Decision on Enoch Burke appeal to be made at later date

A Disciplinary Appeals Panel considering teacher Enoch Burke's appeal against his dismissal from Wilson's Hospital School in Westmeath in January 2023 has concluded.

The panel met with Mr Burke in Athlone today, while Mr Burke’s family also attended.

Mr Burke, who is currently in prison for contempt of court, was transported to the hearing by the Irish Prison Service.

A decision on Mr Burke’s appeal is set to be made at a later date, after the panel considers points made in today’s hearing.

Mr Burke was dismissed from Wilson’s Hospital School over his conduct following a dispute that began in May 2022, when staff were told by the then-principal to use they/them pronouns and a new name for a pupil.

Mr Burke said he could not do this and objected at a staff meeting and again publicly, at a school church service.

He was suspended and then later dismissed.

Mr Burke had made a legal effort to get today's hearing suspended, as he wanted an outstanding issue that is currently being dealt with by the Supreme Court to be ruled on first.

Yesterday the Court of Appeal refused his application to delay it, meaning it could go ahead today.

Mr Burke is still being paid by the Department of Education, pending the outcome of his appeal.

Archdiocese of Boston mishandles the Nativity scene controversy (Opinion)

The controversy over St. Susanna's Nativity display highlights the sectarian sensibilities of many of the lay faithful in the U.S. church at this time, the lack of imagination among some hierarchs and the perennial difficulty in drawing lines between the sacred and the profane.

St. Susanna's pastor, Fr. Stephen Josoma, removed the Holy Family from the Nativity scene, and put in a large sign that read "ICE was here." 

Underneath was a smaller sign that read: "The Holy Family is safe in The Sanctuary of our Church," the sign adds. "If you see ICE, please call LUCE," a reference to Massachusetts' immigrants assistance network.

The symbolism was obvious: The Holy Family, whom we are told in the Gospel of Luke fled to Egypt to avoid the tyrant Herod's demonic plans, is still fleeing in the person of the poor and the migrant to avoid the demonic plans of the Trump administration. 

Josoma told my colleague Brian Fraga that the church has made similar statements with its Nativity scenes in the past. "Every year we try to hold up a mirror to the world and say, 'If the Incarnation took place this year, what would that look like?' "

That is a sincere question but a complicated one. If anything is obvious about the Incarnation when it happened in Bethlehem, it is that everyone was surprised, very, very surprised. 

Trying to figure out what God would have to say to us here and now is not the kind of mental, imaginative exercise that invites the kind of surprise God tends to deliver. 

That said, if we do not understand that Jesus remains present in the migrant as well as in the Mass, there has been a dis-Incarnation.

Further, no one can doubt the priest's good intentions: The church must demonstrate its commitment to our immigrant brothers and sisters. 

It should err on the side of boldness not caution in doing so given the stakes of the moment, stakes imposed by the draconian policies of the Trump administration.

If I were a pastor, I would not use a Nativity scene to make political statements of this kind. And, if I did, I would make sure the statements were even-handed politically. 

As far as we know, Josoma has never used the Nativity scene to focus on injustice perpetrated on the unborn. 

So, maybe, keep the ICE statement up until Christmas Eve, then return Mary and Joseph, but not the baby Jesus to the manger scene, with a different sign: "Planned Parenthood was here."

The problem with either sign is that Christ is never absent after the Resurrection. He is continually present to his church here and now.

Which brings us to the response from the Archdiocese of Boston. It was inadequate. If ever there was a time for a teaching moment, this was it. 

Citing canonical norms that "prohibit the use of sacred objects for any purpose other than the devotion of God's people" does not live up to the moral enormity of the attack on our migrant Catholic community, the very real fear in which they are living, the very real destruction of legal norms and the invidious disruption to migrant families and parish communities when ICE sweeps through.

Here was a chance for Boston Archbishop Richard Henning to teach. He could have preached on the need for the celebration of Christmas to unite the faithful, not divide them, while also pointing out that we unite around a body of teaching, some of it ethical, some of it explicitly ethical, and that teaching explicitly tells us to welcome the stranger. 

He could have echoed Cardinal Timothy Dolan's famous talk at the 2012 Al Smith dinner, and preached about the church standing with the "un's," those whom society defines by what they lack, the undocumented and the unborn and the unemployed. 

He could have announced that this coming year, the Boston delegation for the Right to Life march will not go to the political heart of the nation, but to, say, the Shrine of the Jesuit Martyrs in upstate New York or the Shrine of Our Lady of La Salette which is right there in Massachusetts. 

Henning could have huddled with Fr. Bryan Hehir, one of the gems of the Boston presbyterate, and drafted a smart, poignant talk to be given at the Kennedy School about the difficulty in drawing the line between the sacred and the profane. He did none of these things.

It must be noted that this is the second time in a month that Henning failed to meet the moment on the migration issue. 

He chaired the drafting committee that devised the statement the U.S. bishops issued at their Baltimore meeting in November. 

The text presented to the bishops started with too many statements in the passive voice: "We are disturbed …," "We are concerned …" and "We are saddened …" Only when Chicago Cardinal Blase Cupich proposed an amendment saying the bishops "oppose the indiscriminate deportation of people" did the statement gain the strength it needed.

We in the press room had not received a copy of the text when Henning stood up to move its adoption. He said the document was "balanced" causing several of us in the media room to look quizzically at each other. What was being balanced? The human dignity of migrants versus what? Trump's ego?

As far as we can tell, Henning is no culture warrior. I hear good things about him from my priest friends in Boston. I am sure he does care about the migrants. 

But the response of the archdiocese to this controversy sends the wrong signal to the migrant community and to the wider community. The message sent is: We cave to right-wing pressure. If Josoma had used this year's Nativity scene to protest abortion, would the archdiocese have issued the statement it did?

Only foolish people think it is easy to draw the line between the sacred and the profane, between religion and politics. 

But it is difficult not to conclude that the archdiocese missed an opportunity to express effectively the church's solidarity with our immigrant brothers and sisters.

Don't use secrets to harm the Church, pope tells spies

Pope Leo XIV on Friday urged spy agencies around the world not to use confidential information as a weapon, including against the Catholic Church.

The pontiff did not name any specific countries, but it is not uncommon for states to base anti-Catholic repression, including the confiscation of property or expulsion of religious figures, on information gleaned from intelligence agencies.

"We must exercise rigorous vigilance to prevent confidential information from being used to intimidate, manipulate, blackmail, or discredit," the first pope from the United States said during an audience at the Vatican with Italian intelligence agents.

"This also applies to the Church. Indeed, in several countries, the Church is a victim of intelligence agencies that act with malicious intent and repress its freedom," he said.

In an era of ever-more powerful technology, the pope said it was "necessary to set limits, based on respect for human dignity, and to remain vigilant against the temptations to which your position exposes you".

"Ensure that... the protection of national security constantly guarantees the rights of individuals, their private and family life, their freedom of conscience and information, as well as their right to a fair trial," he added.

The pope was speaking at an audience marking 100 years since the foundation of Italy's intelligence service.

Swedish churches warned against visits from Russia-supporting nuns

The Church of Sweden asked its parishes to stop inviting nuns from the St Elisabeth convent in Minsk because of their collaboration with the Russian state and support of its invasion of Ukraine.

The Church made the recommendation after reports that Orthodox nuns from Belarus were selling their handicrafts at the Täby parish north of Stockholm, which had been inviting them annually since 2017.

Michael Öjermo, vicar of Täby, told the Svenska Dagbladet daily that the parish is now breaking contact with the monastery: “Täby parish has no intelligence service, so to speak. It’s not that easy to know everything. But we’re trying now.”

According to Lisa-Gun Bernerstedt, head of civil preparedness at the Church of Sweden, there might be around 10 or 20 parishes that collaborated with the Minsk monastery, which is well known across the region.

“They used to come here [to Lithuania] all the time, sell their products. They travel all over the world,” said Gintaras Sungaila, an Orthodox priest of the Constantinople Exarchate in Vilnius. 

“Right after the start of the war in 2022, they were fully operating in Lithuania, but I’m not aware if there are any restrictions against them at present”, he told The Tablet.

Euromaidan Press, a Ukrainian political outlet, reported that the leader of the St Elisabeth convent Archpriest Andrey Lemeshonok declares its support for the Russian invasion of Ukraine, calling his monastery “a combat unit” whose nuns “fight for our future”.

Investigators describe it as an “Orthodox holding company” with 1,600 employees, 12 churches, 70 shops and workshops producing crafts sold at Christmas markets across Europe.

Sweden’s Migration Minister Johan Forssell announced a possible review of the rules of residence in the country for persons linked to the interests of the Russian state. 

“Sweden is not obliged to show hospitality to those who support Russian aggression against Ukraine,” he said, according to Open Orthodoxy Network.

In 2022, Winchester Cathedral suspended the St Elisabeth convent’s Christmas stall over concerns about its pro-Russian leadership. 

In December 2024, their stall in Szczecin was shut down after protests from the Belarusian diaspora in Poland.

“As far as I know, after my talk with their Orthodox Archbishop Elia, the Ecumenical Council of Churches in Finland adopted an official agreement not to buy anything from them,” Sungaila said.

Anglican archbishop accused of sexual misconduct faces a church trial

The top leader of the Anglican Church in North America faces a church trial after a board of inquiry said Friday it found probable cause for formal charges that include abuse of power and sexual immorality.

Archbishop Stephen Wood was already suspended from ministry in November by his fellow bishops after allegations against him went public. Wood, a married father of four, has denied any misconduct.

The Anglican Church in North America was formed in 2009 by conservatives who split from the U.S. Episcopal Church and the Anglican Church of Canada over liberalizing trends in those churches, including the ordination of openly LGBTQ+ bishops. 

The church says it has about 130,000 members in about 1,000 congregations in the U.S. and Canada.

The board of inquiry issued its ruling after a group of church members filed a presentment — a formal set of charges — against him in October. 

Under church rules, such charges face review by a board of inquiry before being sent to a formal trial. 

If a bishop is found guilty of a church charge, remedies can range from censure to suspension to removal from ministry.

Wood faces three charges, according to the board: violation of ordination vows, sexual immorality and conduct giving just cause for scandal or offense, including the abuse of ecclesiastical power. 

The board statement did not give any details on the charges.

An investigative report by The Washington Post said the complaint alleged sexual misconduct by Wood before he became archbishop last year, in his roles as a pastor and regional bishop.

The presentment also included allegations that he bullied staffers and plagiarized sermons, according to the Post, which later reported that a second woman has formally accused Wood of sexual harassment.

The church’s current dean, Bishop Julian Dobbs, is assuming Wood’s duties as archbishop during his suspension.

Wood is bishop of the Diocese of the Carolinas. During his suspension, that diocese will be led by Acting Bishop David Bryan. Wood also retired as rector of his parish, St. Andrew’s in Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina, after the allegations became public.

Church Nativity scenes add zip ties, gas masks and ICE to protest immigration raids

One baby Jesus lies in a manger in the snow, wrapped in a silver emergency blanket with his wrists zip-tied. 

Mary stands nearby outside the Lake Street Church in Evanston, Illinois, wearing a plastic gas mask and flanked by Roman soldiers in tactical vests labeled “ICE.”

In another Chicago suburb, not far from an Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility that has drawn protests over detentions, a sign at the manger outside the Urban Village Church says “Due to ICE activity in our community the Holy Family is in hiding.” 

And more than a thousand miles away, the Christ child went missing from a Nativity scene at St. Susanna Parish in Dedham, Massachusetts, replaced by a hand-painted sign: “ICE was here.”

These and other stark reimaginings of Christ’s birth are drawing praise and outrage as churches turn the Christmas tableau into a commentary on federal immigration enforcement under the Trump administration. 

Their creators say they are placing the ancient story in a contemporary frame, portraying the Holy Family as refugees to reflect on the fear of separation and deportation that many families — including their own parishioners — are experiencing today.

Supporters of the displays say the Bible is on their side, but critics call the scenes sacrilegious and politically divisive, accusing the churches of abusing sacred imagery and some arguing they should lose their tax-exempt status. 

The archdiocese in Massachusetts ordered that the manger must be “restored to its proper sacred purpose.”

The debate comes as immigration enforcement intensifies in states and cities whose leaders object to the immigration crackdown. In September alone, a combined total of at least 2,000 people were arrested in Illinois and Massachusetts, according to federal arrest figures released by immigration authorities.

‘A grave scandal for Catholics’

For churches, Christmas is a time “when we have public art out on the lawn and we get an opportunity to say something,” said Rev. Michael Woolf, senior minister at Lake Street. Another Nativity scene created by the Baptist congregation one recent year showed Jesus in rubble — a “plea for peace” in Gaza, he said.

St. Susanna parishioners locked baby Jesus in a cage in 2018 to protest how President Donald Trump’s first administration was separating families at the border. Another year, they depicted the infant floating in water polluted with plastic to highlight climate change.

Boston Archbishop Richard Henning ordered this year’s display taken down. As of Thursday, Father Steve Josoma was seeking a meeting and had yet to comply.

“The people of God have the right to expect that, when they come to church, they will encounter genuine opportunities for prayer and Catholic worship — not divisive political messaging,” a diocesan spokesperson said.

Some Catholic activists want the priest punished.

“This is really a grave scandal for Catholics, and I think he’s playing with fire,” said C.J. Doyle, director of the Catholic Action League of Massachusetts. “The archbishop can remove him as pastor, suspend him from active ministry — he can even close the parish and sell the property right out from under him.”

The community’s reality

Josoma said the display’s purpose is to move “beyond static traditional figures and evoke emotion and dialogue” in response to the fear many parishioners face as federal forces arrest more than undocumented immigrants, sweeping up longtime legal residents and spreading anxiety.

In Illinois, the detention campaign has left bystanders choking on chemical sprays and children traumatized at the site of neighbors and teachers being taken away, prompting state and local investigations.

“We wanted to reflect sort of the reality that our community is experiencing,” said Jillian Westerfield, associate minister at the United Methodist church in Evanston.

After the figure of Joseph blew down and was damaged, leaving Mary alone with the baby, they put up an explanatory sign: “Joseph didn’t make it. We hold this space to honor and remember all the victims of immigration enforcement terror.”

Critics either don’t fully understand the message or “find it really challenging to their conscience and are lashing out at the art rather than engaging with what the actual message is,” Westerfield said.

‘Not a stunt’

Phil Mandeville, who sits on St. Susanna’s Parish Council and coordinates a multi-church refugee support committee, said long-standing relationships make the parish resolute about keeping the display.

The committee has worked with about 10 refugee families since 2019, helping them find housing, enroll in school, learn English and secure work. Much of the effort is done in partnership with the federal government, which puts families through extensive vetting before they arrive, he said.

“Just to emphasize the reason for all of this — it’s not a stunt,” Mandeville said. “We work on a daily basis with refugees. But people get upset about a bit of plaster. I care more about individuals than I do a manger scene. I understand what it represents — I don’t understand why no one cares about these human beings.”

“Look at the Gospel just before Christ was executed — that was political,” he added. “We were always taught: when you’re unsure how to act, ask, ‘What would Christ do?’ Now we’re doing that, and it doesn’t seem to jibe.”

Divided reaction

The controversy in Evanston drew volunteers from a nearby synagogue, who stood outside during Lake Street’s services to help worshippers feel safe. Reactions outside the Dedham church ranged widely.

Walter Niland snapped a selfie and said he disagreed with the display. “I believe that the church enjoys a tax-exempt status,” said Niland, a Catholic from a neighboring town. “We should speak to spiritual matters, not matters of political division.”

Others came to challenge the parish directly — including one man who livestreamed his attempt to pull on locked church doors.

Steve Grieger, a former Catholic schoolteacher, drove an hour from Worcester to show his support.

“The Archdiocese says, ‘Oh no, that goes against our tradition.’ Well, we’re living in times that are totally abnormal. We can’t just proceed as normal,” Grieger said. “If we’re following the scriptures of Jesus, then we have to recognize that these ICE raids, and all of these terrible things going on, are totally against that.”

Rare fresco of Jesus as the ‘Good Shepherd’ uncovered in Turkish town visited by the pope

Archaeologists in Turkey have uncovered one of the most important finds from Anatolia’s early Christian era: A fresco of a Roman-looking Jesus as the “Good Shepherd.”

The painting was discovered in August in an underground tomb near Iznik, a town in northwestern Turkey that secured its place in Christian history as the place where the Nicene Creed was adopted in A.D. 325. Pope Leo XIV recently visited the town as part of his first overseas trip.

At the time, the region was part of the Roman Empire, and the tomb in the village of Hisardere is believed to date to the 3rd century, a time when Christians still faced widespread persecution.

The Good Shepherd fresco depicts a youthful, clean-shaven Jesus dressed in a toga and carrying a goat across his shoulders. 

Researchers say it is one of the rare instances in Anatolia where Jesus is portrayed with distinctly Roman attributes.

Before the cross was widely adopted as Christianity’s universal symbol, the Good Shepherd motif played a key role in expressing faith, indicating protection, salvation and divine guidance.

Despite its central role in early Christianity, however, only a few examples of the Good Shepherd have been found in Anatolia and the one in Hisardere is the best preserved.

The Associated Press was the first international media organization granted access to the tomb. Lead archaeologist Gulsen Kutbay described the artwork as possibly the “only example of its kind in Anatolia.”

The walls and ceiling of the cramped tomb are decorated with bird and plant motifs. Portraits of noble men and women, accompanied by slave attendants, also decorate the walls.

Eren Erten Ertem, an archaeologist from Iznik Museum, said the frescoes showed “a transition from late paganism to early Christianity, depicting the deceased being sent off to the afterlife in a positive and fitting manner.”

The excavation uncovered the skeletons of five individuals, anthropologist Ruken Zeynep Kose said. 

Because of poor preservation, it was impossible to determine the ages of two of them, but the others were two young adults and a 6-month-old infant.

Pope Leo XIV visited Iznik last month to mark the 1,700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea that produced a creed, or statement of faith, that is still recited by millions of Christians today.

Joined by patriarchs and priests from the Eastern and Western churches, Leo prayed that Christians might once again be united.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, presented a tile painting of the Good Shepherd discovery to Leo during his visit.

Anatolia witnessed pivotal moments in Christian history: St. Paul was born in Tarsus, St. John spent his final years in Ephesus and the Virgin Mary may have lived her last days near the same city.

Under-fire Nigerian bishop says Christian genocide claims ‘escalated by the Trump administration’

Bishop Matthew Hassan Kukah of Sokoto state in Nigeria has told Crux that claims of a Christian genocide in Nigeria have been escalated by the Trump administration.

“The genocide stuff has been escalated by the Trump administration,” Kukah said.

“This is what they used to muscle their way in, but I no longer want to be dragged into this. It is a distraction. My position is simple: By whatever name, stop the killings,” the bishop told Crux.

The Nigerian prelate has been under severe criticism over statements he made which many interpreted as a denial of what many have called genocide against Nigeria’s Christians.

Speaking at the Vatican on October 21 during the launch of Aid to the Church in Need’s Religious Freedom in the World Report 2025, which effectively spotlights Nigeria as one of the worst places to live in for a Christian, Kukah challenged the idea that Christians were being targeted for elimination.

He offered a broader diagnosis, attributing the suffering of Nigerians to widespread insecurity and government weakness.

“If we were dealing with outright persecution of Christians on grounds of identity, both myself and my small flock would not exist,” Kukah stated, citing his ability to travel freely without incident in his home diocese of Sokoto, a predominantly Muslim region in northwestern Nigeria.

“By whatever names we choose, the fact is that Nigerians are dying unacceptable deaths across the country. In many cases, they are targeted because of their beliefs but also because of their ethnicity. We are in the cusp of a weak state with a clear lack of capacity to arrest the descent into anarchy,” he said.

The bishop reiterated and expanded upon these views weeks later, speaking on Nov. 28, at the 46th Supreme Convention of the Knights of St. Mulumba in Kaduna. There, he directly disputed claims that genocide against Christians is taking place.

“People say there is genocide in Nigeria,” he said.

“My argument is that it is not accurate to claim there is genocide or martyrdom in Nigeria,” he added, noting that Muslims are also frequently killed by extremist groups.

The bishop further questioned the data used to support claims of genocide, casting doubt on widely circulated figures.

“They are saying that 1,200 churches are burnt in Nigeria every year, and I ask myself, in which Nigeria? Interestingly, nobody approached the Catholic Church to get accurate data,” he argued.

“We do not know where these figures came from. All those talking about persecution; has anyone ever called to ask, ‘Bishop Kukah, what is the situation?’ The data being circulated cleverly avoids the Catholic Church because they know Catholics do not indulge in hearsay,” the bishop added.

These remarks sparked a flow of criticism, with Emeka Umeabalasi, the Director of the NGO, International Society for Civil Liberties and the Rule of Law, Intersociety accusing the prelate of “speaking on behalf of the Federal government.”

Douglas Burton, Managing Editor of Truth Nigeria told Crux that Kukah’s “integrity as a truth teller is over. And we at TruthNigeria lament it, because for years, he spoke otherwise.”

“The evidence of targeted Christian violence is incontrovertible,” he said.

Statistics from the International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law (Intersociety) reveal  that since 2010, 185,000 people have been killed, including an estimated 125,000 Christians and 60,000 nonviolent Muslims.

The report further details the widespread destruction of religious infrastructure, with 19,100 churches burned to the ground and 1,100 entire Christian communities seized and occupied by jihadist forces, which the group alleges are backed or protected by elements of the government.

According to Intersociety’s board chairman, Emeka Umeagbalasi, the violence has triggered a massive humanitarian crisis, forcing an estimated 15 million people - mostly Christians from their homes.

The statistics also reveal that faith leaders have been specifically targeted, with 600 clerics reported abducted and dozens more killed or having vanished within the reporting period.

Kukah has expressed regret over the comments associated with him, insisting that he has never doubted that Christians are being persecuted in Nigeria, although genocide would be too strong a word to define what’s going on in the country.

In a statement sent to Crux, Kukah says he is “sincerely sorry” to be associated with “representations” stemming from “the pain of my brothers and sisters within the body of Christ.”

The bishop stated he was “baffled” by the claims and offered a sincere apology to those who were hurt.

“I am sincerely sorry to be associated with representations that understandably are a source of great pain and mental anguish to so many of my brothers and sisters within the body of Christ,” Kukah wrote. “So, for the record, I did not say that Christians are not persecuted in Nigeria! Nothing could be further from the truth.”

The bishop emphasized his long history of speaking out against the violence, insisting that by any name, “the bloodshed needs to end as soon as yesterday because our common humanity is at stake.” He called on the Nigerian government and its security agencies to fulfill their “urgent responsibility to bring the perpetrators to account.”

While apologizing for the “unnecessary distraction,” the bishop urged Nigerians not to retreat from the struggle for peace and justice. He called for a collective effort to “regain our humanity” and focus on the “ultimate prize, peace for our country, Justice for those injured, and reconciliation for our people.”

“This is a struggle that I have committed most of my pastoral and intellectual life to,” Kukah concluded, adding, “It is a struggle in which I pray that, by clinging to the old rugged cross, we can one day exchange it for a crown.”

Mass to celebrate life and times of former Bishop of Limerick

A MASS celebrating the life and times of reforming Limerick Bishop John Ryan will take place on Sunday.

It comes as the 200th anniversary arrives of the consecration of the Tipperary man, who worked hard after the Famine to alleviate the poverty facing scores of Limerick men and women.

All are welcome to the Mass, which begins at 12noon in St John’s Cathedral, a building Bishop Ryan was hugely involved in the delivery of.

Born in November 1784, and raised in the village of Templetuohy, near Thurles in Tipperary, Mr Ryan was ordained a priest in Maynooth to serve the Diocese of Cashel, Emly on June 10, 1810.

His first appointment in the Cashel Diocese was as the curate of Bansha.

Following this, he went to France to minister in parishes there.

Returning to Ireland, he was appointed priest in the Doon parish, for six years, before a move over the border to his home county of Tipperary.

Prior to this, he was consecrated as a Bishop in Limerick on December 11, 1825, the anniversary which will be marked this weekend.

He was not the sole Bishop of Limerick until March 17, 1828 when he succeeded Charles Tuohy.

At the time of his accession to the role, Limerick was struggling with the aftermath of the famine.

Poverty and unemployment were common place.

Being of a practical frame of mind, he encouraged his clergy to work to improve church buildings.

He also instigated, with the help of others, the building of the current St John’s cathedral in Garryowen.

He broke ground at Mount St Lawrence cemetery, with the aim of this project to give necessary employment to the community at the time.

The Mass will be celebrated by the former Bishop of Killala John Fleming.

He will be joined at the altar by Canon Gerard Garrett and Canon Donough O'Malley who has organised the Mass.

Canon O’Malley described Bishop Ryan’s tenure as being “very fruitful and positive for the city”.

“He is one of the unsung heroes of the city. He was a man of his time. He perceived a need and he ably responded to the various needs in the amelioration of poverty, and trying to expand new areas of employment, and encouraging people to begin new small businesses and industries,” Canon O’Malley said.

All in all, Bishop Ryan served 36 years in his role.

He died in 1864, while still in the role of Bishop of Limerick..

He is laid at rest within the building of St John's Cathedral in Garryowen.

Archbishop: Luis Camacho no longer a priest after Vatican review

Archbishop Ryan Jimenez, in a pastoral letter Thursday, said Luis Camacho is no longer a priest and is permanently prohibited from exercising any form of priestly ministry in the Catholic Church after a Vatican review.

Camacho left Guam in 2015 while he was under a canonical investigation following his arrest and later charged with custodial interference for allegedly taking a minor from school and engaging in a sexual act with her.

He visited Guam last year in May about nine years since he left Guam, but the archdiocese at the time said Camacho’s priestly faculties remained restricted.

Jimenez said the Archdiocese of Agana received official notification that on Sept. 19 the Congresso of the Vatican’s Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith completed its review of the case involving Camacho, who was ordained a priest for the archdiocese on Nov. 9, 2013.

The Congresso confirmed that Camacho was found guilty of delicta graviora cum minore – grave offenses involving a person under the age of 18 – and it upheld the penalty previously imposed: dismissal from the clerical state, Jimenez said.

“In simpler terms, Luis Camacho has been laicized. This means that he is no longer recognized as a priest and is permanently prohibited from exercising any form of priestly ministry in the Catholic Church. This decision is final and takes immediate effect,” the archbishop said.

The Dicastery’s review included the 2015 arrest of then-Fr. Camacho, the canonical investigation that followed, and a subsequent petition for recourse that Camacho himself submitted in an effort to have the penalties removed and to be restored to priestly ministry, Jimenez said.

The archbishop said he received authorization from the Dicastery on Nov. 5, 2024, to initiate an administrative penal process.

To ensure impartiality and fairness, Bishop Robert M. McGuckin, bishop emeritus of Toowoomba, Australia, was appointed as delegate to oversee this process, Jimenez said.

Following the canonical investigation, a penal decree was issued on May 6, finding Camacho guilty of delicts contra sextum, meaning violations of the Sixth Commandment (sexual misconduct) committed with a minor, and imposing the penalty of dismissal from the clerical state, the archbishop said

The decision has now been fully confirmed by the Congresso.

“As your shepherd, I carry the responsibility of informing you about the resolution of this very painful matter that has caused profound hurt among the faithful and had remained unresolved for many years. I share this update with you in a spirit of openness and with sincere pastoral concern for all who have been affected,” Jimenez said.

The archbishop said he also shared the update as part of the archdiocese’s continuing commitment to transparency, accountability, and the protection of minors and vulnerable persons.

“This moment is filled with genuine sadness. As archbishop, I bear deep responsibility for the spiritual welfare of God’s people. The pain is intensified when the one who has fallen is a priest¬ someone entrusted with sacred ministry and called to reflect Christ the Good Shepherd,” Jimenez said.

He said the resolution represents another necessary step toward truth, justice, and responsibility.

“In our ongoing mission to bring healing and hope to survivors of abuse, and to safeguard the young and the vulnerable, we place our trust not in our own strength, but in the grace of God,” Jimenez said.

Arrest

After Camacho’s 2015 arrest, then Archbishop Anthony S. Apuron sent him off-island to a priestly renewal program.

A year later, Apuron himself also left Guam after former altar boys started publicly accusing him of raping and sexually molesting them when they were minors, and the Vatican opened a canonical investigation on Apuron. 

A Vatican tribunal found Apuron guilty of abusing multiple minors and after losing his appeal, he was stripped of his title and banned from returning to Guam.

According to archdiocesan records, Camacho was arrested on March 17, 2015, on Guam for custodial interference.

He resigned as pastor of San Dimas, Malesso’ and San Dionisio, Humåtak.

At the time, he was prohibited from hearing confession and restricted from celebrating Mass publicly. He was only able to celebrate Mass privately.

Rome opened a canonical investigation on Camacho following the incident in 2015.

“I humbly ask you to keep in your prayers the victim and her family, all survivors of abuse, our local Church, and yes, Luis Camacho, entrusting him to God’s mercy and to the call of repentance and conversion,” Jimenez said.

Trainee priest ‘stalked’ woman he met at college

A reverend failed to become ordained after allegedly stalking a woman he met at priest school for years, a tribunal heard.

The Rev David Green became “obsessed” with the woman he met at a theological college and sent her reams of messages that made her “uncomfortable”.

Staff at Ripon College Cuddesdon, near Oxford, had to enforce a communication ban after he became “infatuated” with the woman, but he still persisted in contacting her.

Even after he finished his course at the Church of England college in 2019, the Rev Green continued to bombard her with “essays” while he was undertaking his curacy with the Diocese of Lichfield in Staffordshire.

People close to the Rev Green – a married father – reported to his alleged stalking the Diocese’s safeguarding officer when the situation had “grown unmanageable” and they were worried he was a “risk”.

The tribunal heard that although he was ordained as a Deacon, the Rev Green’s behaviour stopped him from becoming ordained as a priest.

It found that if the Rev Green had “focused on his ministry then it is likely he would have been ordained priest”, but he was too “obsessed and fixated” on what happened with the woman he allegedly stalked.

The Rev David Green continued to message his classmate after he finished his course at Ripon College Cuddesdon in 2019 Credit: David Fisher

Details about the Rev Green’s behaviour emerged at an employment tribunal in Manchester after he attempted to sue the Diocese of Lichfield for whistleblowing detriment. He lost his case.

During his time at Ripon College he befriended a female student, who cannot be named for legal reasons and is referred to only as Person B.

In January 2019, the woman reported the Rev Green’s report to one of the tutors at the college that she had received “extensive and inappropriate” emails from him.

The Rev Dr Sarah Brush said she thought he was “infatuated” with the fellow student and suggested that he undertake counselling because his behaviour “would be wildly inappropriate in a pastoral relationship with a parishioner or any future colleagues”.

He was also told to stop contacting the student, but he continued through email and Facebook. The college then banned him from communicating with the woman, which he said was “unjust”.

After completing the college course, he became the assistant curate to the Longnor Benefice under the Diocese of Lichfield.

Bombarding classmate with messages

During his curacy, the Rev Green was invited to attend a deacon ordination by a former coursemate, where the woman he allegedly stalked would also be ordained.

Before the ceremony, the Rev Green’s wife was contacted by a classmate and was told that she would be allowed to attend but he would not be welcome because of his behaviour. Despite this, he attended the ceremony with his wife and children.

In November 2019, he sent the woman an email asking her if she wanted to talk to him again. When she did not reply to the email, he started bombarding her with messages on WhatsApp.

A group of coursemates then sent a letter to Neil Spiring, the Lichfield Diocesan safeguarding adviser, about his behaviour.

Although he was told to stop messaging the woman, he sent a 4,800-word “essay” to her in February 2020.

His behaviour was escalated to the Rt Rev Michael Ipgrave, the Bishop of Lichfield, at which point the Rev Green’s ordination as a priest was delayed.

A ‘safeguarding concern’

The Rev Green claimed he was subjected to detriments for whistleblowing over a series of unrelated complaints he made to the Diocese.

But at the Manchester Employment Tribunal, Employment Judge Callum Cowx said: “Rev Green’s priesting was delayed because of legitimate concerns by the Bishop of Lichfield and his team within the Diocese that [Rev Green] was not meeting the Formation Criteria and was a safeguarding concern.

“Although [the Rev Green] experienced detriments, they were entirely justified by [his] failure to meet the required standards set by the Church of England.”

Speaking after the case, the Rev Green said: “I am of the view that I did behave towards her in a somewhat strange, or weird way at the time, and that she felt some degree of discomfort was understandable.

“I am of the opinion that the kind of friendship I tried to make clear to her I wanted would have been inappropriate if there was an imbalance of power, but in mitigation we were peers at theological college, and I had checked with my wife prior to asking.

“At the material time, when the college imposed restrictions on me, I was undergoing an acute stress reaction ... with hypervigilant symptoms.”

He added: “There is simply no way I would have ever attempted to contact someone I knew had made a harassment or stalking allegation about me against their will without very good reason.”

He now works as a mental health support and volunteers as a Senior Waterways Chaplain.

Sainthood effort begins for Mother Antonia, the nun who chose to bring Gospel behind bars

Antonia Brenner was twice divorced and had raised seven children when she gave up her comfortable life in Southern California to live in a small prison cell in the border city of Tijuana.

The onetime Beverly Hills resident became a nun at age 50, and for more than three decades devoted her life to serving not only those behind bars, but also others on the outside who were poor, sick, and vulnerable. 

Twelve years after her death at age 86, members of her religious community are launching an effort to canonize Mother Antonia.  

“She cared and loved so much,” said Sister Viola Lovato Ramirez, general leader of the Eudist Servants of the 11th Hour, the religious community Mother Antonia founded for older women like herself who feel the call to serve. “She loved the people of Mexico especially, God put that in her heart.”

Named after St. John Eudes, the French saint, the sisters were formally accepted as a private association of the faithful in 2003 by Tijuana’s bishop. The community currently consists of 11 sisters who range in age from 56 to 85, five of them assigned to Tijuana, the rest based in different parts of the United States. Its rules stipulate that the women who join be self-supporting and have health insurance. They renew their vows annually. 

Earlier this year, the sisters began collaborating with the Center for Sainthood Studies, a Catholic nonprofit in Menlo Park, California, to initiate a cause for canonization of Mother Antonia. “A big thing with candidates for sainthood is the lasting impact they have,” Travis Degheri, the center’s executive director, told OSV News. “From everyone I’ve talked to that has had any sort of relationship with Mother Antonia, it’s very clear that she had a lasting impact on their lives.”

In Tijuana, the mention of la Madre Antonia often evokes smiles. A small woman with piercing blue eyes, and heavily accented Spanish, she befriended inmates at the state-run La Mesa Penitentiary and called them her sons. During a riot in the 1980s, she stepped into the prison courtyard as inmates fired weapons, urging them to stop shooting, said Alberto Licona, a retired Tijuana police commander who witnessed the incident.

“The bullets were flying,” he recalled. “She went and spoke to them for a long time, and they surrendered.”

Mother Antonia fought for the dignity of prisoners of the overcrowded penitentiary, bringing them not just spiritual solace but also physical necessities such as soap, toilet paper, toothpaste and medicines. She raised funds to pay for their dental care, and raised bail for those being held on lesser charges. 

Her efforts extended to prison guards as well, and outside the penitentiary’s walls as she supported cancer and AIDS patients, as well as women newly released from prison and the family members of slain police officers. 

La Mesa was one of Mexico’s most corrupt and overcrowded prisons when Mother Antonia first persuaded prison officials to let her live there in 1977. Today, the rebuilt penitentiary houses 3,500 inmates, including 440 women, in seven buildings built for 2,500. Many inmates continue to have vast needs, especially those without family members to visit and purchase basic toiletry supplies. 

On what would have been Mother Antonia’s 99th birthday, Dec. 1, three Eudist sisters arrived early to carry on her mission wheeling two shopping carts filled with rolls of toilet paper, toothpaste, razors and candy into the cellblocks. 

In one building, former law enforcement officers were packed into a row of small cells with narrow bunk beds. At the end of a hallway, some wiped away tears and knelt while Sister Ann Gertrude Djuidje, originally from Cameroon, stood on the other side of the bars, offering prayers and blessings.

“Sometimes, not even our family visits us, and this is our only spiritual support,” said Luis, 45, a former municipal police officer who has been incarcerated for nearly three years, but has yet to be convicted of any crime. The visits and prayers “are like an embrace from God,” he said. 

A prison guard known as “El Profe” — the professor — said Madre Antonia taught him the importance of seeing the person and not the criminal. “I always keep it in mind, behind every delinquent is an injured child.”

Mentions of sainthood for Mother Antonia first arose while she was still alive. In October, with help from the Center for Sainthood Studies, her community took the initial step by submitting paperwork to the Archdiocese of Tijuana. But days later, Archbishop Francisco Moreno Barron died, and they are on stand-by until a new archbishop is appointed.

In the meantime, Sister Anne Marie Maxfield, the community’s secretary, is busy gathering information and anecdotes to support their effort.

“She’s an example for other women,” said Sister Anne Marie. “You can live a full life in one way and then start another life,” she said. “This encourages other people to say you know what? If she could do it, I could do it.”

Pope to priests: Announce Christ in today’s confusing and noisy society

In a message addressed to Latin American priests, seminarians, and religious men and women studying in Rome, Pope Leo XIV encourages them to remember their calling to follow Christ and strive to place God above everything.

“Since we live in a confusing society of noise, today more than ever we need servants and disciples who announce the absolute primacy of Christ and who keep His voice clearly in their ears and hearts.”

Pope Leo XIV offered that invitation to Latin American priests, seminarians, and religious men and women who study Rome, in a message released on Friday, December 12.

They gathered at the Vatican for a meeting organized by the Pontifical Commission for Latin America on “Mary: Star of Evangelization and Mission for Latin America Today,” on the feast day of Our Lady of Guadalupe.

In his message, Pope Leo reflected on Christ’s words to His disciples, “Follow me,” as representative of the “deepest purpose” of the life of a seminarian, priest, or consecrated person.

He invited them to remember their calling and stay faithful to God through good and hard times, by also nurturing their relationship with Him through reading Scripture, meditating in prayer, following their pastors, and studying the knowledge and wisdom offered by the Church.  

“In joys and in difficulties, our motto must be: if Christ went through it, then we too must live what He lived,” he wrote. “We should not cling to applause, for its echo fades quickly; nor is it healthy to dwell only on memories of crises or times of bitter disappointment.”

“Rather, let us see all of it as part of our formation and say, ‘If God has willed it for me, I too will it. The deep bond that unites us to Christ, whether as priests, consecrated persons, or seminarians, resembles what is said to Christian spouses on their wedding day: ‘for poorer, for richer, in sickness and in health’.”

Place God above everything

The Pope pointed out how the Gospel passages about vocation all underline “the absolute initiative of the Lord,” who calls people “without any merit” on their part.

Rather, he said their vocation is “an opportunity to bring the Gospel message to sinners and the weak,” and so Jesus' disciples become “instruments of the plan of salvation that God has for all people.”

However, Pope Leo emphasized that the Gospel also highlights the commitment that responding to such a vocation entails, such as placing God above everything, detaching oneself from all human security, and “the demand of the urgent necessity of theoretical and practical knowledge of the divine law.”

“In this requirement to leave everything—even things good in themselves—the Lord does not intend to make us evade natural duties, sanctioned by God’s law, but to open our eyes to a new life,” Pope Leo explained, citing St. Ambrose.

“In this new life nothing can be placed before God, not even what we had previously known as good, and it entails death to sin and to the old worldly self.”

Quoting again St. Ambrose, Pope Leo underlines how this union with Jesus then helps us be in communion with others and walk together.

“We are not united by bonds of sympathy, shared interests, or mutual convenience, but by belonging to the people whom the Lord purchased at the price of His Blood,” the Pope insisted.

Jesus sustains and knows us

The Pope also highlighted that in the Gospel of John, Christ tells the apostle Peter to follow Him twice, and both times, it shows the Lord’s closeness.

The first time is after Peter’s triple confession of love after denying Jesus three times, and even though “the Apostle did not fully understand the mystery of the Cross,” God already had “in mind the sacrifice with which Peter would glorify God.”

“When, throughout life, our vision becomes clouded, like Peter’s did in the night or amid the storms,” the Pope explained, “it will be the voice of Jesus that, with loving patience, sustains us.”

Similarly, the second time is shortly after when Peter asks about John, and Jesus replies, “What concern is it of yours? You follow me.” This second episode “assures us that the Lord knows our frailty and that, often, it is not the cross imposed upon us, but our own selfishness, that becomes a stumbling block in our desire to follow him,” Pope Leo emphasized.

“The dialogue with the Apostle shows us how easily we judge our brother and even God, without docilely accepting His will in our lives.”

At the end of his message, the Pope entrusted the Latin American seminarians, priests, and religious to Mary and asked Our Lady of Guadalupe to “teach us to respond with courage and to keep in our hearts the wonders that Christ has done in us, so that we may go forth without delay to proclaim the joy of having found him, of being one in the One, and living stones of a temple for His glory.”

Priests, laypeople, Poor Clare nun among 124 20th-century martyrs beatified in Spain

The Diocese of Jaén in Spain will celebrate on Dec. 13 the beatification of 109 priests, 14 laypeople, and one Poor Clare nun martyred during the Spanish Civil War.

With the addition of these 124 new blesseds, the number of 20th-century martyrs in Spain recognized by the Catholic Church rises to 2,254, 11 of whom have been canonized.

The beatification ceremony will be presided over by Cardinal Marcello Semeraro, prefect of the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints, and will take place in Assumption Cathedral in Jaén, where some of the new blesseds spent their last days before being murdered out of hatred for the faith. 

Bishop Sebastián Chico of Jaén in the pastoral letter published on the occasion of the beatification stated that “their blood, far from being sterile, has become a fertile seed that today nourishes the faith of our parishes, communities, families, and confraternities, and impels us to live Christ more deeply so that we, too, may be witnesses of hope in the midst of the world.”

Chico also shared a reflection on the theological meaning of martyrdom, which he summarized as “the victory of love and the fullness of hope.”

The prelate observed that Scripture “teaches us that blood shed for the love of God is a seed of fidelity, eternal life, and hope.”

Regarding the Catholic Church’s teaching on this mystery of self-sacrifice, Chico noted that each martyr “has been a grace from God for the Church and a rich legacy of charity and hope that we must know and preserve.”

He also emphasized that “martyrdom is the supreme testimony of Christian hope,” because it reminds us that “with the eloquence of their own lives, violence, hatred, or death do not have the last word.”

The bishop of Jaén also pointed out that the martyrs “were not heroes, humanly speaking, nor ideological fighters, nor casualties in a war for earthly interests” but rather men and women “marked by weakness and sin, like any of us, but who conquered evil in the last moment of their lives with the sole strength of an unwavering faith in Christ. Their only weapon was love.”

Jaén, the ‘Holy Kingdom’

The Diocese of Jaén is traditionally known as the “Holy Kingdom,” and throughout its history it has been marked by not a few martyrs, from the Roman soldiers Sts. Bonosus and Maximian to St. Potenciana, virgin, the priest St. Amador, and, in the Middle Ages, the bishop St. Peter Pascual.

Along with them, the new blesseds are not the only sons and daughters of the diocese martyred in the 20th century. In addition to a group beatified in Tarragona in 2013, St. Pedro Poveda, founder of the Teresian Institution, stands out: He was murdered in Madrid in 1936.

With the new blesseds, “Jaén sees its name confirmed and enriched: Holy Kingdom. It is not an empty or merely historical title but a profound spiritual truth,” the prelate emphasized.

Of the 124 new blesseds, Chico highlighted three names “as examples of unwavering faith, generous love, and certain hope”: the priest Francisco de Paula Padilla Gutiérrez, who “voluntarily offered to die in place of a father of six children”; the lay doctor Pedro Sandoica y Granados, who “was murdered for publicly confessing his faith, without fear of the consequences, moved by hope in the kingdom of God”; and the widow Obdulia Puchol, a “woman of profound charity who opened her home to transients and the most disadvantaged, and who was shot for her fidelity to Christ, keeping hope alive until her last breath.”

The prelate said he believes the recognition of these martyrs should be considered “as yet another link in the chain of holiness that unites Jaén with the universal Church, from the first Christians to our own day.”

The martyrs, through their lives and their final sacrifice, “are not just a memory of a heroic past but teachers for the present … In this sense, the witness of the martyrs does not belong solely to history; it is a living word that God addresses to the Church and to the society of today.”

Chico emphasized that the martyrs invite us to renew our own hope because they “urge us to live our faith radically, without lukewarmness or compromise”; they teach people “to forgive, always, even in the midst of violence and injustice, following the example of Christ on the cross”; they call the faithful “to be builders of reconciliation and peace”; and they show that “holiness is possible in all vocations.”

Clonard priest Fr Stephen set to publish first novel

A CLONARD priest is set to publish his first novel this month after being inspired to take up writing.

Fr Stephen Thomas, a native of India has been a Redemptorist priest at Clonard Monastery since April.

From Kerala in the south of India, Fr Stephen always wanted to be priest from childhood and particularly a Redemptorist.

"I preached missions and took part in retreats to parishes and schools, colleges and did a lot of work with young people," he said.

"I have been in Belfast since April. I am slowly getting used to the life and culture and weather and food of Belfast and getting to understand the Belfast accent which was rather difficult for me."

A decade ago he took up writing, he said. "I began exploring my skill of writing. I used to read a lot from the childhood onwards and that became a way for me to get into the field of writing.

"Publishing my first book around 12 years ago is one of the greatest moments in my life.

"I have since written reflections, travelogues and next week I am going to publish my first novel, called Midsummer.

"I went to Lebanon for a year and wrote a book called Stories from Lebanon. From my writing I want people to basically have some food for thought or maybe some inspiration.

"There might be something for them to apply to their own life. Life always has its own challenges and struggles.

"My writing is from my experience, which includes some of my struggles. I think when people listen to someone who has gone through something similar, it helps them relate more."

Association of Catholic Priests disappointed at Vatican decision

The Association of Catholic Priests (ACP) expresses deep disappointment at the Vatican’s decision on December 4 to once again reject the ordination of women as deacons.

Despite global Synodal consultations consistently identifying the role of women as one of the Church’s most urgent issues, the latest ruling - reached by a study group, with only one member voting in favour - stands in stark contrast to the convictions of most of the faithful.

The document’s claim that the decision is not definitive, coupled with yet another call for ‘further study,’ repeats a long-standing pattern of postponement. 

This continued deferral, now by a third study group, suggests a serious lack of leadership and reduces the message from a firm ‘no’ to a dispiriting ‘not yet.’

Lay Catholics overwhelmingly support the restoration of women to the diaconate, and many also favour broader opportunities for women in ordained ministry. 

Yet the Church’s stated commitment to equality for women continues to be sidelined. If Synodality is truly to guide Church governance, it must recognise the Holy Spirit at work in all the baptised - not only in Vatican-appointed committees.

As Irish priests, the ACP are especially disappointed that no Irish bishop has publicly addressed this development, even as many believe it will cause significant harm to Synodality and to the credibility of the Church.

The ACP urge Church leadership to listen attentively to the people of God and to show the courage and openness this moment requires.

'Time for gloves off': Asking religious orders nicely to pay redress hasn't worked, says Bacik

IT’S TIME TO take the gloves off and force religious orders to pay redress to their victims, according to Labour leader Ivana Bacik. 

Her party has put forward a Bill that seeks to enact landmark legislation to ensure that religious institutions, associated trusts, and other unincorporated organisations be held liable for historic child sexual abuse committed in their care.

Tánaiste Simon Harris, when Taoiseach, said he expected those who speak Christianity to practice it, stating that the government has “levers” to ensure the religious orders pay up. 

He said last year that he had asked the Attorney General to draft legal advice for government about what mechanisms can be deployed or what legislation could be introduced to make sure that institutions have to contribute towards redress.  

However, since then, there has been no progress with the legislation.  

Bacik said in her previous life as a barrister, she represented many survivors of abuse in industrial schools, and she described the residential institutions redress board as “a flawed process” that has been subject to much critique.

“One of the key issues was that the religious orders simply were not not paying their share of the redress… what has happened over decades is that religious orders have transferred their assets to lay-run trusts,” she said.

An example is the government-established Mother and Baby Institutions Payment Scheme, which sought for religious bodies to contribute around €270m to the costs. 

However, only two of eight religious bodies linked to Mother and Baby Homes in Ireland offered to contribute. 

The Sisters of Bon Secours offered €12.97m, while the Daughters of Charity of St Vincent de Paul proposed contributing a building to the scheme.

Since then, there is a whole new cohort of people who have come forward with claims of abuse, with Bacik mentioning David and Mark Ryan, who were featured in the RTÉ’s Doc on One programme ‘Blackrock Boys’.

‘Tip of the iceberg’

In more recent times, claims have “absolutely exploded”, said Bacik, noting that the new scoping inquiry into sexual abuse in schools run by religious orders identified 42 religious orders, over 300 schools and 3,000 allegations. 

“And that’s just the tip of the iceberg.”

“So we drafted a bill to enable proceedings to be taken against an unincorporated body, which is the legal status of a religious order, so that survivors or the State can pursue for unpaid redress,” she said. 

Bacik said there shouldn’t be a delay in taking action, stating that she believes this sort of legislation can run parallel to the Commission of Investigation into the Handling of Historical Child Sexual Abuse in Schools, which is ongoing. 

The commission will investigate the handling of allegations or concerns of historical child sexual abuse in all day and boarding schools in Ireland, including special schools, which occurred between 1927 and 2013. 

“I’m disappointed that the lack of action by government, because, in fact, I spoke in the Dáil two years ago on this, and the then-minister said he was very interested, and said that he would go to the Attorney General and look for advice… nothing’s happened since the scoping inquiry was established,” she said.

“For decades, successive governments and ministers have gone cap in hand to the religious orders, and frankly, it’s time for gloves off. No more of this asking nicely, because the religious orders are digging their heels in. They’re protecting their assets, and it’s just not good enough.

“We need this legal mechanism to be able to get behind these legal entities, and be able to secure a redress for survivors. We know the wealth religious orders and their trusts are sitting on is huge,” the Labour leader said. 

Almost all religious orders in Ireland have millions of euros in cash and assets. The eight religious bodies with historical involvement in mother and baby homes have combined net assets of €1.32 billion and cash deposits of €86 million. 

In a statement from the Department of Education regarding where progress is when it comes to legislation, a spokesperson said the scoping inquiry into historical sexual abuse in day and boarding schools run by religious orders, a Commission of Investigation has been established by the government.

They noted that inquiry’s report also recognised the significance of the issue of redress for survivors and their expressed wish that those running schools where child sexual abuse occurred should be held accountable financially.

“It recommended that consideration be given by the government to establishing a redress scheme for survivors. The high-level Inter Departmental Group (IDG) established to advise Government on the recommendations of the Scoping Inquiry also recognised redress as an important element of accountability for survivors and advised in its report that, based on knowledge of other schemes in the State and beyond, further detailed research and data analysis work needs to be undertaken on the consideration of any potential redress scheme that may be established in the future.

“This work is ongoing and will continue in parallel to the work of the Commission, which does not have a role in relation to redress.

“Given the complex issues involved, it is clear that further analysis and significant legal consideration will be required in assessing any proposed legislation to be brought forward in this regard,” the concluded. 

Expanded Irish Jewish Museum 'creates a new and serious terrorist risk'

A number of locals at Portobello in Dublin 8 have raised security concerns over plans to extend the Irish Jewish Museum.

In plans lodged with Dublin City Council, the Irish Jewish Museum is seeking to upgrade, expand and refurbish the existing museum at Walworth Road in Portobello, Dublin 8.

In recent days the Irish Jewish Museum has lodged revised plans with the Council on the application it first lodged last July.

In response to the initial plans, the Council received 15 submissions with a number expressing security concerns over the scheme along with planning issues.

The submissions were lodged last August as the Israel war in Gaza continued and against the background of rising antisemitism globally.

The Smillie family on Walworth Street told the council that the proposed development raises significant security and safety issues.

They state that “the security and safety concern centres on the fact that the proposed much enlarged Jewish Museum building will significantly increase its visibility and prominence, thereby creating a new and serious terrorist risk”.

The Smillie family added: “Unlike the current smaller museum, which fits discreetly within the existing environment and attracts little attention, the expanded and enlarged structure will stand out as a conspicuous symbol."

They further stated that “given the current volatile political climate in the Middle East, this prominent Jewish cultural building could become a very real target for politically motivated attacks, including terrorism, violent physical protests, or acts intended to make political statements”.

The Smillie family contended that “this heightened security risk arises specifically because the bigger, more noticeable museum changes its profile dramatically and introduces a threat that did not previously exist due to the more modest scale and low visibility of the current facility”.

In another, Ruth and Adrian Kenny of Kingsland Parade, Portobello told the Council that “the war in Israel, and the absence of an Israeli embassy in Dublin mean that protest may be directed at this new Jewish centre”.

They state that “heavy security will be inevitable, and protest demonstrations most likely. Walworth Road, a tiny residential street, is not the place for this development”.

Pauline Atkinson and James P Browne of Kingsland Parade, Portobello told the council that there are several young families living in the area and the proposed development if allowed the proceed “has the potential to be a target" and a risk to residents and their families.

Maurice McConnell of Walworth Rd, told the council “taking in consideration the current geopolitical climate prevailing it would not be unreasonable for the immediate residents feeling exposed to a possible criminal attack on the IJM (Irish Jewish Museum)”.

Paula Burke and Gerry Browne of Walworth Rd stated that “the development as proposed in this application, in a residential area, could pose a security risk for the residents”.

Portobello resident and leader of the Labour Party, Ivana Bacik TD told the council that she is fully supportive of proposals to ensure sustainable development of the Irish Jewish Museum.

Deputy Bacik stated that the Museum “is an important amenity and real asset to the local community. Its siting on Walworth Road, where a synagogue was previously located, represents a vital acknowledgement of the rich heritage and long history of the Jewish community in the Portobello area of Dublin”.

Deputy Bacik stated that “local residents greatly value the continued presence of the Museum in our area”.

Deputy Bacik stated that further information was required on aspects of the proposal and in response to local concerns, the Council did seek further information with revised plans lodged on December 4th.

In a submission lodged with Dublin City Council, ODA Architecture state that “the proposed redevelopment represents a sensitive and necessary enhancement to the Irish Jewish Museum, ensuring its continued role as a cultural and educational institution of national significance”.

The purpose of the development is to refurbish existing premises at 3 and 4 Walworth Rd and extend them to No 5 to create additional exhibition space and for modern facilities, entrance area and safe access and accessible routes.

ODA Architecture state that the existing museum has approximately 3,500 visitors per annum and is open one day a week and by special appointment.

The architects state that the proposed expanded museum is projected to have approximately 10,000 visitors per annum and propose to have five full time staff and five volunteers.

The proposed museum will open five days a week from 9.30am – 5.30pm and half day 9.30am -1pm.

The Council is now accepting new submissions on the new information lodged until January 2nd with a decision due later in January.

Priest who married Conor McGregor on fighter’s controversial history: “What can I do?”

Conor McGregor married longtime partner Dee Devlin at the Vatican on Friday.

McGregor, 37 and Devlin, 38, who share four children together, tied the knot in the historic Chiesa di Santo Stefano Degli Abissini – directly behind the Basilica of St Peter on the way to the Vatican Gardens.

Pictures of the inside of the chapel were released, showing thousands of white roses and greenery around the altar.

Security was tight around the venue and McGregor’s bodyguards ensured locals in the closed off area to the public were not allowed to photograph Devlin in her wedding dress.

According to the Irish Independent, in recent days senior Vatican figures have privately expressed concerns over the appropriateness of making the venue available to McGregor – a man who has been involved in his fair share of violent incidents.

The priest, Fr AJ of Texas who married the couple was asked about the controversy surrounding McGregor, to which he replied: “I’m aware of it, but what can I do?”

Earlier this week McGregor teased a UFC return amid speculation he will fight and potentially headline UFC White House next summer to celebrate Donald Trump’s 80th birthday.

Last November, an Irish High Court ruled in a civil case that McGregor had assaulted and raped a woman in 2018. He was ordered to pay €250,000 in damages and €1.5 million in legal costs.

Devlin supported McGregor throughout the case and later wrote on social media that the pair had dealt with those issues privately many years ago, coming out ‘stronger than ever.’

McGregor consistently maintained that the encounter was consensual but the court rejected his account of events.

McGregor met Devlin in a Dublin nightclub in 2008. They have three sons, Conor Jr, Rian and Mack alongside a daughter Croia.

The fighter proposed five years ago in 2020 and the couple had dreams of exchanging vows in the Sistine Chapel but the Vatican forbids wedding ceremonies taking place there.

Marriage ceremonies within Vatican City are very rare and only permitted under particular circumstances, requiring special approval from authorities.

McGregor returned from a short social media hiatus last month by accusing Khabib Nurmagomedov of using his late father’s name to con fans.

The Irishman claimed that he was ‘born again’ following an intense ibogaine treatment in Mexico, taking the hallucinogen to ‘address trauma.’

He said he ‘saw God and Jesus Christ who walked down the marble steps of Heaven’ and put a crown on his head.

In June 2023, Miami police received a report that McGregor had sexually assaulted a woman at the Miami Heat arena after game four of the NBA Finals.

Earlier this year he announced his intention to stand as an independent candidate in the 2025 Irish presidential election before withdrawing after ‘careful consideration.’

Court rejects Enoch Burke's last-ditch attempt to stop tomorrow's hearing into his sacking

A HEARING INTO Enoch Burke’s 2023 dismissal by Wilson’s Hospital School will take place tomorrow after the teacher failed in a last-minute bid to have it postponed.

Burke applied to the Court of Appeal today to put a stay on the hearing of the Disciplinary Appeals Panel (DAP), which is due to take place in Athlone on Saturday.

Burke is on administrative leave following his dismissal for gross misconduct after he interrupted a religious service and confronted the school’s principal.

He has argued that he is being persecuted for his religious opposition to a request by the school to address a transgender pupil by their preferred pronouns.

He is currently in Mountjoy Prison for contempt of court after disobeying a High Court injunction to stay away from the school’s grounds. 

A judge said this week that Burke could be released from prison any time he purges his contempt, or when the DAP decides on whether he was fairly or unfairly dismissed by Wilson’s Hospital School.

If the panel decides against him after it meets tomorrow, Burke’s dismissal for gross misconduct will be confirmed. 

Appearing in court in person today, Burke argued that the hearing should be postponed because of “diametrically opposing” statements by different judges in two previous Court of Appeal judgments about why he was dismissed by the school.

He said he was making his application on the basis that he had asked the Supreme Court to resolve the two judgments, and that without this, the DAP would be making its decision on a questionable basis.

One of the judgments, a 2023 ruling by Judge John Edwards, said there was “no evidence” Burke was placed on administrative leave by Wilson’s Hospital School “because of the views that he holds”.

Burke claimed that the school’s board of management had overly relied on this judgment in its submission to the DAP, saying the board had quoted it 12 times in a 20-page submission.

He said that Judge Edwards’ statement in the judgment was “ringing with totality, ringing with absolutism, [and] ringing with authority”.

If tomorrow’s hearing went ahead, he said, the same statement would “ring in the ears of the Board of Management, [and] it will ring in the ears of the Disciplinary Appeals Panel” and that he would therefore suffer “irreparable harm”.

“How can that be allowed to proceed, that I would have to go into a hearing with my career on the line and everything on the line?” he asked the court.

“It is unthinkable that that could happen.”

The second judgment cited by Burke was made earlier this year by Judge Mary Faherty, in which he specifically highlighted a paragraph relating to a report by the school’s then-principal about his dismissal.

Burke argued that Judge Faherty said “any reasonable reader” of the principal’s report would find he was sacked after refusing to obey a request to address a transgender pupil by their preferred pronouns.

However, the three-judge court ruled today that the DAP would not be unduly prejudiced by Edwards’ judgment if it met tomorrow.

It said it was satisfied that neither Court of Appeal judgment had determined anything about the reasons for Burke’s sacking, and that the reasons behind his dismissal would be determined by the DAP.

The judges also said that both Burke and the school could make their case before the panel, and that it was the legal obligation of the DAP – not the court – to determine the reasons for his dismissal.

Pope Just Got a BMW iX, Making It the Vatican’s Newest Electric Ride

BMW has added a fully electric luxury SUV to the Vatican fleet, handing a new iX xDrive60 with M Sport package to Pope Leo XIV. 

The handover took place at the Vatican with BMW CEO Oliver Zipse and BMW Italy president Massimiliano Di Silvestre in attendance, and is being framed as a showpiece for both the brand’s electrification push and the pope’s public support for climate action.

In Italian-market spec, the donated iX is roughly a six-figure vehicle, but unlike a bespoke popemobile it remains a regular road-legal SUV that could blend into the broader fleet when it is not in the spotlight.

A High-Spec iX With Plenty Of Power And Range

The gift car is an iX xDrive60 M Sport, BMW’s large dual-motor electric SUV with all-wheel drive and more than 500 horsepower. 

In this configuration it can accelerate from a standstill to highway speeds in a few seconds while still offering hundreds of miles of range on a charge, depending on conditions. 

Fast-charging capability allows the battery to go from a low state of charge to a healthy buffer in well under an hour on a high-power DC charger, which matters even in a city-state as compact as the Vatican if the car is used for regular official trips.

BMW is positioning the iX as part of its broader transition toward electric SUVs of different sizes, from compact crossovers like the upcoming iX3 to more traditional models such as the X3.

Comparisons like the 2026 BMW X3 against the 2027 BMW iX3 show how quickly the brand’s mainstream lineup is being mirrored by battery-electric alternatives.

Symbolism For BMW And The Vatican

The Vatican has already accepted purpose-built electric popemobiles from other manufacturers, but this iX is described more as a general-use vehicle for the pope and his entourage than as a custom parade car. 

It joins a small but growing pool of zero-emission vehicles used for day-to-day transport around Rome, reinforcing the message that high-profile institutions should be seen adopting cleaner technology.

For BMW, the optics go beyond a single donation. 

The company has been highlighting its interior and design work on electric SUVs, down to details such as the light-colored steering wheel option planned even for base versions of the iX3. 

Putting an iX in papal service gives that design and technology a global stage, even if it spends most of its life doing quiet, low-profile duty between Vatican meetings.

Leo’s in-flight press conference showed us who the Pope is

A new papacy involves both steady continuity and great change, and the arrival of Leo XIV has been no different. 

Thanks to the media-saturated world in which we live, there was great anticipation prior to his first foreign trip, not merely for the voyage itself but for the in-flight press conference on the return journey.

Would he even hold one, Vaticanistas asked themselves, or would he leave that as a chapter which closed with the death of Francis?

Such plane pressers often proved to be among the more controversial moments of the Francis papacy, with his seemingly off-the-cuff remarks about doctrine, morality and even politics delighting journalists eager to make a splash with the headlines. 

It was returning from his first international trip to World Youth Day in Brazil in July 2013 that Francis’s famous “who am I to judge” phrase was made. 

Given Leo’s notably measured and more precise style of language, it was hard to envisage what form such an in-flight conference might take.

So it was that, flying from Beirut to Rome on 2 December, Leo brought both continuity and change. 

Continuity, in that he did indeed field a number of questions from the press, but change in both the manner and style of his replies. 

There was no “who am I to judge” moment to haunt him throughout his papacy.

Instead, what emerged was a marked restraint and precision, combined with spiritual honesty, which carried throughout his replies and offered arguably one of the most revelatory moments about the Pope and his character.

Of course, what most captured public attention first were his comments on how to understand who Prevost actually is. 

His recommendation of the book The Practice of the Presence of God as being “my spirituality for many years” caused the work to become an overnight bestseller online.

Indeed, when a man describes how he instantly relinquished his own plans of a quiet retirement in order to accept the weighty responsibility of the papacy, how can one fail to be won over when he explains his rationale was based in “a type of prayer and spirituality where one simply gives his life to the Lord and allows the Lord to lead”?

But aside from winning hearts and minds, Leo’s other answers revealed more of the style of papacy which the Church should expect: a quiet reign, but one in which certain laws are keenly respected; a papacy in which he will be friendly and amiable while also trying to win disputes for the canonically correct stance.

How can this be surmised? 

Firstly, through his response when asked about his feelings in the conclave, when Leo quickly replied that “I believe very strictly about the secret of the Conclave, even though I know that there have been public interviews where some things were revealed.” 

As pontiff, Leo is the only one who does not have to worry legally about maintaining the secrecy of the conclave. 

His evident desire to ensure that secrecy remains intact suggests a minute attention to discipline that would certainly be a welcome influence in the Vatican and in the Church at large.

Secondly, even when prompted and primed to give a laudatory comment about the German bishops, Leo diplomatically and politely refused to do so. 

Not only that, but he gave support to German Catholics who have voiced concerns about the heterodox direction of the Synodal Way in the country.

Nor will Leo’s not-so-subtle allusion to the German Synodal Way forming a schism have been missed by the German bishops. 

“There is an ongoing process there as well, to try and make sure the German Synodal Way does not, if you will, break away from what needs to be considered as a pathway of the universal Church.” 

He spoke of his hope and expectancy that negotiations will “work out positively”, but when such phraseology comes from the Pope it is not so much a simple pious wish as a diplomatic command.

In less than half an hour, Leo revealed more about himself than he had done over the previous seven months: amiable and diplomatic, certainly, but with an undercurrent of palpable concern for ecclesial unity and law.

So far, this has emerged as his governing style, and unless he has some great change in store, it is likely to be his modus operandi going forward in the foreseeable future.

This will win him much support and warm favour from many, but it will not help him avoid the growing crises that will inevitably fester unless directly addressed. 

The entire China question, for example, is not one that will end positively for the Vatican with a kid-glove approach, as attested to by local clergy concerned at the Holy See’s naivety in its negotiations with Beijing.

It is fascinating to witness a Pope develop his regnal style in real time, as he realises exactly what works and what does not in his communications to the Church, the hierarchy and the world. 

In this sense, there must always be change from one pontiff to another, but married to continuity, since the Bridegroom of Christ does not change her personality like a parliament but responds to the needs of each age in the manner most appropriate.

Leo has begun to settle himself into his position, and now the Church must witness whether his style will bear the necessary fruit.