The Irish Catholic newspaper has been purchased in a management buy-out.
The paper's editor, Garry O'Sullivan, has bought the weekly newspaper for an undisclosed sum from the Irish Farmers Journal.
The newspaper was founded in 1888 and sells about 22,000 copies each week.
Mr O'Sullivan said it was very important to have a lay Catholic newspaper and that there was "a strong international market for us".
"There is a very strong need for a Catholic news outlet that is researched and objective and provides good analysis," he said.
He said following the decision by the Irish government to close the country's embassy to the Vatican and the "silencing" of some liberal Catholic clergy by the Vatican, it was important to have an independent forum for dialogue.
"The Church does a lot of things well, but one thing it does poorly is media," he said.
"There has never been a more interesting time for Irish Catholicism. We're in a crossroads, watershed moment."
Mr O'Sullivan also said the paper was looking to boost its social media presence.
"As a weekly newspaper, we need to become a daily news outlet," he said. "We have a mission to inform."
The Irish Farmers Journal bought the Irish Catholic, which was then privately owned, in 2007.
The seven-strong staff will remain with the Dublin-based newspaper.