A priest has begun locking the doors of his church while saying mass after complaints to Gardai that people had been attending his liturgies.

The parish priest of St. Brigid’s church in Kilrush, Wexford, Father Joe Power, said that he has been holding online Mass, but doors had remained open during Mass for a small number of people to attend should they so wish to.

During the week, less than five people might attend Mass, while ten to 15 people might attend on a Sunday, he said.

However, he had a call from gardaí after a complaint was made that the church was allowing big crowds in to attend Mass, something which he said was completely false.

“From the word go, I was told that we could leave the church doors open for private prayer and participation and that’s what I’ve done, I’ve adhered to the law completely. It seems to me that there was a crank out there or maybe cranks, but they maintain that there were huge crowds coming to Mass in Kilrush and that is totally and completely false and untrue.

“Last weekend, as a result, I had to keep the doors of the church closed during Mass, and it was one of those situations that was forced upon us rather than being right”.

A family law lawyer has said the number of clients she has taken on since Christmas “is off the Richter scale“.

“Usually most call to make an enquiry. They don’t all necessarily translate into cases, but that’s what’s happening now. I took on 10 new clients in January alone”, said Marion Campbell at KOD Lyons.

She said couples must wait until December 2021 or spring 2022 to have their day in court so until then, the vast majority of her clients are living and working under the same roof, even though they may be undergoing messy situations.

“Some couples have taken safety orders out against each other. I can tell you there are huge mental health problems coming down the track. I’m seeing depression, addiction – especially to alcohol,” she said.

She also commented on the lack of awareness of a no-fault divorce regime.

“The other thing, particularly women, say to me

When a husband has had an affair, the women tell her, “I’m going to go for him in court,” but she has to tell them “the court is not concerned about why their marriage has broken down. We don’t have a fault-based system of separation in Ireland”.

“So your husband – or wife – can have multiple affairs. The court simply wants to ensure the couple have been apart for a sufficient time in order to legally separate and then divide up the ‘asset pot’ to ensure everyone has proper provision.”

One scholar’s critical book on the transgender movement has reportedly been removed from Amazon.com.

On Sunday afternoon, Ryan Anderson—the current president of the Ethics and Public Policy Center (EPPC)—reported that his book When Harry Became Sally: Responding to the Transgender Moment was no longer listed for purchase on the online retail giant Amazon.com. The book was released three years ago, on Feb. 20, 2018.

“And not just like it‘s out of stock. The pages are down. You can’t buy a used copy. You can‘t buy the kindle. You can’t get the Audible version,” Anderson told CNA. He said that his book’s publisher asked for an explanation from Amazon as to why it was not being listed online, but had not yet received an explanation.

Anderson’s book was commended by professors of psychiatry, psychology, and medical ethics at universities such as Johns Hopkins, Boston University, New York University, and Columbia University.

Despite the acclaim from scholars, he said it was still de-listed at Amazon. “It’s not about how you say it, it’s not about how rigorously you argue it, it’s not about how charitably you present it. It’s about whether you dissent from a new orthodoxy,” he said.

Catholic Church leaders have told Taoiseach Micheál Martin of their strong desire that people might be allowed “to gather safely for the important ceremonies of Holy Week and Easter”.

At a virtual meeting with Mr Martin on Friday, the four Catholic Archbishops emphasised the spiritual comfort and hope that participation in public worship brings to people of faith.

The archbishops reiterated their desire to return to worship, in particular during the season of Lent and with the approach of Holy Week and Easter. Easter this year falls on April 4th. Lent has already begun.

The archbishops asked that public worship resume when an easing of restrictions is considered. They also requested consideration of an increase in the number who may attend funeral Masses. A maximum of 10 mourners can currently attend.

Bishop Kevin Doran has been reportedly banned from tweeting after he uploaded a post outlining his opposition to an assisted Suicide Bill going through the Oireachtas.

In one tweet, Bishop Doran wrote: “There is dignity in dying. As a priest, I am privileged to witness it often. Assisted suicide, where it is practiced, is not an expression of freedom or dignity, but of the failure of a society to accompany people ‘on their way of the cross’.”

However, Twitter censored the post for “violating our rules against promoting or encouraging suicide or self-harm”.

Although the intent of the post was the opposite of what twitter claimed, upon appeal, the social media giant doubled down on its stance and said, “Our support team has determined that a violation did take place, and therefore we will not overturn our decision”.

Bishop Doran’s twitter profile remains in place, but the offending tweet has been removed and he has been barred from posting anything new.

Researchers from Trinity College have found that the “wish to die” among older people living in the community is often “transient” and is strongly linked to underlying issues of depression and feelings of loneliness.

A survey of more than 8,100 people aged over 50 found that 4 per cent of people surveyed expressed a wish to die. However, almost three-quarters of those who initially expressed this desire did not feel the same when researchers revisited the issue with them two years later.

60 per cent of those who reported a wish to die had co-existing depressive symptoms while half of those who stated they wanted to die had been diagnosed with depression. This indicates a “high burden of undetected mental health problems” in the group, the authors said.

Almost three-quarters of those with a wish to die were also lonely, the study found. Those who subsequently said two years later that they no longer felt the wish to die reported that their symptoms of loneliness and depression had improved.

The report’s authors noted that their findings are particularly pertinent given the consideration of an assisted suicide Bill by the Oireachtas and have called for an “enhanced focus on improving access to mental health care and addressing social isolation in older people”.

Prof Rose Anne Kenny, head of medical gerontology at Trinity College, said that almost two-thirds of participants who expressed a wish to die in the study had at least one chronic illness which meets the criteria for a terminal illness as proposed in the Bill.

The ban on public worship due to Covid-19 in Scotland has been challenged in Court by a Glasgow priest. Scottish worshippers currently face criminal penalties for going to Mass or religious services, other than weddings or funerals, in contrast to their English neighbours who can attend with safety measures in place.

Father Tom White, a priest of the Archdiocese of Glasgow and the Dean of the City East St Alphonsus Church in Glasgow, is leading this effort as part of the Catholic community in making the case for churches as an essential service during a time of societal crisis.

“As a priest, I have witnessed first-hand the grief and suffering that Covid-19 has caused for my parish members. Therefore I know, as a priest, that we need to open my church to be able to support them best in their hour of need,” said Father White.

“I speak for many in the church when I say that it’s very important to keep people safe and well during this pandemic. But, this can and should be done while also allowing people to fulfil their need to draw close to God and worship in community at the church. With appropriate safety measures, we can accommodate both of these outcomes,” he continued.

More than 50 Irish faith leaders have signed a statement condemning the persecution of the Uighurs and other Muslims by the Chinese Communist Government.

The signatories said: “As religious leaders and leaders of belief-based communities in Ireland, we join with our counterparts in Britain and elsewhere in affirming human dignity for all by highlighting one of the most egregious human tragedies since the Holocaust: the potential genocide of the Uighurs and other Muslims in China.”

The group said they had “seen many persecutions and mass atrocities. These need our attention. But there is one that, if allowed to continue with impunity, calls into question most seriously the willingness of the international community to defend universal human rights for everyone – the plight of the Uighurs.”

A number of pro-life groups have welcomed a new Bill introduced to the Northern Ireland Assembly that would prohibit abortion up to birth in situations where an unborn baby is diagnosed with a non-fatal disability such as Down syndrome.

The Iona Institute NI spokesperson Tracey Harkin said it is “chilling” that currently “babies with disabilities including Down syndrome, cleft palate and club foot can be selected for abortion up to birth”.

“The proposed new Bill . . . is an important first legislative step towards pushing back against the worst extremities of the abortion regime forced upon us by the Westminster government”.

“The United Nations Committee on the rights of people with disabilities (UNCRPD) have on numerous occasions criticized countries like the UK whose abortion laws facilitate disability discrimination.”

Eilís Mulroy of the Pro Life Campaign said, if passed, the bill won’t undo all the damage caused by the new abortion law imposed on Northern Ireland by Westminster but “it will at least end the very obvious discrimination contained in the current law against people with a disability”.

The passage of Paul Givan’s Bill would also “send a strong message that it is never acceptable to single out particular categories of people and try to justify ending their lives based solely on their disability”.

Families in France have united to call for parental rights to be protected in the face of Government moves to ban homeschooling.

The French government announced the intention in a statement delivered in October, citing the fight against “separatism” as the basis for the controversial move. The proposal would also place new restrictions on the independence of private schools. Such action would severely curtail rights that have not only been upheld in French national law since 1882, but also are affirmed in international human rights law.

“International law recognizes the right of parents to direct the upbringing and education of their children. Children are born to parents, not the state, and it should be parents who make decisions about how to best raise their children,” said Jennifer Lea, legal counsel for ADF International in Strasbourg.

“Every child is unique and a one-size-fits-all approach to learning undermines the investment in the next generation. Homeschooling can bring enormous benefits to children – for example, those with exceptional gifts in music, dance, or athletics, and who need extra time to hone their skill; or children who perhaps struggle to learn at the pace of a busy classroom, and require more one-on-one attention,” she continued.