In Northern Ireland, Catholic councillors may find they have a potential conflict of interest. The rules in Northern Ireland demand councillors complete a ‘Declaration of Interest’ that could potentially influence their decision-making in chambers. Declaration of Interest confusing One councillor says he was confused as to how to complete the Declaration of Interest correctly. “I Read more
Northern Ireland, known for its entrenched Protestant majority, saw a monumental shift as Sinn Féin’s Michelle O’Neill secured the necessary cross-community votes to become the region’s first Catholic leader. This marked a significant departure from the past, where leaders openly identified with Protestantism. In a poignant moment at Stormont Parliament Building, O’Neill, representing the Irish Read more
Belfast is in many ways still a deeply divided city, but last week young people from Catholic and Protestant communities – who live apart and go to religiously segregated schools – played music together at Belfast Summer School of Traditional Music, as part of the week long Belfast TradFest. From the sound of bagpipes echoing Read more
The late Queen’s Diamond Jubilee ‘walk of hope’ between the Anglican and Catholic churches in the Northern Irish town of Enniskillen gave church leaders cause to reflect. The walk of hope was a simple street crossing: from the Protestant St Macartin’s Cathedral to the Catholic St Michael’s Church. It was an uncomplicated act with powerful Read more
Catholic and Protestant religious leaders have put on a demonstration of unity to urge an end to the recent violence. After a week of disorder across the region which has left 74 police officers injured, a Catholic and a Church of Ireland bishop were among those who came together for an ecumenical service before walking Read more
In a joint St Patrick’s Day statement, Northern Ireland’s church leaders said they have not done enough in the past to heal divisions. Reflecting on the century since Northern Ireland’s partition, they say they hope this centenary year will provide opportunities to create a better level of mutual understanding. The Protestant and Catholic leaders went Read more
Leaders of Anglican Churches have warned the UK government a new Brexit bill could set a “disastrous precedent”. The Internal Market Bill could damage the relationship between the UK’s four nations. So say the archbishops of York and Canterbury and the heads of the Church in Scotland, Wales and Ireland. The bill sets out rules Read more
John Hume was “a person of vision, who lifts us up to see and think beyond the confines of our own, much narrower, perspectives,” according to the Primate of All Ireland, Archbishop Eamon Martin of Armagh. Hume, who died Aug. 3 at the age of 83, was principal architect of Northern Ireland’s 1998 Good Friday Read more
Recent Brexit discussions have resulted in an atmosphere of uncertainty in Northern Ireland, says the Bishop of Derry Donal McKeown. “Even the Unionists, that is those (in Northern Ireland) who feel they are rather more English, are of the opinion that from the economic point of view it would be better to remain part of Read more
New British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Wednesday finished his rocky debut tour of the UK in Northern Ireland, where he faces a doubly difficult challenge: Restoring the collapsed Belfast government and finding a solution for the Irish border after Brexit. Since he took office a week ago, Johnson has been touring England, Scotland, Wales Read more