DUBLIN (LifeSiteNews) — The openly homosexual Prime Minister of Ireland, Leo Varadkar, announced his resignation from office and as head of the Fine Gael party today.

With the Irish media predicting the announcement early Wednesday morning, Varadkar announced during an unplanned midday press conference that he was resigning as head of the Fine Gael party immediately. His resignation as Taoiseach (Prime Minister) will take effect in April, after Easter, when members of the party will elect a new leader.

Varadkar, an open homosexual, stated that his reasons “are personal and political, but mainly political.” He downplayed “speculation” about other causes for the announcement, adding that “politicians are human beings. We have our limitations. We give it everything until we can’t anymore and then we have to move on.”

The announcement comes less than two weeks after Irish voters delivered a landslide rejection of the government’s proposed amendment to the nation’s constitution which would have redefined marriage, motherhood, and the family.  

On March 8, voters rejected the Family Referendum, which proposed to expand the definition of a family to include “durable” extra-marital relationships, by 67.7 percent and the Care Referendum, which proposed to rewrite part of the nation’s Constitution in gender-neutral language, by 73.9 percent.

It was seen as an unexpected and crushing blow for the government, and calls were made afterwards for the government to “stop playing ideological games.” Independent Senator Rónán Mullen berated the government for having “hijack[ed] the apparatus and resources of the State to push through your own ideological agenda.”

Varadkar made no mention of the referendum in his statement today. Instead, he praised his work promoting LGBT ideology and abortion: 

I am proud that we have made the country a more equal and more modern place when it comes to the rights of children, the LGBT community, equality for women and their bodily autonomy. More recently, we have led the country through an inflation and cost of living crisis, the worst of which is now thankfully behind us.

Varadkar was Taoiseach between June 2017 and 2020, then again from December 2022. Alongside the Fianna Fáil party, Fine Gael forms the current coalition government in the country. Fianna Fáil leader, Taianiste Micheál Martin, has shared the role of Taoiseach with Varadkar since the coalition government was formed in June 2020. 

The youngest Taoiseach upon his election in 2017, Varadkar has made waves for his anti-Catholic rhetoric, his promotion of LGBT ideology and abortion, and his laying the foundation for the country’s draconian hate-speech law.

Under Varadkar’s tenure and following his active campaign, once-predominantly Catholic Ireland made history when voters repealed the 8th Amendment, which provided a constitutional right to life for the unborn. Ireland now has one of the most permissive abortion laws in the world, with abortion being legal for any reason up to 12 weeks. After that it is legal up to “viability” if there is risk of serious harm to the mother, a provision which accounts for the majority of abortions in neighboring England. Abortion till birth is also permitted in an “emergency,” or if the baby is thought likely to die 28 days after being born.

Already in May 2015, a referendum had ushered in the legalization of homosexual “marriage” to the country, by a landslide vote of 62-38 percent. Proponents of the measure were supported by American LGBT activists, but Varadkar played a key role in the move, announcing his life of homosexuality in January that year in order to campaign more effectively. 

Varadkar’s resignation will not bring about a national election, although an election is due next year. 

Peadar Tóibín, leader of Ireland’s recently-formed pro-life Aontú party, called for an election in light of Varadkar’s resignation, saying: “position of Taoiseach cannot be passed around like snuff at a wake.”

The position of Taoiseach cannot be passed around like snuff at a wake.

This will be the 2nd time the position of Taoiseach will passed on without a mandate.

The referendum shows the government is not trusted.

There must be a general election now. https://t.co/KFpXVCkUHL

— Peadar Tóibín TD (@Toibin1) March 20, 2024

Analyzing Varadkar’s announcement, Ben Scallan – Gript Media’s Senior political correspondent – told LifeSite that “I think the most critical mistake of the Fine Gael party during the Leo Varadkar era was their attempt to out-progressive the most radical progressive parties imaginable.”

Scallan added that Fine Gael “abandoned their once-relatively conservative base in an attempt to satiate woke college students with purple hair.” Such a move, he said, only served in “alienating their core voters, while being insufficiently radical for the committed liberals they were pursuing. They became a party with no clear identity, and that’s clearly led them to the brink of disaster, as we can see from the announcement today.”

Varadkar’s resignation has been welcomed by Catholics and Irish pro-life activists, with news outlet Catholic Arena highlighting his striking record on social issues.

“Leo Varadkar was elected as a prolife candidate and not only oversaw the legalisation of abortion, but the complete destruction of our social fabric, to the point of seeing Dublin descend into riots and anarchy this past November,” Catholic Arena told LifeSiteNews. Continuing, Catholic Arena stated:

Varadkar has let his political career lead to a decline in birth rates, a decline in marriage and a rise in anti Christian sentiment. His time in office was judged most recently with the rejection of the anti woman and anti family amendments that were proposed in the recent referendums. Hopefully Ireland can now begin a healing process after years of being led in the wrong direction, though many feel that the damage done might never be repaired.

Journalist Dr. Eoin Lenihan commented that Varadkar “leaves in infamy, his globalist agenda utterly rejected by the Irish people.”