They said to each other, “Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked to us on the road, while he opened to us the Scriptures?” (Lk 24:32) Ever considered attending an International Eucharistic Congress? You should. As we journey through life,  not unlike the disciples on the road to Emmaus we find ourselves ...read more

In his Post-synodal Apostolic Exhortation Sarcramentum Caritatis (or Sacrament of Charity), Pope Benedict XVI writes the following on the relationship between the Eucharist and the Church: Since the Eucharist makes present Christ’s redeeming sacrifice, we must start by acknowledging that “there is a causal influence of the Eucharist at the Church’s very origins.” The Eucharist ...read more

Published below is a message from Cardinal Seán Brady, Archbishop of Armagh and Primate for all of Ireland. In the Universal Church today, we celebrate the feast day of St. Patrick, patron saint of Ireland. With great joy, on this, the Feast day of St Patrick, our National Apostle, I wish Irish people everywhere a ...read more

Dublin, Ireland, will host the 50th International Eucharistic Congress from June 10 to 17, 2012. This is the second time Ireland will host the Universal Church, the last time being in 1932. Join host Cheridan Eygelaar as she speaks with Father Kevin Doran, Secretary General of IEC 2012, about the Congress that celebrates the summit ...read more

Tonight on Perspectives: As Dublin gets ready to host the International Eucharistic Congress in 2012, Irish priest Fr. Kevin Doran previews the global gathering. ...read more

The Vatican gave a status report on the completed first phase of the visitation of Irish church institutions in the wake of the sex abuse scandal. Rome bureau chief John Thavis reports. ...read more

2010 was a monumental year for the Catholic Church and for its Shepherd. We saw Pope Benedict’s five International voyages, one “insider” exclusive papal Q & A released in book form, painful abuse scandal exposés, the first Canadian male saint, an Irish apostolic visitation and martyrdoms in the Middle East. All of these are just ...read more

To download Flash Player please click here The following is the English-language communiqué released today by the Vatican Press Office. This document marks the beginning of the Apostolic Visitation in Ireland. On 19 March 2010, following a meeting with the bishops of Ireland, His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI issued a Pastoral Letter to the Catholics ...read more

Religious sectarianism among communities is prevalent in countries like Israel, Afghanistan and Iraq. Today, a socio-economic divide between two religious groups is something we would rarely, if ever, see in western society. Canadians, for example, enjoy a religious freedom unimaginable in a country like Iraq. So what happens when this kind of divide does happen ...read more

The past two weeks have been a whirlwind adventure through Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. I am overwhelmed by how much I’ve been exposed to and had the opportunity to learn about  in such a relatively short amount of time. I tried to soak everything up from religious affairs, politics, Irish culture, economics, ...read more