Rónán Mullen (Independent)

I remind the House of the visit today of archbishop John Barwa of Cuttack-Bhubaneswar, Orissa, India. As I mentioned yesterday, the archbishop is in Ireland as a guest of Aid to the Church in Need and comes from one of the poorest regions in India. It is one of the regions where there has been intense and sustained persecution of Christian people. Some horrific incidents have taken place such as the torching of more than 4,000 houses and 252 churches, without counting the loss of life. More than 500 Christians have been killed and more than 54,000 people have been made homeless. It is an opportunity for us to hear at first hand what some of the most vulnerable people are suffering. This can inform our thoughts as we continue our discussions about human rights and solidarity with people in different parts of the world. I invite my colleagues to the audio visual room at 12.15 p.m. I appreciate Members are busy doing other things but if they can attend it would be helpful and much appreciated.