Ireland
Beef ban * Witch hunts * Too much Guinness : March’s Religious Freedom Recap
By Brian Pellot — April 1, 2015
An Indian state bans the sale and possession of beef. Tanzanians murder “witches” accused of murdering “magical albinos.” And Ireland nearly outlaws straight marriage, on accident. Who needs April Fools’ Day when reality is this strange?
QUIZ: Do you have shamrock superpowers? 7 questions to test your St. Paddy’s know-how
By Kimberly Winston — March 12, 2015
(RNS) Think St. Patrick's Day is all about green beer and leprechauns? Meet the man behind all the revelry.
‘Miraculous Tales’ takes viewers through faith and lore
By Kellie Moore — February 26, 2014
COLUMBIA, Mo. (RNS) The film, set in Ireland, lives up to its name. There are stories of folklore cures, a priest people flock to for prayers, a passionate preacher, and an old man who experiences his own miraculous moment.
Philomena Lee meets Pope Francis
By Eric J. Lyman — February 5, 2014
VATICAN CITY (RNS) "There is no way I could have ever imagined it," Philomena Lee said after meeting Pope Francis. Asked if she felt resentment against the church, Lee said "You can't go through life being so unyielding; you got to forgive."
Ruling may force Ireland to revamp Catholic school monopoly
By Jennifer Collins — January 29, 2014
DUBLIN (RNS) The Catholic Church runs 90 percent of primary schools in Ireland. The arrangement is unsettling to some parents who have little choice in where to send their children.
Archbishop won’t deny communion to Irish pols over abortion bill
By Trevor Grundy — August 19, 2013
(RNS) Irish Catholic politicians and Parliament members who voted for a controversial law that allows abortion under certain circumstances will not be excommunicated or denied Communion, Archbishop Eamon Martin said.
Godless funerals thrive in ‘post-Catholic’ Ireland
By Paresh Dave — May 21, 2013
DUBLIN (RNS) After 32 years as an interior designer, Patricia Wojnar went back to school for a master's degree in bereavement studies, a hot commodity in Ireland's "post-Catholic'' economy that features growing markets for wedding and funeral officiants who aren't associated with the scandal-scarred Catholic Church.
Irish abortion debate reflects growing church-state tensions
By Sarah Parvini — March 27, 2013
DUBLIN, Ireland (RNS) Most European countries allow abortion on demand during the first trimester, but in Ireland, where there is still a palpable struggle between waning Catholic influence and an increasingly secular state, the friction between the two groups continues to escalate.
Irish eyes aren’t smiling over New York Cardinal Timothy Dolan’s seminary probe
By David Gibson — June 19, 2012
NEW YORK (RNS) Cardinal Timothy Dolan loves to play up his Irish roots, but he may want to steer clear of the old sod for a while given the Irish bishops’ sharp rejection of Dolan’s scathing verdict on the orthodoxy of Ireland’s leading seminary. By David Gibson
Friday’s Religion News Roundup: “King” Eddie Long and spontaneous exorcisms
By Kevin Eckstrom — February 3, 2012
Embattled Atlanta pastor Eddie Long gets some supernatural protection from a Holocaust Torah scroll, while two men claim supernatural release from demons when the pope walked into the room.
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