Boston Cardinal Sean O’Malley said Mass at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross in the South End on Palm Sunday – his first appearance since returning home from the papal conclave – and urged infrequent church-goers to attend more regularly.

Irish rugby coach Declan Kidney may have to say arividerci to his job after Saturday’s embarrassing 22-15 defeat to Italy in Rome’s Olympic stadium.

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.

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.

11-year-old Liam Corcoran made a mockery of Manchester Airport’s security when he managed to make his way through Terminal 1 and board a flight to Rome on Tuesday, all by himself and lacking a boarding pass and passport. Corcoran now says the whole ordeal was “easier than my homework.”

The Irish Examiner reports on young Corcoran’s adventure to Rome. Corcoran, a native of Kilkenny in Ireland, was with his mother on a shopping trip at Wythenshawe, three miles away from Manchester Airport. Separating from his mother, Corcoran walked the three miles to the airport by himself.

11-year-old English boy Liam Corcoran is making international news after he managed to get through security at Manchester Airport and board a flight to Rome, Italy, all while unaccompanied and not carrying any form of identification or boarding pass.

An Irish American Catholic journalist has been hired by the Vatican to spread the good word – at the third time of asking.

A report commissioned by the Vatican and led by Cardinal Timothy Dolan on an Irish seminary in Rome has come under harsh criticism by Irish archbishops and has been slammed as both prejudiced and factually flawed.

Cardinal Timothy Dolan has been attacked by four Irish archbishops for a misleading report which had led to major changes at the Irish College in Rome.

The future of the Irish College in Rome is now in serious doubt according to reports.

Recommendations from New York Cardinal Timothy Dolan are believed to have played a part in the transfer of three priests from the Irish College in Rome.

The Irish government has reminded the pope and Vatican authorities Vatican that child abuse will not be tolerated and the perpetrators brought to justice.

For the first time since the clerical child sex abuse scandal emerged the Pope has summoned the world’s cardinals to the Vatican.
 
Pope Benedict XVI has called 203 cardinals, including Ireland’s Sean Brady, to the summit which will take place next week.
 
Victims of pedophile abuse are skeptical of the latest move. They claim that most of the cardinals have poor histories when it comes to dealing with abuse cases.
 
Dubliner and author of “Altar Boy, A Story of Life After Abuse”, Andrew Madden, spoke to the Irish Times. He said “If the talks are anything like the Irish bishops' visit to Rome earlier this year, they will amount to nothing."
 
Barbara Blaine of Chicago, president of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests said that the proof would be in what results come out of the summit. She said “To be swayed by mere talk is to betray vulnerable children and wounded adults.”
 
Terence McKiernan, president of the Boston-based BishopsAccountability.org asked that the cardinals issue a comprehensive report following the summit on their failings and what better policies they have planned for the future.
 
He said that progress had been made in the Catholic Church because of investigations and prosecutions by civil authorities.

This week the Holy See is beginning preparations for the Irish Apostolic Visitation which will begin in the four metropolitan archdiocese of Ireland (Armagh, Dublin, Cashel and Emly, and Tuam).

Pope Benedict XVI is holding meetings with 24 Irish Catholic bishops on the subject of child sex abuse this weekend and early next week.

Pope Benedict XVI has summoned Irish bishops to discuss the fallout of the Murphy report at an emergency meeting in Rome.