundation of the Church’s mission,” reminding the faithful that the Gospel must always be measured by how it is lived — especially in service to the poor.

The Pope adds that the Church, as a mother, can never forget her poorest children, and that the history of Christianity is continually renewed when love is put into action.

A celebration rooted in history — and hope

On January 25, 2026 — the Feast of the Conversion of St. Paul — Cardinal Parolin will preside, in the Pope’s name, over a solemn Eucharistic celebration at St. Ansgar’s Cathedral, joined by local clergy including Monsignor Niels Englebrecht and Father Marcos Romero Bernús.

The date is fitting. Just as Paul’s conversion reshaped the early Church, so too did Ansgar’s quiet obedience begin a Christian story that continues 1,200 years later.

In an age when faith in Northern Europe is often described as fragile or fading, this anniversary offers a different perspective: that Christianity in Denmark was never born from numbers or power, but from patient witness, sacrifice, and love.

And that, perhaps, is what makes this celebration not just historical — but profoundly relevant today.

First meeting with Pope Leo XIV marks new chapter for Church in Africa

The president of the Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar (SECAM) has described the first official audience between Pope Leo XIV and the leadership of the Church in Africa as a “very important meeting” that marks a new phase in relations between the African continent and the Holy See.

In an interview with Vatican News following the Jan. 17 audience, Cardinal Fridolin Ambongo explained that although Pope Leo XIV has previously encountered individual African bishops, the audience represented the first formal engagement with the SECAM leadership under the new pontificate. 

The meeting, initially scheduled for Dec. 18, 2025, was postponed due to the pope’s apostolic trip to Turkey.

The SECAM delegation included Ambongo and SECAM First Vice President Bishop Stephen Dami Mamza of Nigeria’s Diocese of Yola, Archbishop José Manuel Imbamba of the Archdiocese of Saurimo in Angola, who is the second vice president of SECAM, and Father Rafael Simbine, SECAM secretary-general.

“It was really an important meeting,” Ambongo said, adding that the audience “was first to establish an official contact with the new pontiff since his election.”

He said the audience also provided an opportunity for SECAM leaders to brief the pope on the outcomes of their 2025 Plenary Assembly that was held in Kigali, Rwanda. 

The assembly, which took place just months after Pope Leo XIV’s election, focused on the theme “Christ, Source of Hope, Reconciliation, and Peace.”

According to Ambongo, the theme was chosen in response to the persistent crises affecting many African nations, particularly in the Great Lakes region.

“Africa is a continent marked by multiple crises. This theme helped us analyze in depth our mission as pastors in a continent characterized by suffering and instability,” the Congolese member of the Order of Friars Minor Capuchin said.

Reflecting on the condition of the Church amid Africa’s social, political, and security challenges, Ambongo insisted that the Catholic Church remains vibrant and close to the people.

Citing the late Pope Francis’ oft-repeated reminder that the Church does not belong to any political camp but stands with the people, he emphasized that African pastors continue to accompany communities enduring hardship and violence.

“The African Church is dynamic, radiant,” he said, recalling Pope Benedict XVI’s description of Africa as “the spiritual lung of humanity.”

At the same time, Ambongo acknowledged that the Church inevitably shares in the suffering of its people, particularly in conflict zones.

The SECAM president also addressed growing anticipation around Pope Leo’s expressed intention to make Africa the destination of a future apostolic journey.

Such a visit, he said, would be both pastoral and prophetic, strengthening the faith of Catholics while offering hope to societies weighed down by conflict and poverty.

“When the pope comes to a country in crisis, it is to give hope. His voice comforts the people, confirms them in their commitment, and helps them not to be discouraged,” he said.

Ambongo added: “The prophetic word of the universal Shepherd comforts the people, strengthens their commitment, and encourages them not to lose heart. Even if things are going badly today, Christian hope tells us to hold on.”

According to the cardinal, the Holy Father also helps guide people toward the pursuit of harmonious coexistence and peace, especially in African countries experiencing crises.

Weighing in on the situation in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where he serves as bishop of the Kinshasa Archdiocese, Ambongo lamented the ongoing conflict in the eastern part of the country and its devastating impact on ordinary citizens.

He criticized the heavy investment in war and armament, saying such resources could instead be used for education, health care, and development.

“For more than a year now, the Church has been advocating dialogue. No solution will come from weapons but from sitting around a table where everyone can express their concerns,” the prelate explained.

He cited ongoing initiatives such as the Washington and Doha processes, which are steps in the right direction but remain insufficient.

The cardinal underscored the need for inclusive dialogue among the government, the opposition (armed and unarmed), and civil society in order to create the conditions for lasting peace and to bring an end to the suffering of the Congolese people.

Is a Leonine Unity Even Possible? (Opinion)

It’s been a little more than eight months since Cardinal Robert Prevost was elevated to Supreme Pontiff of the Catholic Church, and he’s still a mystery. 

There’s more we don’t know about him than we do know. We can all speculate about how his pontificate will play out, but ultimately we need to realize that no one other than the Holy Spirit really knows (I suspect Pope Leo himself doesn’t know!). 

We’ve had hints, however, as to the new pope’s priorities as well as his style of governing. While it would be dangerous to speculate too much based on hints and clues (let the professional Vaticanistas do that), we can still see general trends forming already. 

One of Leo’s most important priorities seems to be an emphasis on unity within the Church, which can be seen in his words, actions, and his overall personality. Just a month into his pontificate, he urged priests to be “builders of unity and peace,” telling them to provide “pastoral solutions that generate and regenerate faith by building good relationships, bonds of solidarity, and communities in which the style of communion shines forth.” 

One significant clue pointing to Leo’s efforts at internal unity is the Church figures he has already met with. From Cardinal Burke to Fr. James Martin, the pope seems intent on listening to every perspective within the Church. He’s committed to bringing those with diverse viewpoints and worldviews together in order to end—or at least reduce—the fierce battles raging among Catholics.

It’s a noble goal, and it makes sense that this is a papal priority. The past 60+ years have been marked by ideological fights within Catholicism, to the point where it’s no longer possible to just call oneself “Catholic;” instead it’s necessary to add a preceding label, like “conservative,” or “liberal,” or “traditional.”

The infighting became particularly fierce during the pontificate of Leo’s immediate predecessor, Pope Francis, who seemed to revel in trolling conservative-leaning Catholics generally and American Catholics in particular. He appeared to enjoy creating division, like when he said “It’s an honor if Americans attack me,” and when he almost dared his ideological opponents to go into schism. 

This is not the way of Pope Leo. Unlike his predecessor, the current pontiff actually believes in the power of dialogue as more than a marketing ploy. He clearly wants to reconcile the warring factions of Catholicism and be a true “pontifex;” i.e., a bridge-builder. However, a question that should be asked: is this even possible? Can unity actually be achieved in the way the pope seems to desire? Can Fr. James Martin be united with Cardinal Burke, not just de jure, but de facto?

Here we must remember the key ingredient in any real unity, which is truth. A lasting, genuine unity requires that everyone involved agree on fundamental truths. It’s not necessary to agree on everything, such as prudential decisions and practical plans, but when it comes to essential doctrines, agreement must exist for unity to exist. This inherent relationship between unity and truth is why both schism and heresy have always been the two great evils against Catholic communion; neither can be allowed for a full flourishing of the Church. 

Historically, the East and the West have emphasized the importance of these twin evils in different ways. The East has been willing to be more flexible when it comes to schism, while being far more adamant about not allowing heresy. The West, on the other hand, has been more adaptable to heresy while fighting tooth and nail against schism. 

We see these distinctive approaches in the East and West even today. Right now there is a schism between the Orthodox jurisdictions of Constantinople and Moscow that boils down to petty political squabbles, not doctrinal issues. 

On the other hand, in the Catholic Church there is outward unity, yet within the Church heresy is allowed to roam free in the pews and even the pulpits of Catholic parishes throughout the world. In neither situation does true unity exist.

Pope Leo is part of a generation of Catholics that took the Western emphasis of unity over truth to a harmful extreme. For Catholics who came of age during the 1960’s and 1970’s, unity in appearance became the driving force behind everything while truth was thrown into a back closet. We can see this in the overemphasis on the ecumenical and interreligious dialogue movements. 

Too often Catholic leaders have been willing to jettison important and uniquely Catholic truths to achieve “unity” with non-Catholics, so it follows that these same leaders don’t consider these truths essential to intra-Catholic unity. 

My fear is that Pope Leo too labors under this false view and so will deemphasize the truth when it comes to uniting modern Catholic factions. Too often Catholic leaders have been willing to jettison important and uniquely Catholic truths to achieve “unity” with non-Catholics, so it follows that these same leaders don’t consider these truths essential to intra-Catholic unity.

The reality is that unity between a Fr. James Martin and a Cardinal Burke is not possible without repentance on the part of Fr. Martin and those aligned with him. Those who teach error must repent for their rejection of Catholic doctrine on topics such as human sexuality and the sacredness of marriage between one man and one woman for life.

The progressive camp must also come to a recognition of the real purpose of the Liturgy in general and the Mass in particular: only through the Eucharist is true and lasting unity achieved. 

And in some cases, progressive Catholics need to recognize that there is only one truth and that it is not relative. No matter the good intentions and hard work of the Holy Father, until there is an acceptance of basic Catholic doctrine by all parties, unity will not happen.

But what if the wolves in shepherd’s clothing do not repent? 

What is the path to unity then? 

Sadly, it means bringing back an ancient and harsh medicine little used today : excommunication. 

It might seem at first look that excommunication is the opposite of unity; after all, it’s a declaration that a person is no longer in communion—in unity—with the Body of Christ. 

Yet excommunication’s purpose is not to banish a person permanently to the nether regions, but instead to make clear his need for repentance—and also to serve as a warning to all who follow the excommunicant into error. The hope and prayer is that if, God forbid, someone needed to be excommunicated, then that action would lead not only to his reconciliation with the Church, but also unity with all those who were led astray by him.

As I already noted, Leo’s desire for internal Catholic unity is a noble goal, and it’s one that all Catholics should work toward. But a goal—any goal—can be likened to preparing a dish for dinner: unless one knows the proper ingredients, it is doomed to failure. 

And a key ingredient of unity, the one that only follows charity in importance, is truth.

 Until all parties agree on what that is, we have as little chance of being united as did Pontius Pilate and Jesus.

Pray for the Holy Father and his efforts for unity, and pray for those within the Church who reject Catholic truth to come to repentance so that Pope Leo’s efforts are rewarded with success. 

Seoul Archdiocese launches nationwide pilgrimage of WYD symbols

The Archdiocese of Seoul formally launches a nationwide pilgrimage of the World Youth Day (WYD) Symbols, with the blessing of 15 logo sculptures at Myeongdong Cathedral.

Each of the 15 sculptures represents one of Korea’s dioceses and bears its diocesan name, marking the start of the domestic pilgrimage of the WYD Seoul 2027 Symbols following their return to Korea in December 2025.

The WYD Cross and the Icon of Our Lady, Salus Populi Romani, had traveled throughout 2025 on an international pilgrimage across nine countries, including Rome, during the Jubilee for Youth, carrying the prayers and hopes of young people from one country to another.

Archbishop Peter Soon-taick Chung presided over the blessing rite on January 20, and described the sculptures as a visible reminder of shared mission and grace as preparations for World Youth Day continue.

“The sculpture bearing the name of each diocese will remind everyone preparing for this event of their calling and the graces they have received,” Archbishop Chung said.

He urged the faithful to dedicate themselves fully to preparations for “a festival of youth that will warmly welcome young people from all over the world,” and prayed that those who see the sculptures may grow ever more in the likeness of the Son.

Reflecting World Youth Day’s emphasis on ecological responsibility, the sculptures were produced using honeycomb board, a fully recyclable paper-based material. 

The design was created by youth volunteer Jung-hoon Cho. While dimensions vary slightly by diocese, each sculpture measures about 1,500 millimeters wide and 800 millimeters high.

The 15 sculptures will be distributed to dioceses nationwide and will accompany diocesan and parish events during the pilgrimage, serving as a sign of unity and communion within the Church in Korea.

The nationwide pilgrimage of the WYD Cross and Marian Icon is set to begin Jan. 21 in the Diocese of Wonju. The Symbols will visit all 15 dioceses before returning to the Archdiocese of Seoul in June 2027.

Who will lead Germany’s bishops after Bätzing?

Bishop Georg Bätzing announced Monday that he is stepping down as chairman of the German bishops’ conference.

In a letter to bishops, Bätzing said he would “not be available for re-election” when the German episcopate meets in Würzburg on Feb. 23-26, at the end of his tumultuous six-year term.

The 64-year-old Bishop of Limburg said he had made the decision “after consultation and careful deliberation.” In a nod to divisions among the bishops that deepened during his tenure, Bätzing thanked those who had “supported me with appreciation and constructive criticism over the past six years.”

“It has been six intense years in which we bishops, together with many others from the people of God, have been able to make a difference and realize a sustainable future for the Church in our country,” wrote Bätzing, who oversaw Germany’s controversial “synodal way.”

“Now it is time to hand over this important task for the work of the bishops’ conference to others. And I am sure that things will continue to go well.”

How are the German media summing up Bätzing’s tenure? And who are they tipping to replace him as chairman of the bishops’ conference?

Six years of turmoil

Bishop Bätzing was thrust into the limelight in 2020, when Cardinal Reinhard Marx unexpectedly announced he would not be standing for a second term as bishops’ conference chairman.

Marx’s departure was a surprise because he had just presided over the launch of the synodal way, an initiative seeking far-reaching changes to Catholic teaching and practice in the wake of an abuse crisis in Germany. 

Bätzing, then just 58, took over responsibility for the synodal way as opposition to the project built in Rome, where he had relatively little experience.

Weeks after Bätzing’s election, Germany entered its first COVID lockdown. He was required to formulate and defend the Church’s response to the pandemic, which included the closure of churches and suspension of public Masses.

Following the COVID-19 crisis, Bätzing was able to focus on the synodal way. But his uncompromising commitment to its radical agenda alienated the minority of German bishops who rejected its premises. 

His championing of the synodal way also caused rifts with bishops outside of Germany, notably Poland’s then-bishops’ conference president Archbishop Stanisław Gądecki. This was perhaps ironic for a bishop whose motto was congrega in unum (“gather together.”)

In an op-ed for katholisch.de, the German Church’s official news site, journalist Mario Trifunovic argued that Bätzing’s determination helped to drive the synodal way to its conclusion despite Roman resistance.

“He ensured that conflicts were not postponed but addressed openly,” Trifunovic wrote, acknowledging that Bätzing’s approach upset those who thought he was too close to the lay Central Committee for German Catholics, which co-sponsored the synodal way alongside the bishops’ conference.

Norbert Demuth of the German Catholic news agency KNA highlighted Bätzing’s role in winning the bishops’ unanimous backing for a 2024 statement condemning the Alternative for Germany party.

Demuth suggested Bätzing also “achieved a small breakthrough” when he secured the appointment of a woman, Beate Gilles, as bishops’ conference general secretary — a global first.

A less favorable assessment came from Peter Winnemöller, a journalist associated with the New Beginning initiative, founded as an alternative to the synodal way.

Winnemöller argued that the root cause of Bätzing’s “disastrous” tenure was “the politicization of the office” of chairman.

Summing up a widely expressed view in the German media, the Augsburger Allgemeine’s Daniel Wirsching said that “a mediator and moderate reformer is likely to be in demand” as the next bishops’ leader.

“Basically, someone like Pope Leo XIV,” he wrote.

Seminaries must address liturgical abuses and ‘gay culture’, say Ghana bishops

Seminary rectors should prioritise liturgical formation to prevent abuses of the Church’s rites, a Ghanaian bishop said.

Speaking at the opening of the twelfth Regional Episcopal Conference of West Africa (RECOWA) Rectors’ Conference in Accra, Bishop Joseph Kwaku Afrifah-Agyekum of Koforidua emphasised that liturgy belongs to the Church, not the individual celebrant, warning that celebration without proper preparation “becomes mere performance”.

Bishop Afrifah-Agyekum, who also serves as RECOWA’s first vice president, called for the correction of practices that resemble concerts and cautioned against the use of commercialised sacramental items, insisting that proper guidelines and a deep respect for Church authority must be instilled in seminarians from the outset of their formation.

“The seminary is a special place of formation where seminarians are equipped academically and spiritually for service in the Church,” he said, insisting that priests pray according to the requirements of the Church.

“We can’t celebrate the sacraments without reverence. We can’t celebrate the sacraments without preparation. You just don’t get up and stand behind the altar and celebrate the Mass, otherwise, it becomes like a performance.”

The bishop decried liturgical abuses, such as improvised rituals and commercialised sacraments, warning that practices like using inferior hosts and unauthorised wine compromise the integrity of Church celebrations

“We see priests performing liturgy in ways that resemble concerts or theatrical performances. These practices must be corrected, and the proper guidelines must be taught from the seminary,” he said.

Speaking at the same conference, Archbishop John Bonaventure Kwofie of Accra condemned the alleged the rise of “homosexuality” and “gay culture” among seminarians in West Africa.

“Please do your best to weed out people of such orientation from our seminaries because it is not only an abomination to priestly attitude but also does not make the gifts of celibacy worth living. It is homosexuality and gay culture,” he said.

He called for the robust formation of seminarians, emphasising that “the norms regarding sexuality and the gay culture in the seminaries have not changed” and that rectors have “an onerous task” in forming future priests.

Catholic leader in Moscow does not join churches condemning ‘oppression’ of Christians elsewhere

A spokesman for the Archdiocese of the Mother of God in Moscow said Archbishop Paolo Pezzi did not sign the statement because he has no authority to comment officially on other countries.

The senior prelate of the Roman Catholic Church in Russia did not sign a joint statement by Christian leaders in the country condemning violations of religious freedom in other countries.

A statement from the inter-confessional consultative committee expressing “concern regarding the ongoing oppression and violations of the rights of Christians in a number of countries” did not include the signature of Archbishop Paolo Pezzi FSCB, according to the Religious Information Service of Ukraine (RISU).

Published on 15 January, the statement signed by representatives of the Orthodox, Protestant, Evangelical and other churches condemned the alleged persecution of Christians, specifying the countries where they said authorities were using religion for political purposes: Ukraine, Moldova, Estonia and Armenia.

Some of these countries have recently taken measures to curb the activity of churches linked to the Moscow Patriarchate, on the grounds that it supports the invasion of Ukraine and the wider Russkiy mir (“Russian world”) ideology. In August 2024, the operations of the Russian Orthodox Church in Ukraine were prohibited by law.

However, the statement made no claims about widely-reported violations of religious freedom in Russia and Belarus, nor about China, Iran or Syria.

Fr Kirill Gorbunov, spokesman of the Archdiocese of the Mother of God in Moscow which Pezzi heads, said the archbishop did not sign the statement because he has no authority to make official statements regarding other countries.

“Pezzi generally shares the position expressed in the statement, but the internal rules of the Roman Catholic Church do not allow him to make similar statements on his behalf,” Gorbunov said, according the Russian news agency RIA.

Russia’s small Catholic population has a low public profile and its leadership strives to avoid public controversy, especially since the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

Speaking to Agenzia Fides during the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, which the archdiocese marked at its cathedral with representatives from Protestant communities, Pezzi said unity in Christ is “a challenge for society [because] when we live this love, this unity, it spreads, and when it spreads, one cannot remain indifferent – one must take a stand”.

“And there are two options: to embrace this unity, which creates relationships and bridges, or to reject it, which leads to violence and persecution. This happens when one does not accept that God intervenes in human reality,” he said.

“However, unity with the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit can also be experienced amid ugliness, conflict and division, and makes it possible to bear witness to love in the midst of it all.”

French nuns suffered decades of spiritual abuse under ‘pervert’ prioress

Nuns in the congregation’s nine priories in France were cut off from their families, denied all free time, spied upon, force-fed, robbed of their assets and deprived of proper medical care.

A congregation of nuns linked to the Basilica of Sacré Coeur suffered over 40 years of psychological manipulation and spiritual abuse under a now-dead mother superior described as a “narcissistic pervert” an independent commission concluded.

The Benedictine Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Montmartre (BSCM), who manage the Sacré Cœur sanctuary on the hill overlooking Paris, welcomed the report they commissioned into the sect-like behaviour of their former prioress general Mother Marie Agnès.

Nuns in the congregation’s nine priories in France were cut off from their families, denied any free time, spied upon, force-fed, robbed of their assets, given unlabelled medications and deprived of proper medical care. “A toothache will pass if you say the rosary,” was typical advice.

The nuns live a monastic life of prayer and eucharistic adoration. At the basilica in Paris, they sing in the choir but do not mix with the faithful.

All 86 current members wanted to testify, as did 28 women who left the BSCM. Nearly 1,500 instances of abuse were documented from the 1970s to the early 2010s.

“Of the abuses recorded … 66 per cent had psychological consequences for the sisters and former sisters,” said the report by the Independent Commission on Spiritual Abuse and Psychological Manipulation (CIASEP) said. Some nuns had attempted suicide.

Mother Marie-Élie Hancock, the current prioress general, said exposing these abuses was a necessary step towards healing the congregation. The report found no sexual violence but, as Hancock said, “abuse of conscience can be as damaging as rape”.

The case represents another field of investigation for the French Church, which has been faced with sexual abuse accusations for years and has gradually confronted them with honesty, humility and compensation.

In a statement, the Archdiocese of Paris said it “now acknowledges that for many years, its leaders failed to exercise their own duty of vigilance regarding the congregation and the serious abuses that occurred within it”.

Mother Marie Agnès, who died in 2016, became BSCM head aged 33, despite the minimum age being 40. She was re-elected for five six-year terms from 1969 to 1998, followed by 12 years as assistant general with considerable sway over her inexperienced successor.

Money from BSCM members was used by her and two other nuns to visit gourmet restaurants, especially when hosting prelates, and to enjoy Riviera vacations. A house outside Paris afforded lavish living without their habits.

An apostolic visitation in 2004, when her successor quit BSCM and denounced Mother Marie Agnès, produced no results. 

A second visitation in 2012 named a commissary to oversee the nuns but it was not until Hancock was elected prioress general in 2020 that reform took hold.

Founded in Paris in 1898, BSCM moved to London in 1903 as France passed its laïcité laws. 

In 1947, those returning kept the name in France and those staying became the Adorers of the Sacred Heart of Jesus of Montmartre – also known as the Tyburn Nuns – in Britain and abroad.

Ohio nuns lament downfall of their former nursing home under new owners

A congregation of Catholic women religious is lamenting the downfall of an acclaimed nursing home it once operated, after severe neglect and endangerment of residents by the current owners prompted Ohio state officials to intervene.

"This is a shock that they did what they did," Sr. Janet, community secretary of the Congregation of the Divine Spirit in Canton, Ohio, told OSV News.

Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost announced Jan. 13 that the state will begin relocating residents from the House of Loreto, an independent 50-bed licensed nursing facility located in Canton, adjacent to the congregation's motherhouse.

The facility — which the congregation sold in March 2025 to Hari Group LLC, an Ohio limited liability company — was the subject of a Jan. 12 court filing by the state seeking an emergency order to remove the home's residents, who numbered 27 as of Jan. 10.

The state's complaint said House of Loreto residents "are in a real and present danger of immediate and serious physical harm or death."

Repeated inspections by the Ohio Department of Health had revealed "a rapid deterioration of care" for residents, with the state warning the current owners as far back as November about "shockingly poor care."

Among the noncompliance issues cited were the lack of qualified leadership (including a full-time registered nurse as director of nursing), the unaddressed incidence of serious falls by residents, lack of basic infection control, improper administration of medication and failure to provide appropriate wound care.

Under the court-approved emergency order, House of Loreto is barred from new admissions, and must comply with state regulations throughout the process of transferring the residents to other facilities. A preliminary injunction hearing is set to take place Jan. 21.

A House of Loreto staffer advised OSV News that the nursing home's owners had no comment on the matter.

Following the state's court filing, the Diocese of Youngstown, Ohio, released a statement clarifying that it had "never owned or operated" the House of Loreto, while noting it was "deeply saddened that a facility long known for compassionate, faith-filled care is now facing closure" less than a year after it was acquired by the Hari Group.

"My heart is with the Sisters of the Congregation of the Divine Spirit, who poured their lives into creating a home where the elderly were cherished and protected. Their ministry at the House of Loreto was a profound witness to the Gospel," said Bishop David Bonnar of Youngstown in the statement.

Noting that he was "equally mindful of the residents and families now facing uncertainty and disruption," Bonnar said it was "painful" to see the sisters' "legacy overshadowed by the serious concerns that have emerged under the new ownership" of House of Loreto.

Sr. Janet told OSV News the Hari Group had "talked a good talk" when purchasing the home from the congregation.

"They actually said they were quite interested in caring for the elderly, and they had dreams of bringing in a pharmacy and a care group," she said. "But it ended up being all talk."

The current conditions are a far cry from what she and her fellow sisters had worked to create since 1963, when the current House of Loreto (which had been preceded by the earlier Loretto Home for the Aged) opened its doors, she said.

And the reversal is all the more wrenching since the order, established in 1956, counts care of the aged — along with education and catechesis — as its charism.

Sr. Ann Jeanne, the home's founding administrator, was a nationally acclaimed health care administrator sought out by other industry professionals for her "expertise and influence," said Sr. Janet.

"All of our sisters, in the course of the home's history, have been certified as licensed administrators, activity directors, dietary technicians, STNAs (state-tested nursing assistants), LPNs (licensed practical nurses)," she said. "We received the correct training."

Along with their health care qualifications, the sisters possessed a profound love for residents, she said.

"They used to say the House of Loreto was the 'vestibule of heaven,'" said Sr. Janet. "And that really is what we tried to do: to make the people's lives enriched and peaceful, so that when it came time to meet God, they were ready and trusting that they would be able to make that transition very well."

She said the sisters "can't even count the number of residents who had fallen away from the Church and who came back" during their stay at House of Loreto during the congregation's ownership.

"We've even had baptisms and confirmations of residents," said Sr. Janet. "Our outreach was to the family members as well. We've been told more than once how their faith has been strengthened and nurtured."

As the state transfers the residents — whose average age is "between 92 and 93 years old," Sr. Janet estimated — the congregation is "prayerfully mindful" of the elderly it has served, and remains steadfast in its faith amid a devastating time.

"We are very trustful that God can bring good out of evil," she said.

Donegal-born nun appointed to Vatican Dicastery by Pope Leo XIV

A Donegal-born nun has been appointed to a Vatican Dicastery by the Pope.

Sr Mary T Barron, a native of Drumoghill, the congregational leader of the Sisters of Our Lady of Apostles (OLA Sisters) has been confirmed as Consultor to the Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue by Pope Leo XIV.

Two years ago, the late Pope Francis announced Sr Mary as a member of a Section for First Evangelization and New Particular Churches when confirming appointments to the Dicastery for Evangelisation.

Sr Mary gained extensive missionary experience in Nigeria, West Africa and Tanzania, East Africa. 

She was elected the Executive Board of the International Union of Superiors General (UISG) in May 2019, as vice-President in May 2022, and president in 2023.

Sr Mary heads up an order of nuns who run St Mary’s Catholic Primary and Secondary Schools in Nigeria where 315 staff and students were abducted in November.

The Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue promotes and supervises relations with members and groups of non-Christian religions.

It is the Dicastery’s task to assist diocesan/eparchial Bishops in the formation of those who engage in interreligious dialogue.

The Dicastery is a follow-on from the Secretariat for non-Christians, initially formed by Pope Saint Paul VI in 1964.

The Dicastery says it: “Works to ensure that dialogue with the followers of other religions takes place in an appropriate way, with an attitude of listening, esteem and respect. It fosters various kinds of relations with them so that, through the contribution of all, peace, freedom, social justice, the protection and safeguarding of creation, and spiritual and moral values may be promoted.”

In her youth, Sr Mary was a national gold medallist when running for Finn Valley AC. In 1978, she was a part of a FVAC team including Sinead McGranaghan, Geraldine Dullaghan, Jacqueline Barron and Deirdre Quinn who won gold in the National U11 Cross Country.

Pope Leo continues to follow Francis' road (Opinion)

Two weeks before Christmas, a Vatican announcement indicated that Pope Leo XIV had appointed Bishop Ronald Hicks to succeed Cardinal Timothy Dolan as Archbishop of New York. 

The appointment was awaited for some time as Dolan had reached the mandatory retirement age of 75 and Hicks, a bishop very much in the likeness of Leo himself, had been mentioned for promotion.

New York was a key appointment not just because its bishop is effectively the leader of the Catholic Church in America but because it would indicate the possible template the Pope would follow in other episcopal appointments.

Dolan was perceived as ‘a Maga bishop’ - traditional, conservative, a Trump supporter, even embarrassingly a member of Trump’s Religious Liberty Commission and much given to obsequiously praising Trump.

Hicks represented a very different style, very much in the image of Pope Leo and he had followed a similar trajectory: a pastor, in the words of Pope Francis, who had the smell of the sheep; later a bishop who was critical of the Trump immigration policy; close to the poor and the marginalised; and noticeably bereft of the toxin that has poisoned American Catholicism - that God loved the rich and poverty was the fault of the poor.

But Hicks’ appointment didn’t follow the usual predictable pattern. It wasn’t just that his name had been widely mentioned for the post or that his un-Maga-like profile was discussed as unsuitable as a replacement for Dolan but that the appointment of Hicks and others like him would indicate a more open and ‘liberal’ direction that Leo intended to move the American Catholic Church.

This became clear when, three days before the actual announcement, the Hicks appointment was leaked - clearly the last throw of the dice to block it by those unhappy with it and what it represented. The Maga-inspired American Church was playing, in every sense, its last ‘trump'. 

The Catholic Church moves in cycles. Pope John XXIII’s Second Vatican Council represented a swerve away from the model of church that preceded it. Popes John Paul and Benedict represented in many respects a swing back to the pre-Vatican Two church. Francis represented another swerve back to the unfinished business of Vatican Two and, it is now clear from Hicks’ appointment to New York, that Leo is continuing, as he has already said so often, to follow the road that Francis marked out for a future church.

Bishops, of course, regardless of the swerves mentioned above are regarded as always obedient to the pope. Well, yes and no. Yes, in theory, certainly but bishops and dioceses can be a long way from Rome and papal policy, for example, can be variably ‘interpreted’ at local level.

Just in case what I have to say might be challenged as pointing a finger at any Irish diocese or even at the Irish Catholic Church, let me (metaphorically) cross the Irish Sea for an example of how the obedience of bishops sometimes works. Or rather sometimes doesn’t.

Recently, Cardinal Vincent Nichols of Westminster, leader of the Catholic bishops of England and Wales (E&W), retiring at 80 years of age, at his last conference, mulled over signs of hope for the Church in E&W. Strangely he didn’t register the synodal process as worth mentioning in terms of hope!

Austen Ivereigh, an official expert on ‘synodality’, asked whether this indicated that the E&W bishops had decided to opt out of the synod process, in view of the fact that in June 2025 Pope Leo had approved a plan and a timetable and encouraged all local churches ‘to get on with it’.

Ivereigh, writing in the Tablet, pointed out that, on the official document, ‘Pathways for Implementation’, the role of bishops’ conferences over the next three years is clear: ‘To foster implementation in dioceses, to coordinate and network between them and to report to the synod office in Rome.'

When the answer to Ivereigh’s question eventually arrived from the E&W bishops, it pointed out that (i) they were ‘committed to the processes which embody synodality’ and (ii) that implementation of synodality will progress at a different pace, and in different ways, in each diocese’.

In other words, we’re all for it but not yet. Most worrying of all was the clarification, if such it was, that synodality (the E&W bishops intimated) is ‘at heart a spirituality of listening and formation’. Which of course it is but it’s also, as Ivereigh helpfully suggested, about ‘structural reform and a (new) way of making decisions in the church’.

Pope Leo has been crystal clear about what’s involved in embracing ‘the synodal way of being church’. Yes, it’s about listening but also discerning, in particular discerning with the wider church what decisions are made. It’s about pastoral councils and diocesan councils and finance councils which embody a synodal culture ‘through ministries, charisms and formation’.

In a telling comment to those who oppose change, Leo states: ‘We must not delude ourselves that carrying on with a few traditional activities will be enough to maintain the vitality of our Christian communities.'

And, yes, each diocese (and parish) needs to prioritise where and how change is needed and how it can be implemented but, as Ivereigh points out, ‘that doesn’t mean two-speed synodality’. Synodality is not an option or as the E&W bishops seem to think ‘a suggestion’. Or that it can somehow be wished away as a nuisance or a nonsense or, as some are suggesting, another tactical church version of that ‘slow boat to China’.

Not a great omen for the new Archbishop of Westminster, Richard Moth, whose appointment has just been announced and who is widely seen as another Leo appointment – anxious, it seems, ‘to get to China’ sometime soon. Poor man!

Church of England to revise mission rules to avoid another Soul Survivor

The Church of England is moving to tighten the rules governing church mission initiatives in a bid to prevent another safeguarding failure like the Soul Survivor scandal.

A progress report following the Scolding Review into abuse by former Soul Survivor leader Mike Pilavachi will be presented to General Synod in February, confirming that proposed legislative changes to mission oversight are now ready to be debated.

The review found that weak governance, unchecked power and a culture that discouraged challenge allowed abusive behaviour to go unchallenged for years within Soul Survivor. 

In response, bishops have overseen a review of the Code of Practice for Mission Initiatives, including Bishops’ Mission Orders and other new worshipping communities.

Revised proposals have now been brought forward by a working group appointed by the Lead Bishops for Church Planting and approved by the House of Bishops. These changes aim to strengthen accountability, clarify leadership responsibilities and ensure safeguarding concerns can be raised and acted upon earlier. 

The legislation will be debated by Synod in February 2026.

Alongside the legislative changes, the Church has issued a renewed corporate apology to survivors of abuse connected to Soul Survivor. 

Lead Bishops for Safeguarding Rt Rev Joanne Grenfell and Rt Rev Robert Springett acknowledged that church culture and processes failed to prevent or challenge harmful behaviour, and said safeguarding reform must be accompanied by both repentance and action.

Other reforms coming out of the Scolding Review include new leadership training using a Soul Survivor case study, updated guidance for clergy conduct, stronger oversight of internships and discipleship schemes, and mandatory psychological wellbeing assessments for all ordination candidates.

Unity is the biggest casualty in the Church of England’s sexuality wars (Opinion)

This month marks an “imperfect, untidy” conclusion to the Church of England’s eight year process of trying to find unity on questions of human sexuality. 

And they are the words of the CofE bishops, not the critics.

There are several grim ironies about the Living in Love and Faith (LLF) process. 

But perhaps the deepest is that, under an archbishop who longed for “good disagreement”, the Church of England has actually reached new depths of disunity.

Although Most Rev Justin Welby hoped that English Anglicans could learn to disagree well, he failed to shape or steer the process in a way that won the confidence of all parties. 

The established roles of General Synod and its associated Commissions - which exist to advise on doctrine and liturgy - were downplayed or circumvented during many of the early years of LLF.

In their January letter to the wider church, the bishops said the changes that have now been introduced – the Prayers of Love and Faith (PLF) which may be used with a same-sex couple in the context of an existing worship service – mean that the church has acted “without departing from or indicating any departure from the Church’s doctrine of marriage”.

This assertion remains disputed by many, not least because the availability and reliability of legal advice supporting such claims has itself been contested throughout the process. 

In December 2023, the Bishop of Southwell and Nottingham cautioned his clergy against using the new prayers, writing that the “bishops have been advised that it is likely that such use is indicative of a change of doctrine”.

I worry that too many bishops have, in fact, been in denial – not just about the level of doctrinal clarity in the PLF, but also about the negative impact this has had at the local level. For gay Christians supportive of progressive change and their allies, years of uncertainty and waiting seem to have been largely in vain.

Meanwhile, gay Christians committed to a traditional sexual ethic have wondered if the Church is about to disregard their sacrifice. And across its breadth, the Church has witnessed worrying drops in numbers of people coming forward for ordination. 

It seems inescapable that the uncertainty over theology and sexuality has been a key factor.

My role sees me visiting parishes all round the country, and I have lost count of the numbers of places where LLF has taken a visible toll. I visited one deanery where members of a local church were picketing the event, handing out leaflets explaining their decision not to attend. I can think of several conversations with vicars in rural contexts, saddened by the decision of key people in their churches to leave.

There are other impacts: clergy leaving the CofE for more progressive Anglican churches in Wales or Scotland. Another part of the story is new degrees of unity emerging in unexpected places; evangelicals and traditional Catholics have found common ground over LLF, and even evangelicals who disagree profoundly about women’s ordination have worked together fruitfully in relation to sexuality.

With elections for General Synod’s new five-year term happening this year, a key danger is that this attempt at church democracy becomes riven with the factionalism against which the Bible routinely cautions. 

The Church of England has failed to hold together the grace and truth which Jesus models. Too many political actors in the LLF drama have disregarded St Paul’s encouragement: “If it is possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all” (Romans 12:18).

Yet it could have been so different. LLF could have started from a place of clarity about what the Church’s existing teaching was - and thus framed options in ways that made sense for a Church with a historic prayer book that is emphatic about marriage being for one man and one woman.

It could have explored change via Synodical channels, where all parts of the Church could together accept that a robust process had been followed. It could have engaged parishes and dioceses in discussion only when there was clarity about what actually was being proposed. 

It could have acknowledged, from the beginning, the value of drawing on the wisdom of Commissions that exist to advise on the Church’s worship and teaching.

For Dame Sarah Mullally, about to begin her tenure as Archbishop of Canterbury, LLF represents a deep wound in the Church’s common life, which is a long way from healing. Having held a pivotal role in the LLF debate, she knows the deep frustrations and pain surrounding sexuality within the CofE.

Her own words and actions in recent years represent a complex inheritance. 

She approaches the chair of St Augustine knowing that so many of the questions that prompted LLF remain unresolved, as do the political tensions that continue to undermine the unity and mission of the Church she now leads.

‘Pray your boilers don’t fail’: the Church of England is in the grip of eco-zealots (Opinion)

It came to pass in 2020 that a decree went out from the General Synod that all the Church of England must be carbon net-zero by 2030. 

And this ruling was first made when Justin Welby was Archbishop of Canterbury. 

And all went to have a good hard look at their church heating systems, every one into his own vestry cupboard…

How easy it is to issue a decree from on high; and how hard it is for the people on the ground to have to deal with its consequences.

The miscreants now have to rip out the new gas boilers and replace them with an eco alternative

One of many consequences of that arbitrary round-number target – and it’s a microcosm of the centralised C of E’s attitude towards its parish churches – was that three months ago the vicar and churchwardens of Christ Church, Chineham, in the diocese of Winchester, received a consistory court ruling from the chancellor of the diocese, Cain Ormondroyd, which came across as an absolute bollocking. 

It was as if they were a group of mis-behaving prefects summoned to the headmaster’s study. 

The ruling was along the lines of: ‘You’ve let God down, you’ve let the diocese down – and you’ve let yourselves down.’ The Chineham ‘Petitioners’ (as they were referred to in the ruling) are now beginning their long-drawn-out punishment.

Their offence was that, after enduring a freezing winter of coughing, sneezing, dwindling congregations and demoralised volunteers while they waited for the hopelessly slow Diocesan Advisory Committee to respond to their request for advice on which kind of heating system they should install to replace their failed gas boiler, they’d dared to take matters into their own hands. 

Having taken advice from energy providers about the possibility of installing either heat-pumps or a bio-LPG fuel system, they’d concluded that both options were impractical and far too expensive. The most viable solution for the time being was to replace the broken gas boiler with new, more efficient gas boilers.

The work had begun by the time the Diocesan Advisory Committee got around to objecting to replacement gas boilers, a year after the request. The committee also never once visited the site to see for themselves the impracticability of their preferred bio-LPG option, which would have required the felling of trees or the taking up of a large chunk of the church’s outdoor space.

‘The case,’ wrote the chancellor in his lofty ruling, ‘presents a cautionary tale in respect of the difficulties that can arise when proper consideration is not given at an early stage to the Church Buildings Council’s net-zero guidance. The Petitioners compounded the difficulties by deliberately proceeding with works which they knew to be unauthorised. The combined result is most unfortunate.’

The result is, in fact, that Christ Church, Chineham, is a heated, well-attended church again, to the relief of all who worship there. But the ‘unfortunate’ situation to which the chancellor referred is that the miscreants will be forced to rip out those new gas boilers and replace them with an eco alternative.

Like a headmaster who decides to show a spot of leniency at the last minute and not expel the prefects on the spot, the chancellor decreed that, as another winter was on its way, ‘I am minded to grant a faculty for the gas boilers to remain for three years’ with the condition ‘that any carbon emissions from the operation of the gas boilers be offset’.

I contacted the vicar, the Revd Jonathan Clark, to ask him how the church was dealing with this ruling, while the clock ticks down to the moment in 32 months’ time when the new boilers must be ripped out. He responded that he didn’t have time to speak to me, as ‘this affair has already taken far too much attention away from our core mission’.

What a time-consuming distraction it must have been! He’s trying to run a church, for goodness’ sake. His first duty is to his parishioners’ spiritual needs. The people who help him are unpaid volunteers, who give hours of their time to the C of E, an increasingly thankless task. They’re the ones who get clobbered for their trouble. 

Clark referred me to a letter he wrote to the Church Times in November, in which he advised churches, first, ‘to pray earnestly that your existing boilers don’t fail’, and then said to the General Synod: ‘We support the drive to net-zero carbon, but was this the kind of result intended in your formal drive to it?’

Parishes across the country are experiencing much the same thing. To comply with the C of E’s ‘Routemap’ for the ‘journey to net zero’ churches must apply for official permission from the diocese before installing a ‘like-for-like’ gas boiler. They must provide all kinds of documentation to explain why they are asking to go against approved practice. 

Dozens of churches are left without heating for months, sometimes years, during the agonisingly slow decision-making process, in which time damp damages the interiors and makes the parishioners ill.

Most of us are familiar with all sides of the net-zero argument. We’ve read journalists telling us to buck up, stop complaining and install heat pumps. We’ve also kept abreast of climate-emergency sceptics, who question apocalyptic global-warming models and remind us that renewable energy is intermittent. 

They point out rare-earth metals for EV batteries are often mined by child labour in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Ed Miliband’s obsessive push for net-zero targets is going to immiserate Britain.

There are many facets to ‘the science’ and to the economics. But the Church is in the grip of eco-zealots, who pour shame on parishes if they dare to resist a heat pump. Each diocese has its ‘net-zero carbon engagement officer’, or sometimes ‘creation care engagement officer’, paid higher salaries than parish priests. They’re employed to be zealous.

The Church Commissioners have committed £190 million for grants to support the net-zero project. That money would have been enough to provide an extra ten parish priests in each of the C of E’s 42 dioceses for the next decade.

The C of E’s loss of a sense of proportion on this subject is encapsulated by the fact that, in the timetable for next month’s General Synod, the issue of ‘Lowest income communities funding’ has been relegated to ‘Contingency business’ (i.e. ‘we’ll discuss it if we have time at the end’), while a full hour on the afternoon of 12 February has been allotted to a motion to ‘promote the use of local, seasonal flowers and foliage and discourage the use of floral foam’.

€1.3m required to renovate Wexford church despite ‘numerous tradespeople willing to do the work for free’

Repairs to a Co Wexford church known as ‘The Cathedral in the Fields’ are expected to cost upwards of €1.3m despite local tradespeople offering to do the work for free. 

The church, in Rathangan, was built in 1870 and has fallen into disrepair in recent years with extensive works required to fix its roof.

At the January meeting of Wexford County Council (WCC) Councillor Jim Codd asked whether there was anything the council could do to assist those in the south Wexford village.

“The reason south Wexford has a particular appeal for tourists is because of its rich heritage,” he said. “This church is a work of architecture without parallel. If the people are to follow the heritage regulations it will cost €1.3m to repair, however, there was a meeting held in the village which was attended by 200 people and numerous tradespeople were willing to give their services for free.

"But they can’t, they won’t be allowed to, because of the regulations around heritage sites. It seems that you do it a certain way or you let it fall.”

Pointing out that “the protection of our culture and history” was being placed on those local to the area, Cllr Codd asking director of planning Liz Hore whether there was any way of “reducing the cost of these works”.

Noting that the council has a designated heritage officer and will soon be appointing an architectural conservation officer to assist with cases like this, Ms Hore said there were a number of funding schemes which the community in Rathangan could avail of but that there was no quick solution.

“There’s no doubt about it there are high costs associated with works of these types. There are standards for a reason, we have seen cases where problems have arisen when incorrect materials have been used in building. But we could look into a phased programme of works and see what options are available.”