In 1993, Pope John Paul II arrived in Denver, Colorado for World Youth Day.
The event was an incredible success and laid the foundation for the worldwide World Youth Days we see now.
Bill Clinton was president at the time and at the height of his popularity.
The pope chose to deliver a pointed message about the value of life, for which he was given a rapturous and very American applause.
'America, defend LIFE'
— Catholic Arena (@CatholicArena) July 23, 2026
Pope John Paul II gave a stirring defence of the right to life with Bill Clinton standing a foot away from him in Denver in 1993 pic.twitter.com/CEtqHu8zTk
Fr. Mike Schmitz was in Ireland this past week for a show at the National Stadium and a Mass before it in Saint Kevin’s, Harrington Street.
The Parables show was a massive success, with thousands attending the world’s most popular podcasting priest.
Schmitz spoke about his Irish ancestry, getting emotional speaking also about the spiritual debt that he owes to Irish priests.
During his talk, he spoke at length about Venerable Matt Talbot.
Matt Talbot was an alcoholic who got sober through his faith and spent much of his life in penance and prayer for alcoholics. Today, he is credited with helping thousands of people to get sober.
Fulton Sheen speaks about Venerable Matt Talbot, the Irish ascetic who wore chains in reparation for those who suffered from addiction as he did
— Catholic Arena (@CatholicArena) June 7, 2025
Today marks the 100th anniversary since Talbot was found dead on a Dublin street and the penitential chains were revealed pic.twitter.com/gtEjFjLsx3
Prayer for Beatification of Venerable Matt Talbot:
Lord, in your servant, Matt Talbot
You have given us a wonderful example of triumph over addiction,
of devotion to duty, and of lifelong reverence of the Holy Sacrament.
May his life of prayer and penance
give us courage to take up our crosses
and follow in the footsteps of Our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ.
Father, if it be Your will that your beloved servant
should be glorified by your Church,
make known by your heavenly favours the power he enjoys in Your sight.
We ask this through the same Jesus Christ Our Lord.
Amen.
The first great Televangelist, Archbishop Fulton J Sheen, will be beatified this coming September.
The ceremony will take place in Saint Louis, Missouri at The Dome at America’s Centre.
The huge indoor arena can accommodate tens of thousands and it is expected that such huge crowds will attend the event.
This is the first time that an American born bishop has been beatified in the Catholic Church.
Sheen has deep Irish roots and regularly visited his homeland, opening a church in his native Roscommon in the 1950s he referred to the Irish as ‘we’ and reflected on the deep bonds between the two countries. He also insisted that Irish people remain in their country and work towards renewing it as best as they could.
Fulton Sheen would regularly reflect on important Irish Catholic figures of the Twentieth Century such as Matt Talbot and Joseph Plunkett.
He also attended a Legion of Mary meeting in Dublin alongside Frank Duff in the 1960s.
He famously pointed to Duff and the Legion as the best example of the spirit of renewal that the Second Vatican Council sought to implement.
Social media users in Ireland and beyond have expressed outrage after images of Islamic prayer mats were shared on X.
In a post by David Mullins, the mats can be seen hanging from the gates of the Church of the Assumption in Tullamore.
Catholic Church of the Assumption. Tullamore. Despite repeated requests from locals over a number of weeks, the Muslim residents living nearby have refused to stop hanging their prayer mats and rugs from the Church's railings. Zero social etiquette or act of social dominance? pic.twitter.com/7BhYAwO0z1
— David Mullins (@Mullins77David) July 22, 2026
One prominent Muslim figure replied with a vague message.
We are aware of social media posts circulating that claim Muslim prayer mats were hung outside the Church of the Assumption in Tullamore.
— Shaykh Dr. Umar Al-Qadri (@DrUmarAlQadri) July 23, 2026
To verify the information, I contacted Father Joe Campbell from the church directly. He confirmed that the church only became aware of these…
Replies to the original post were, as expected, angry and incredulous.
Churches are banned from posting mass times on railings but prayer matts are aired on them.
— Kathryn 🖤 KPSS (@kathrynosulli13) July 22, 2026
This is an act of Islamic dominance over our Christian country. pic.twitter.com/G1M7jF7Dcn
And you decided to take a photo of them instead of removing them?
— MichaeloKeeffe (@Mick_O_Keeffe) July 23, 2026
Weak AF Mullins.
They're telling you that this & other churches will be converted into Mosques within a decade at most. They're saying your time is up, your goose is cooked, the future is set in stone - literally - and its name is Islam. The Irish need to wake up fast - England is already lost.
— opentosunlight (@opentosunlight) July 22, 2026
The former Saint Ann’s Church in Buffalo, New York has gone on fire in an arson attack.
Built in 1886, it was closed in 2013 due to ‘structural issues’ and plans are currently in place to turn the grounds into a Mosque.
In January of this year, the adjacent school mysteriously went up in flames.
On the 17th of July, last week, a fire broke out but was contained by the Buffalo Fire Department. ‘Persons of interest’ were reported leaving the scene.
Now, another fire has broken out and has been ruled as intentional arson.
NEW YORK
— Catholic Arena (@CatholicArena) July 23, 2026
The former St. Ann's Church in Buffalo has been destroyed by fire after an ARSON attack
The church has been slated to become a Mosque for a long time but has been tied up with red tape
The adjacent school was coincidentally destroyed by fire in January pic.twitter.com/fhTPb5KEur
In September 1997, two of the seminal figures of the second half of the Twentieth Century met in Bologna, Italy.
During the 23rd Eucharistic Congress in the city, around 400,000 young Catholics gathered for a youth event with the pope in which popular music singers took part in an effort to create an encounter between them and the church.
At the Piazza Maggiore, Bob Dylan was amongst the lineup of performers, which also included Andrea Bocelli.
Dylan sang a number of classic hits including ‘Knockin on Heaven’s Door’ and ‘Forever Young’, before greeting the pope, removing his hat in the process.
John Paul II went out of his way to address Dylan’s presence in his address to the crowd, quoting Bob Dylan’s famous song Blowin’ in the Wind’ .
One person who was not quite won over was Cardinal Ratzinger, who later wrote:
There was reason to be skeptical, and I was.Indeed, in a certain sense, I still am today.
1997
— Catholic Arena (@CatholicArena) July 21, 2026
Pope John Paul II meets Bob Dylan in Bologna pic.twitter.com/NQBQRIUHWt
Almost a year into the Tuam excavation and those digging are yet to find evidence of either foul play or babies being dumped in septic tanks.
The find of 22 more bodies announced today reveals all as being in coffins and not hurled into a septic tank.
A worldwide hysteria erupted over allegations about the home a decade and a half ago, with claims that nuns were murdering kids en masse and throwing them into septic tanks.
The claims stemmed initially from the missing records belonging to 800 children.
You can read the death certs of each one here, compiled by historian Eugene Jordan, showing that none of the children were murdered. READ
In 2021, controversial politician Leo Varadkar claimed before the excavation had taken place that there were babies buried in the tank, saying on Prime Time:
We want to put in place legislation to excavate Tuam and to give the babies buried in that tank the death and dignity that they didn’t have in life and allow them to be identified and memorialised.
Records show that the nuns repeatedly begged civil authorities for money for coffins that did not arrive, leading to them asking the public to donate and leading to the nuns themselves paying out of their own pockets.
The nuns at Tuam Mother and Baby Home were so determined to fill septic tanks with babies that they ordered hundreds of coffins just to disguise their dastardly plans... pic.twitter.com/NXdLfUgNL8
— Catholic Arena (@CatholicArena) December 20, 2020
In 2014, Catherine Corless, the woman at the centre of the story, told The Irish Times
“I never used that word ‘dumped’,” she says again, with distress. “I just wanted those children to be remembered and for their names to go up on a plaque. That was why I did this project, and now it has taken [on] a life of its own.”
Read more about that article HERE
In 2023, a comprehensive Commission into Mother and Baby Homes revealed a broader picture of the circumstances. Read more about it.
In the hills of Provence in France, beneath the basilica of Saint‑Maximin‑la‑Sainte‑Baume, there is a relic believed to be the head of Saint Mary Magdalene.
According to the Provençal tradition, Mary Magdalene came to southern Gaul after the Resurrection and during the early persecution of the disciples. She is said to have crossed the sea with companions associated in Christian memory with the early Church, eventually reaching the coast of what is now southern France. From there, the story places her final years in the Sainte‑Baume mountains, where she lived in prayer and penance in a cave that remains a place of pilgrimage to this day.
For generations, local Christians held that Mary Magdalene had not only lived in Provence, but had also been buried there. That belief gained dramatic force in 1279, when Charles II of Anjou ordered excavations at Saint‑Maximin. Beneath the church, excavators uncovered ancient sarcophagi, and one tomb was identified as especially significant. When it was opened, the discoverers reported finding the remains of a woman together with an inscription in Latin reading, “Here lies the body of Mary Magdalene.”
Medieval accounts surrounding the opening of the tomb added to the sense of wonder. Writers described a sweet fragrance issuing from the sarcophagus, a sign often associated in older Christian tradition with holiness. The skeleton was said to be nearly intact, and reports claimed that hair still remained attached to the skull.
The most famous part of the relics became the skull itself. It was eventually placed in a richly decorated reliquary and enshrined in the crypt of the basilica at Saint‑Maximin‑la‑Sainte‑Baume, where it is still venerated. A glass opening reveals the face of the skull, making it one of the most arresting relics in Christian Europe. Over time, devotion to the relic drew pilgrims from near and far, and the basilica became one of the best known pilgrimage sites connected to Mary Magdalene.
The tradition also holds that the lower jaw was missing when the relics were discovered. Later ecclesiastical accounts connected that missing jaw to a relic preserved in Rome, and the story developed that the jaw was ceremonially reunited with the skull. Pope Boniface VIII recognized the relics at Saint‑Maximin in the late 13th century, a decision that gave the shrine enormous prestige and helped secure its place in the devotional life of medieval Christendom.
The Skull of Saint Mary Magdalene in France pic.twitter.com/gHt1fcg0vK
— Catholic Arena (@CatholicArena) July 22, 2026
Each year, especially around July 22, the feast of Saint Mary Magdalene, the relic continues to be carried in procession through Saint‑Maximin. The public display of the skull is not merely a curiosity preserved from the medieval world; it remains part of living Catholic devotion. In that sense, the relic is not only about the past, but about the enduring desire of the faithful to remain close to the saints through tangible signs of memory and presence.
Pino Cannavò, a seriously ill man, has been ordained as a permanent deacon in an intensive care unit in Catania, with his wife and children present.
He said, 'As soon as the bishop entered, I started crying. It was unstoppable. He was also deeply moved, he hugged me. It was a beautiful moment for my family, too'.
ITALY 🇮🇹
— Catholic Arena (@CatholicArena) July 22, 2026
Pino Cannavò, a seriously ill man, has been ordained as a permanent deacon in an intensive care unit in Catania, with his wife and children present
'As soon as the bishop entered, I started crying. It was unstoppable. He was also deeply moved, he hugged me. It was a… pic.twitter.com/Cd4TxqkVRI
A 36 year old man has appeared in court charged with the stabbing of a woman in her 50s before Mass in Tramore, Waterford.
Niall Cummins replied ‘not really’ when asked if he wished to apply for bail.
The horrific attack has left the woman in hospital and questions remain over the motive, though Gardai have mentioned the possibility of drug usage as a factor.
Pope Leo XIV has written a foreword to a collection of his speeches on the subject of Nuclear Disarmament.
The book is entitled Disarmed and Disarming: Peace Is a Gift.
The foreword has been published on the Vatican News website and sees Pope Leo XIV quoting Bob Dylan.
As singer-songwriter and poet Bob Dylan wrote, figuratively addressing the atomic bomb, in one of his poetic compositions: “I hate you cause yer man-made and man-owned an’ man-handled”.
Read full article here.
Nobel Prize Winner Bob Dylan also famously sang for Pope John Paul II, though infamously for then Cardinal Ratzinger who opposed the optics of such an event.
Fr. Mike Schmitz visited Dublin last night.
The event was, by any metric, an incredible success, with a Mass in St. Kevin’s, Harrington Street before the Parables speaking event in the National Stadium.
Schmitz is the arguably the most famous Diocesan priest in the world, with his Bible in a Year podcast surpassing an incredible 1 billion downloads. He is equally popular with every demographic of Catholic, presenting himself as a unifying figure to everyone apart from the wilfully divisive and perpetually offended.
At St. Kevin’s, the church was full up to half an hour before the Mass began at 5pm. Busses from all over the country arrived with groups of mostly young people, with many making a pilgrimage day out of it to nearby sites.
One glaring oversight was that the pre Mass hour was given to loud chat and hustle and bustle within the church. It would have been a smarter move to have had adoration or a Rosary before the Mass rather than allowing an element of circus to take over. This is the type of reverence that attracts people to Fr. Mike and it would not have been too much to ask for, in fact it would have been preferable to the loud noise that persisted in its place.
That there were so many young people present also begged the question of why there was not a youth gathering during Pope Francis's ill fated 2018 visit, widely regarded as the most poorly organised in 2,000 years of the papacy.
During the Homily at Mass, Fr. Mike got emotional speaking about his own Irish familial heritage, with his ancestors hailing from Cork. This was his first time visiting Ireland and, being the humble person that he is, he seemed genuinely moved at the turnout and the reception.
His homily dwelled also on the fact that all of the priests he grew up around in Saint Paul, Minnessota were Irish. He stated that if they had not come from Ireland, he would not be who he was.
These sorts of messages are good to hear, especially for all of the young people present. They are also far more representative of the history of the Irish church on a global scale than any movies by Harvey Weinstein or Amnesty International ads by Liam Neeson.
After Mass, most of those in attendance made the short journey down the road to the National Stadium.
Over 2,000 people were present to hear Fr. Mike, followed by a Q and A with Colm Flynn.
Before the main event started, Bishop Fintan Gavin spoke about the role that the bishops and their evangelisation initiative played in organising the event. It is certainly to be commended. Hopefully the success will spur them on to similar events in future.
Fr. Mike's Parables presentation was a deeply moving dive into the Parables of Jesus but also extremely personal and vulnerable. Schmitz shared about a 15 year old who died in his chaplaincy circle, the story was a reminder of why he is so popular. It was emotional without losing control of that emotion, it was poignant but hopeful.
There was also great humour in the explanation of the Parables.
One can see a significant contrast between how Fr. Mike, a believer and a pastor, approaches these questions versus Jordan Petersons's We who wrestle with God tour. Fr. Mike is full of hope and energy and conviction, he has seen terrible tragedies and yet his belief in the Risen Christ keeps him renewed in his trust in God. Peterson, by contrast, had a heaviness that seemed to be conviction without the trust needed for belief and a preaching if the supernatural without the light air of transcendence.
Schmitz had the crowd laughing, wondering and, in the case of the stranger beside me, crying.
In his Q and A with Colm Flynn, he gave very human and normal answers to the question of premarital sex. He was also asked by a man dating a Muslim if he could marry her, to which he gave a sensitively put but firm no.
The visit of Fr. Mike Schmitz was a triumph for both him and the Irish church.
Bishop Fintan Gavin said in his introductory remarks that it could be a sort of beginning of something new for the Irish church. If they are to take this success and replicate it, there is no reason why it cannot be so.
Shocking news out of Tramore, Waterford this morning.
WLRFM reports that a woman in her 50s was stabbed by a man before 10am Mass at Holy Cross Church, while she was at the altar.
Breaking News IE reports that the man entered the church and accosted her before stabbing her.
Tramore is a beautiful seaside town in the South East of Ireland and is busy with tourists at this time of year.
IRELAND 🇮🇪
— Catholic Arena (@CatholicArena) July 21, 2026
More details have emerged about this morning's KNIFE attack on a woman in her 50s before Mass in a church in Tramore, Waterford
Breaking News IE reports: 'the man walked into the church and accosted the woman and then stabbed her' pic.twitter.com/g6RQKfwPSS
The popular Messa in Latino blog has reported that Marko Rupnik has been acquitted in his Vatican trial.
Spain are World Cup champions again, for the first time since 2010.
The Spanish beat Argentina in a lacklustre final in New Jersey, by a goal to nil in extra time.
The current Spain team has worn their hearts on their sleeves when it comes to expressing their faith in Jesus Christ.
'I keep a Cross and an image of the Virgin, they give me so much faith'
— Catholic Arena (@CatholicArena) July 19, 2026
World Cup final goalscorer Ferran Torres pic.twitter.com/tg3uXaswuX
'I believe in God and pray to him every night'
— Catholic Arena (@CatholicArena) July 19, 2026
Spain's World Cup winning captain Rodri
Their victory means 19 of 23 World Cup winning captains have been Catholic pic.twitter.com/0pq93KPKsF
Spain's World Cup winning manager Luis de la Fuente paying homage to Christ of the Expiration in Seville pic.twitter.com/9bJIE1yuQA
— Catholic Arena (@CatholicArena) July 19, 2026
The Irish government does not seem too disturbed by the rapidly collapsing birth rate in the country, nor by the criticism of their abolition of the three day wait period.
Now, they have added another controversial law, with women who have abortions now able to avail of paid leave for 5 days afterwards.
Catholic Arena’s posts on the issue caused serious debate online, mostly from people who had not read the bill and were under the impression that it only covered miscarriages rather than elective abortions.
(ii) Nothing in this section shall operate to exclude the leave entitlement set out in Section 8B(i) where such a pregnancy loss occurs as a result of a termination carried out in accordance with the provisions of the Health (Regulation of Termination of Pregnancy) Act 2018.
You can read the full document here
Despite rumours of a merger, the Diocese of Derry has been given a new bishop following the retirement of Bishop Donal McKeown.
Bishop Michael Router, previously Auxiliary Bishop of Armagh will now become the bishop.
Derry is Ireland’s third biggest diocese and the home of Servant of God Sister Clare Crockett.
The Irish language has been in the news this week, for rather dubious reasons.
Despite making the Irish language one of their core issues, Sinn Fein’s efforts to raise the issue at European level spectacularly backfired when Lynn Boylan complained that she was not allowed to speak Irish. She was then informed that she could, only for her to say that she would not as she had not prepared. Yikes.
It was certainly less dignified than Pope Paul VI’s cupla focal in 1975.
Pope Paul VI spoke better Irish than Lynn Boylan https://t.co/8a0VIPt07W pic.twitter.com/FIAnF3pLtD
— Catholic Arena (@CatholicArena) July 16, 2026
Switzerland is famous for its neutrality.
Despite being neutral and unlike Ireland, it maintains and funds a strong military and the mandatory military service is an important aspect of that.
Now, the government is seeking to remove the exemption which means that priests and friars do not have to serve in the military.
Already, 9 members of clergy have been called for service since the new law was introduced last month.
In 2016, Pope Francis met Brazil football legend Ronaldinho at the Vatican.
The two actually had a close relationship and met on numerous occasions.
Francis asked Ronaldinho about who he preferred out of Pele and Maradona, but spared the uncharacteristically bashful football player’s blushes by not making him answer the question.
'Pele or Maradona?'
— Catholic Arena (@CatholicArena) July 16, 2026
When Pope Francis met Ronaldinho pic.twitter.com/MPNLQlAx46
