Ireland Archives

Judge upholds same-sex marriage ban in Northern Ireland

Saying his decision is “not based on social policy but on the law,” a High Court judge in Belfast has refused to overturn a law in Northern Ireland defining marriage as being exclusively between a man and a woman. Northern Ireland is the only place in Great Britain and Ireland which has not legalized same-sex marriage.

Priest horrified at exorcist film showings in abandoned church

The Belfast Film Festival takes pride in the evoking locations it chooses to screen films, but according to an Irish priest this time they might have taken it too far. The festival has organized the screening of two horror movies – The Exorcist and The Omen – at an abandoned church.

Rise in priest suicides prompts call for helpline in Ireland

Bad press, sex abuse scandals and a drop in vocations are causing a serious drop in morale for the Church in Ireland, where according to recent reports there has been a rise in priest suicides in the last 10 years. The clergy called for a confidential helpline to be set up for priests needing support.

Irish bishops praise court ruling recognizing the dignity of work
- Catholic News Agency, Global Church
- June 8, 2017
The chair of the Irish Bishops’ Council for Justice and Peace wrote in a statement that he supports the ruling by Ireland’s supreme court calling unconstitutional all laws which indefinitely prohibit asylum seekers from gaining employment.
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Coptic pope meets Dublin archbishop during Ireland visit
- Catholic News Service, Global Church
- May 19, 2017
In a meeting with Coptic Orthodox Pope Tawadros II, Dublin Archbishop Diarmuid Martin expressed his solidarity with the suffering of the Coptic community in reference to recent attacks by ISIS which have claimed more than 45 victims.
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Ireland could legalize abortion just as Pope Francis visits the country
- Global Church
- April 26, 2017
Pope Francis’ expected visit to Ireland in 2018 for the World Meeting of Families will be happening during one of the most intense political debates in recent decades. On Sunday, a Citizens’ Assembly proposed the country change protections for the unborn in the constitution. The announcement came just two years after another referendum legalized same-sex marriage in the predominantly Catholic state.
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