In an end of the year interview, Cork Bishop John Buckley explained how Church doctrines are meant to serve as ideals and not necessarily standards of membership. Those who do not follow the ideals are still encouraged to come attend Mass.

The head of the  the traditionalist Society of St Pius X has described Jewish people “enemies of the Church."

Monsignor Eamon Martin, 51, the administrator of the Diocese of Derry, is about to become the next leader of the Catholic Church in Ireland. He will be the youngest bishop or archbishop in Ireland when he is inaugurated in a few months.

A Connecticut priest has been charged with helping to run a cross-country methamphetamine distribution ring. Officials also believe his was laundering his drug money through the local sex shop he owned.

Controversial Irish cleric Father Tony Flannery is to defy the Vatican and break his silence on the campaign against him by Catholic Church authorities.

Outspoken Irish cleric Father Tony Flannery has admitted he faces excommunication from the church for backing the rights of women to become priests.

A top priest has been forced to quit a bible teaching job thanks to his work of pulpit fiction which denies the existence of Jesus Christ.

John Cornelius, a former Episcopalian priest, will become the first Roman Catholic priest to be ordained despite being both married and a father. The ordination will occur in Buffalo, New York, as is permitted according to 2012 papal exception to the church’s celibacy rule.

The Buffalo News reports on Cornelius’ upcoming ordination, which will be conducted by Bishop Richard J. Malone of the Catholic Diocese of Buffalo.

Father Tony Flannery of the Redemptorist, a high profile Irish priest known for his views on issues such as female ordination and homosexuality, refused a Vatican edict to apologize this weekend for some of his positions in order to remain a priest in good standing.

A Catholic Archbishop has described the efforts of the American church to thwart police investigations into clerical sex abuse as ‘terribly sad and evil’ – after he banned Cardinal Roger M. Mahony from public life.

A Donegal priest has quit his parish after what he referred to as “bullying” in the form of verbal and physical abuse from his parishioners.

A leading Catholic lawyer and commentator has slammed the Pope for publicly shaming Los Angeles Cardinal Roger Mahony over clerical child abuse whilst treating Irish Cardinal Sean Brady in an entirely different matter.

Could New York Cardinal Timothy Patrick Dolan be the next pope? He is definitely a legitimate contender, the first American one ever, according to Vatican insiders.

The Catholic Church has been rocked by the shock announcement that Pope Benedict XVI will resign at the end of February.

In an interview with The Washington Times Communities, an American shared her story of surviving the Magdalene Laundries operated in the United States.

The next pope is very likely to be African according to Paddy Power, Ireland’s leading bookmaker, who has come out with a list of “papabile,” those considered papal material.

Despite being defunct since 1996, the notorious Magdalene Laundries of Ireland have left long lasting legacies. Etta Thornton-Verma shares her story of finding out that her own mother was a victim of one of the workhouses.

Irish Prime Minister Enda Kenny will hear demands for a state apology when he meets survivors of the Magdalene Laundries on Monday.

Top Irish news stories:

Could Cardinal Timothy Dolan from New York be the first American pope?

Read more: Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio named Pope Francis - the new leader of the Catholic Church

With the resignation of Pope Benedict coming into effect on Feb 28th, there are only 20 days for the eligible cardinals with voting rights to elect a new pope.

Irish leader Enda Kenny and President Michael D Higgins led tributes to Pope Benedict XVI after he announced his retirement on Monday.

Cardinal Roger Mahony will still help to elect a new pope, although he was barred from performing any public duties in his Los Angeles archdiocese by the current archbishop because of his handling of multiple sex abuse cases involving pedophile clergy.

Although the Irish bookies Paddy Power are only giving Cardinal Timothy Dolan odds of 40/1 to be chosen as Pope Benedict’s replacement and the man himself is playing the suggestion down, the residents of New York are backing him to be the new leader of the Catholic Church.

By the prophecies of Irish St. Malachy the next pope will be last, will be known as Peter of Rome and a great Armageddon will happen on his watch.

Dublin Archbishop Diarmuid Martin should replace Pope Benedict as pope writes Catholic commentator and author Michael D’Antonio in the Los Angeles Times.

A leading Dublin priest has resigned a senior position in the Catholic Church over the treatment of liberal priest Tony Flannery by the Vatican.

In what some are calling a display of divine displeasure at the pope’s decision to resign, a bolt of lightening struck the Cross atop the dome of Peter’s Basilica in Rome only hours after the Pope’s shocking announcement. The pope’s decision left Catholics confused and bewildered as to the direction in which the Church is now headed.

Catholic politicians who support abortion legislation should be refused Holy Communion, says Cardinal Raymond Burke, who heads the Apostolic Signatura, the Vatican's highest legal tribunal that rules on canon law.

To the Catholic Church in Ireland Elvis Presley once represented more than blue suede shoes. Could he, they wondered, be a front man for Satan?

For the first time since 1415, we are going  to have a conclave or papal election with no Pope to bury beforehand.  But the procedures for the election are not affected by this ‘novelty.’ Dan Brown might seem an unlikely source for information on a Papal election but the detailed description in Angels and Demons was apparently taken from a book by a Jesuit scholar and is quite accurate.

The crowds were larger than usual at Pope Benedict’s penultimate address on Sunday, and the crowd heard him ask the faithful to pray for him and for the next pope.

The Irish government has announced the process of compensation amounting to $133 million, for Magdalene survivors should be wound up by August.

Catholics United have launched a petition against Los Angeles Cardinal Roger Mahony attending the conclave in the Vatican, to chose a successor for Pope Benedict XIV.

Whilst the American press sings the praises of Cardinal Timothy Dolan, archbishop of New York, there are many respected observers who think that Cardinal Sean P. O’Malley, the Roman Catholic archbishop of Boston, might stand a better chance of being elected pope.

News from  Rome that Boston Cardinal Sean P O’Malley is under consideration  to replace Pope Benedict as leader of the Catholic Church is no surprise to supporters of the Irish American reformer who have come out in favor of the Boston cleric.

A Listowel, Co Kerry pub owner is facing charges after a session featuring dozens of people dressed as nuns went on for hours after official closing time.

Ireland’s Cardinal Sean Brady is the latest to come under pressure to quit the upcoming papal conclave because of the alleged cover up of pedophile priest activities.

Scotland's Cardinal Keith O'Brien, who was born in Ballycastle in Antrim, has said he would be happy if priests were able to marry. His remarks have created worldwide headlines as he is the first major church figure to voice such an opinion.

The most senior cleric in Britain has been reported to the Vatican for inappropriate behavior by three priests and a former priest – days after saying the clergy should be allowed to marry.

Irish-born Scottish Cardinal Keith O’Brien has resigned effective immediately and will not take part in the papal conclave. His resignation means there will be no British representative at the conclave.

The British church leader sacked by the Pope openly boasted of his friendship with notorious pedophile and TV personality Jimmy Savile.

The social structure that allowed for forced labor and misery in Magdalene Laundries to occur is part of the Irish psyche, according to Sunday's Irish Independent Op Ed.

Writing for the newspaper, journalist Emer O’Kelly states that the Irish society should feel guilty for perpetuating a system that allowed for women to be sent to Magdalene Laundries.

Pope Benedict XVI told parishioners that he wasn’t abandoning the Church by retiring to spend his final years in prayer, during his last Sunday blessing in the Vatican.

The intrigue around the papal conclave reached new heights this week when Irish-born Cardinal Keith O’Brien of Scotland abruptly resigned after allegations of inappropriate behavior made by four priests against him surfaced.