Hosts of the Faith Under Fire Podcast
Michael Kelly is Director of Public Affairs with Aid to the Church in Need, Ireland. A native of Co. Tyrone, he is a journalist and broadcaster by profession and a former editor of The Irish Catholic newspaper as well as a columnist for the Irish Independent and the Belfast Telegraph. Michael is a passionate advocate for Christians who are suffering or are persecuted for their faith, and has travelled extensively to troubled parts of the world.
Brandon Scott is Promotions, Communications, and Advocacy Officer with Aid to the Church in Need Ireland. From Meath, he has a background in politics and journalism, before joining ACN in February 2025.
Previous Episodes
Episode 4:
Iraqi Christians: Living in the Shadow of the Cross
In this edition of the Faith Under Fire podcast by ACN Ireland, Michael and Brandon interview Archbishop of Erbil Bashar Warda, who talks about his Catholic upbringing in the Middle East, his time in Ireland in the mid-1990s, the stark decline of the Christian population since the 2003 war, how ACN is tackling the issues facing Christians in the country, and his hopes for the future.
Episode 3:
How Catholic immigrants are helping to grow the faith in Europe
Ferdinand Habsburg has recently been appointed as Secretary General of Aid to the Church in Need International. He sat down with Brandon Scott and Michael Kelly for the ‘Faith Under Fire’ podcast to speak about his distinguished royal family, the faith that brought him to ACN, the hope he derives from the suffering Church and how Catholic immigrants are helping to grow the faith in Europe.
Episode 2:
Some of the most inspiring people I have met are those persecuted for their Christian Faith
Irishwoman Regina Lynch, who heads the world’s leading charity supporting persecuted Christians Aid to the Church in Need, tells Brandon Scott and Michael Kelly about finding hope in the most desperate of places, and her dismay at the fact that the persecution of Christians is largely ignored in the West.
Episode 1:
Holy Land Christians: Keeping faith in a time of war
Though now only 2% of the population of the Holy Land, the Christians are a vital faith community that traces their roots back to the first people to hear the message of Jesus. In this episode, Michael Kelly talks about a recent visit to the Christians of the Holy Land and Brandon Scott reflects on their long-term future and the resilience of Holy Family in Gaza.