Catherine Connolly won the most votes of any candidate in the history of the Republic, but the election was marked by low turnout and a campaign to spoil votes, raising questions about whether Ireland is as stable a democracy as most presume.
Europe
Posted inNews
British cardinal shocked by Manchester synagogue attack; prayers pour in for victims
As England mourned after an Oct. 2 terror attack on a Manchester synagogue, Cardinal Vincent Nichols of Westminster, president of England and Wales bishops’ conference, expressed his shock, assuring the Jewish community of his prayers.
Posted inNews
Vatican congratulates first female archbishop of Canterbury
The head of the Vatican’s ecumenical office congratulated Anglican Bishop Sarah Mullally of London on her appointment as the next archbishop of Canterbury.
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King Charles III to make delayed state visit to Vatican 6 months after death of Pope Francis
The visit to the Vatican is symbolic of the effort to build closer ties between the Catholic Church and the Church of England, which split from Rome in the 16th century during the reign of King Henry VIII.
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‘Nuns on the run’ in Austria offer a complex picture of aging in religious life
Three elderly women religious in Austria fled their nursing home and returned to their longtime monastery, defying church superiors.
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Duchess of Kent, a royal who chose faith and service, dies at 92
The duchess was received into the Catholic faith by Cardinal Basil Hume in 1994 in a private ceremony at Westminster Cathedral.
Posted inDispatches
Migration and Irish identity—in the era of Trump deportations
Just about no one in Ireland would say that Irish citizens living in the U.S. are being treated as badly as immigrant residents from Latin America or Africa. But consternation is on the rise about escalating deportations.
Posted inIdeas
A Jesuit architect visits the new Notre-Dame
The craftsmanship is extraordinary—woodwork, stonework, metalwork and glasswork. Even with a trained eye, it is almost impossible to distinguish the parts that were replaced from those that survived the fire.
Posted inNews
German bishops deeply divided over new guidelines for same-sex blessings
A senior observer said that Germany’s bishops were irrevocably divided over same-sex blessings, with many believing newly adopted guidelines violated rules set out by the Vatican.
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Head of far-right Spanish political party criticizes Catholic bishops’ defense of Muslim community
The Spanish bishops’ conference was criticized by the head of Spain’s far-right VOX party after the church expressed religious concerns following a local council’s measure that would effectively ban Muslims from holding religious events in certain areas.