Aontú’s Peadar Tóibín TD has urged President Michael D. Higgins to withdraw his recent comments which referred to schools in the North as “parcels of hate”, describing them as a “caricature”. “The idea that schools in the North are responsible for the division in the North is an incredible example of revisionism,” Mr Tóibín said…
The thoughts and prayers of the Church in Scotland are now directed “to our brothers and sisters in Ireland”, the president of the Bishops’ Conference in Scotland has said. Commenting on the recent decision by the Irish Government to enact restrictions which criminalise public worship, Bishop Hugh Gilbert of Aberdeen issued a statement, saying “As…
A Christian pastor held a worship service for about 60 people in Dublin’s Phoenix Park last Sunday, and said he plans on being there again this coming Sunday. Explaining his decision, Pastor John Ahern of All Nations Church in Dublin said “At the end of the day, I do think there are some things worth…
The Government has been “tricking” citizens into compliance through “calculated ambiguity between legal obligations and public health advice, a leading law professor has said. Professor Oran Doyle of Trinity College Dublin took to Twitter to criticise the Government’s behaviour concerning religious restrictions throughout the pandemic. Citing an article in The Irish Times earlier this week, Prof. Doyle…
Higgins’ comments on Catholic schools rejected A number of prominent Catholic voices have rejected a claim by President Michael D. Higgins that the fact that parental choice is central to education policy in the North and many parents choose to send their children to Catholic schools is to abandon them “to parcels of hate and…
Bills in Ireland and Northern Ireland seeking to ban conversion therapy are too “broad and sweeping”, threatening penalties for “honest conversations” about sexual identity, according to Christian organisations. Courage International, an apostolate of the Catholic Church that counsels men and women with same-sex attractions, as well as evangelical organisations Affinity and the Fellowship of Evangelical…
The law introduced last week on religious gatherings has made it illegal even to hold outdoor confession, according to a law professor. Professor Oran Doyle, from the law school at Trinity College Dublin, said the new provision, SI 171/2021, applies to both indoor and outdoor events and “that’s where it is different from restrictions on…
The vandalism of Jewish graves in Belfast’s City Cemetery has been dubbed “distressing” and “anti-Semitic” by Bishop Noel Treanor of the Diocese of Down and Connor. The police launched a hate crime investigation into the incident which took place last Thursday. Ten gravestones were damaged. In 2016, 13 graves in the same plot were damaged…
A race car driving prince has opened up about how he always tries to go to Mass before his races, even asking a priest to celebrate a private Mass in his hotel room when there was none available. Prince Ferdinand von Habsburg, who competes in the Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters (DTM) but has also raced in…
The Irish Government must speak up about persecution of Christians in the Middle East, international charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) said, as recent videos showed ISIS executing a Christian in Egypt. A 62-year-old Egyptian Christian, Nabil El-Habashy, was killed by ISIS in the Sinai Province of Egypt, which has witnessed several deadly…
Ruadhán Jones
Chai Brady