British Parliamentarians have called for the slaughter of religious minorities in the Middle East to be recognised by the UN as genocide. In a letter to Prime Minister David Cameron signed by 60 Members of Parliament, Mr Cameron is urged to use his influence to begin a process that would result in the UN declaring...
The Iona Institute has criticised proposals by the Minister for Justice to reduce the waiting time for divorce. Reacting to comments made by Minister Frances Fitzgerald that “it is time to review” the minimum four-year waiting period for couples seeking a divorce, Iona director David Quinn said the “announcement is simply one more indication that...
The Bishop of Waterford and Lismore has taken issue with plans to end the rule for national schools that gives protection of the status of religion in primary schools. In a letter sent to local newspapers in his diocese, Bishop Phonsie Cullinan questions the apparent drive by Minister for Education Jan O’Sullivan to create a “one-size-fits-all”...
Terminally ill children in Canada should be able to access assisted suicide, a new report has recommended. In the wake of a decision last February from Canada’s Supreme Court that adults suffering a “grievous and irremediable” condition should be able to access assisted suicide, a nine-member advisory panel was established to assist all Canadian provinces...
Britain’s Prince Charles has warned that the future of Christianity is under very real threat in the Middle East. The Prince of Wales made his comments during a meeting with refugees from across the Middle East hosted by Westminster’s Archbishop Vincent Nichols. “There is a very real crisis that threatens the very existence of Christianity in...
Lucinda Creighton has described as “ironic” the promise made by Taoiseach Enda Kenny to allow a free vote for members of his Fine Gael party on the abortion issue. According to The Irish Catholic newspaper, Deputy Creighton, who was expelled from Fine Gael in 2013 for defying the party whip by voting against the ‘Protection of Life during Pregnancy Act’ on...
The European Parliament has condemned the practice of surrogacy. As it adopted the Annual Report on Human Rights and Democracy in the World 2014, the Parliament approved in its entirety paragraph 114 of the document, rejecting “the practice of surrogacy, which undermines the human dignity of the woman since her body and its reproductive functions are used...
Britain’s faith schools are the top performing schools in Britain, latest figures reveal. According to The Christian Institute, more than five in 10 of the highest achieving schools in the Department of Education’s league table were Catholic, Church of England, or Jewish. This is despite the fact that just one in three State-funded school in...
The Government’s Assisted Decision Making (Capacity) Bill 2013 “fails to protect the conscience rights of medical professionals”, the Iona Institute has said. In a statement released as the Bill was due to be passed by the Oireachtas today, Iona pointed out that the legislation – which provides for patients to write a legally binding request for...
Britain’s Equality Commission has criticised a recent ban on a cinema ad featuring the Lord’s Prayer and has announced a full investigation into a matter described as “a slippery slope to censorship” Reacting to the ban, enacted late in November by the Digital Media group, which controls advertising for some 80% of cinema outlets across Britain,...
