News | Latest Breaking News Stories & Headlines

The Government said it had sought a contribution from the Catholic religious congregations of approximately €725m

Spending on abuse survivors falls

Survivors of institutional child abuse in industrial schools received around €6m worth of services over the second half of last year from the statutory body overseeing the distribution of funds pledged by the 18 religious congregations which ran the institutions and a reformatory.

News • 16 Feb 17

The cardinals expressed their solidarity with Pope Francis

Cardinals back pope after attacks by conservatives

Senior cardinals from around the world have defended Pope Francis against a spate of recent attacks from conservatives challenging his authority.

News • 13 Feb 17

Teresa Devlin wants statutory powers for the NBSCCCI

Church watchdog to ask for more data powers

Ireland's Catholic Church-established watchdog on child sexual abuse is to ask the Government to give it statutory powers to allow it share information among church authorities concerning allegations against priests, religious and church workers.

News • 10 Feb 17

Fr Gerry O'Hanlon said the loss of the church's moral authority here once the abuse scandal was publicly exposed was what he called the 'crucial' factor

Joe Little: Abuse almost destroyed church - priest

The Catholic Church in Ireland has been "almost fatally destroyed" by the clerical child sexual abuse scandal, according to a former Provincial of the Jesuit Order here.

Analysis and Comment • 09 Feb 17

Fr Gerry O'Hanlon SJ addressed the Australian inquiry

Inquiry told church was nearly 'fatally destroyed'

The Catholic Church in Ireland has been "almost fatally destroyed" by the clerical child sexual abuse scandal, according to a former Provincial of the Jesuit Order here.

News • 08 Feb 17

Funding of up to €5,000 available to local organisations that work with families and individuals who have made Ireland their home

New initiative to boost migrant integration

Community groups around the country are being encouraged to make a greater effort to welcome migrants and refugees, with the launch of a new initiative to boost integration.

News • 07 Feb 17

The commission has made over 300 referrals to police but so far there have only been 27 prosecutions with 75 cases pending

Australia: 7% of Catholic priests accused of abuse

An inquiry into institutional sex abuse in Australia has heard that 7% of the country's Catholic priests were accused of abusing children between 1950 and 2010 but the allegations were never investigated.

News • 06 Feb 17

Maynooth, Greystones and Cobh were included on original list of 15 areas for proposed rent caps

Three towns excluded from final rent cap list

Three towns that were identified as rent pressure zones in a report to the Minister for Housing were not included in the Government's extended rent cap scheme last week, it has emerged.

News • 03 Feb 17

Rent supplement increases of up to 30% were awarded in Dublin

11,000 households in rent supplement increase

Almost 11,000 households at imminent risk of homelessness have been given increased rent supplement payments in the past six months, according to official figures.

News • 03 Feb 17

The judge imposed a two year sentence, suspended in full on condition the priest completes a sex offenders programme

Priest gets suspended sentence for 2015 sex abuse

A priest has received a suspended sentence for the 2015 sexual assault of a teenage boy after a court heard he has been put under effective house arrest by his order.

News • 01 Feb 17

Five survivors of a teacher in Limerick were at Leinster House

Independent assessor for school abuse survivors

Minister for Education Richard Bruton has announced that an independent assessor will adjudicate on increasing differences between victims of child sexual abuse in day schools and the State, which they are pursuing for redress.

News • 01 Feb 17

HIQA said the report follows the HSE's failure to act on previous serious reports

Centre residents had to shower in separate house

Women with intellectual disabilities living in a Health Service Executive-run centre had to leave their bungalow to access a suitable bathroom in a separate house on their campus, according to a report by the Health Information and Quality Authority.

News • 31 Jan 17

Former CICE staff and students protesting at the college's former campus in Rathmines

Ex-CICE staff protest following move to DCU

A group of former staff and students of the Church of Ireland College of Education has accused its governors of failing to deliver on their responsibilities and commitments to staff and students.

News • 27 Jan 17

Successive governments have been criticised for not recognising Traveller ethnicity

State urged to acknowledge Traveller ethnicity

An Oireachtas committee has called on the State to formally acknowledge Travellers as a separate ethnic group.

News • 26 Jan 17

Grand Master Matthew Festing resigned after a meeting with Pope Francis

Knights of Malta chief resigns over condoms row

The head of the Knights of Malta has resigned on the request of Pope Francis, the ancient Catholic order has said.

News • 25 Jan 17

The Sodalitium Christianae Vitae headquarters was founded in Peru in 1971

Number of Peru abuse survivors reject compensation

Some of the known survivors of abuse at the hands of an elite Catholic society in Peru have rejected offers of compensation, branding them "ridiculous and offensive".

News • 24 Jan 17

Crowds of wellwishers greet Fr Tony Flannery after he concluded this afternoon's mass in Galway

Priest banned from public ministry holds mass

Hundreds of people have attended the first mass in five years to be celebrated by a priest banned from public ministry.

News • 22 Jan 17

Archbishop Eamon Martin responds to the findings of the Historical Institutional Abuse inquiry

Report shows 'dark and disturbing chapter'

The Catholic Primate of All Ireland, Archbishop Eamon Martin, has said the publication of the report into historical institutional child abuse in Northern Ireland is a very significant moment.

News • 20 Jan 17

Many victims of abuse at Kincora could have been spared, the inquiry found

'Catalogue of failures' over Kincora abuse

Police investigations into the notorious Kincora boys' home in East Belfast in the mid-1970s were "inept, inadequate and far from thorough", the Historical Institutional Abuse inquiry has found.

Ireland • 20 Jan 17

The last collective meeting of Irish bishops was with Pope Benedict in 2006

Catholic bishops meeting Pope Francis in Rome

Ireland's Catholic bishops have been meeting Pope Francis in the Vatican.

News • 20 Jan 17

The HIA inquiry was established to make recommendations on redress for past harm

Background: Historical Institutional Abuse inquiry

The Northern Ireland Historical Institutional Abuse (HIA) inquiry is publishing its report three years after it began taking evidence.

News • 20 Jan 17

One witness told the Historical Institutional Abuse Inquiry telling the truth after 65 years had set him free

Witnesses describe 'bleak' life in care

Some witnesses to the Northern Ireland Historical Institutional Abuse Inquiry said they were treated like child convicts.

News • 20 Jan 17

Diarmuid Martin encouraged people to pray that the Pope will come here for the WMOF next August

Pope to address controversial issues in Dublin

Archbishop Diarmuid Martin has said that Pope Francis has told him he will be addressing issues at the World Meeting of Families here next year in the context of the hotly-debated message of the bishops' global synod on the family and in light of "difficulties Ireland has gone through".

News • 17 Jan 17

The building in Dublin city centre is believed to have toilet and shower facilities

Former Unite union Dublin HQ empty for three years

A trust connected to the trade union Unite applied to be exempted from social housing for a development at its former headquarters on Merrion Square in Dublin while one of its top officials was planning the occupation of Apollo House in the city centre last month.

News • 16 Jan 17

96% of primary schools in Ireland are Christian

Bruton announces school admission reform options

Possible options to reform school admissions to limit or remove the role that a child's religion plays in the process have been announced by the Minister for Education.

News • 16 Jan 17

Religious and Social Affairs

Spending on abuse survivors falls

Cardinals back pope after attacks by conservatives

Church watchdog to ask for more data powers

Joe Little: Abuse almost destroyed church - priest

Inquiry told church was nearly 'fatally destroyed'

New initiative to boost migrant integration

Australia: 7% of Catholic priests accused of abuse

Three towns excluded from final rent cap list

11,000 households in rent supplement increase

Priest gets suspended sentence for 2015 sex abuse

Independent assessor for school abuse survivors

Centre residents had to shower in separate house

Ex-CICE staff protest following move to DCU

State urged to acknowledge Traveller ethnicity

Knights of Malta chief resigns over condoms row

Number of Peru abuse survivors reject compensation

Priest banned from public ministry holds mass

Report shows 'dark and disturbing chapter'

'Catalogue of failures' over Kincora abuse

Catholic bishops meeting Pope Francis in Rome

Background: Historical Institutional Abuse inquiry

Witnesses describe 'bleak' life in care

Pope to address controversial issues in Dublin

Former Unite union Dublin HQ empty for three years

Bruton announces school admission reform options