Aid to the Church in Need Ireland (ACN Ireland)

Lobbying Organisation Aid to the Church in Need Ireland

Date published 31 Aug, 2026

Relevant Matter Public policy or programme

Public Policy Area Foreign Affairs

Period 1 May. 2026 to 31 Aug. 2026

Specific Details During the month of May (May 18), Aid to the Church in Need met with Minister for Foreign Affairs Helen McEntee TD and Cathaoirleach of the Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, John Lahart TD. The auxiliary bishop of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, William Shomali, spoke with the respective TDs about the current situation in the Holy Land and solutions for peace.

Intended results The meeting with Deputies Helen McEntee and John Lahart was an opportunity for Bishop Shomali to raise his experience of life in the Holy Land and give an update on the current situation for both Christians and non-Christians.

Name of person primarily responsible for lobbying on this activity Harry Casey

Did any Designated Public Official(DPO) or former Designated Public Official(DPO) carry out lobbying activities on your behalf in relation to this return? You must include yourself, and answer Yes, if you are a current DPO or a DPO at any time in the past. (What is a Designated Public Official?) No

Did you manage or direct a grassroots campaign? No

Was this lobbying done on behalf of a client? No

Lobbying activity

The following activities occurred for this specific Subject Matter Area.

Email (1)

Communications were sent to both deputies notifying them about the arrival of Bishop William Shomali from the Holy Land. The meetings took place in the Department of Foreign Affairs and Leinster House respectively, where Bishop Shomali gave an update on the current situation in the Holy Land for both Christians and non-Christians.

Designated public officials lobbied

The following DPOs were lobbied during this return period on this specific Subject Matter Area. These DPOs were involved in at least one of the Lobbying Activities listed above, but not necessarily all of them. As returns are specific to a Subject Matter Area the above Lobbying Activities may be associated with multiple returns.

Helen McEntee Minister (Department of Foreign Affairs)

John Lahart TD (Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas)