A Catholic diocese in Canada has cancelled a retreat to be given there in July by Indian priest Fr Dominic Valanmanal who has been preaching that an increased incidence of autism and hyperactivity in children is due to their parents’ lifestyle.

Earlier Catholic Archbishop of Dublin Diarmuid Martin said an invitation to the priest to lead a retreat in Ireland should be withdrawn.

A priest of the Eastern Syro-Malabar Catholic Church, based at Kerala in India and which has about 4,000 members in Ireland, Fr Valanmahal has been preaching that “adultery, masturbation, homosexuality, porn, if you are addicted to these, I say to you in the name of God. when you get married and have children, there is a high possibility of bearing these type of children.”

He said: “They lead an ani mal-like life. They copulate like animals. They bear children like animals. Therefore those children also, will be like animals,” he said.