Key Stats
| Category | Statistic |
|---|---|
| Continent: | Europe |
| Capital: | Dublin |
| Population: | 5,089,478 |
| % Urban: | 63.9 % |
| Population Under 15 Yrs: | 21.2 % |
| Official Language: | Irish, English. Irish spoken as a first language by less than 4% of the population; 40% of the Irish population can speak Irish |
| Languages: | 5 |
| Literacy Rate: | 99 % |
| Life Expectancy: | 82 yrs (24/236) |
| HDI Ranking: | 8 / 189 |
| % Christian: | 91.7 % |
| % Evangelical: | 1.5 % |
| Largest Religion: | Christian |
| % Largest Religion: | 91.7 % |
| People Groups: | 45 |
| Least Reached People Groups: | 5 |
| % Unevangelized: | 1 % |
Ireland
The sex abuse scandals that rocked the Catholic Church devastated the nation’s confidence in what was once a deeply trusted institution. Possibly the only things more damaging than this tragic and sinful abuse are the cover-ups and collusion that occurred after these incidents came to the knowledge of Church leaders. Ireland’s Catholic faith was already on a downward trajectory; these scandals may have thrust it into a death spiral. Pray that true repentance, forgiveness and, where possible, restoration might occur on the part of those involved, and that this may lead to purification and redemption of Catholicism in Ireland.
More Information
- Get all of this content and daily notifications in our free mobile app. Download here ›
- Sign up for a daily e-mail that gets you the featured prayer point of the day straight to your inbox.
- This content is a curated selection of points from our book, Operation World. Find out more about it and all the rest of Our Publications ›
Content taken or adapted from Operation World, 7th Edition (2010) and Pray for the World (2015). Both books are published by InterVarsity Press. All rights reserved.