A recent Iona Institute conference discussed the marriage referendum and how it affects our view of the family and the natural rights of children and their parents.
Pope Francis has announced the establishment of a new body dedicated to the care of the family, the laity and life issues. Addressing the assembled participants at the Synod of the Family in Rome, the Pope said: “I have decided to establish a new Dicastery with competency for Laity, Family and Life, that will replace the Pontifical Council...
A Roma family whose two-year-old child was removed by gardaí in a case of “overzealous policing” have received €60,000 in damages under a settlement of a legal action they took. The child at the centre of the case was removed from the family home in Dublin in October 2013, under the Child Care Act of...
A leading Cardinal has described the Synod on the Family as “alive and vibrant” due to prelates’ ability and willingness to speak of their own family experiences. Crediting the new discussion arrangements formulated ahead of the synod which sees delegates working in smaller groups,Austrian Cardinal Christoph Schönborn told Vatican Radio that the result was the creation...
Pope Francis has again offered a clear defence of the traditional family. Echoing the Book of Genesis, he said that God willed marriage to be “the loving union of a man and a woman”. He also reiterated the indissoluble nature of marriage. Speaking during the Mass to officially open the Synod on the family, the...
The Equality Authority is examining Section 37 of the Employment Equality Act which allows religious employers to protect their ethos. It has invited submissions from interested parties. Here is the submission of The Iona Institute.
Professor Eamonn Conway of Mary Immaculate College in Limerick explains the threat posed to denominational education by proposals made in the Government’s Forum on Patronage and Pluralism and the need to protect the ethos of faith schools.
Our latest briefing note illustrates that, contrary to what has been alleged, policies protecting the distinctive ethos of denominational schools are fully consistent with both Irish and international human rights law.
Fr Michael Drumm defends the role of Catholic schools in a pluralist society in a talk given at the Iona Institute’s conference on denominational education “Denominational schools in a pluralist society”.
The Government’s Forum on the future of primary schools necessitates making the positive case for Catholic schools which we do in this briefing note.
