A former district court judge has said that he disagrees with the Government’s plan to bring in a children’s rights referendum. Retired judge Michael Patwell said that, while he had previously believed there was a need for the Constitutional amendment, he had changed his mind. He has himself dealt with many family law cases including...
A major row over the relationship between Church and State has erupted after Pat Rabbitte appeared to suggest that the Catholic Church should not be permitted to lobby politicians. Mr Rabbitte, who is Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources, was responding after Cardinal Sean Brady told RTE that the Church was prepared to lobby...
The leading separatist party in the Canadian province of Quebec wants to everyone in the employ of the State from wearing or exposing ‘overt religious symbols’. In addition, the Parti Québécois (PQ) wants to introduce a secular charter aimed at removing religious symbols are removed from public institutions. PQ leader Pauline Marois said freedom of...
A Christian couple who were sued by the powerful US lobby group the American Civil Liberties Union for standing up for their belief in traditional marriage have been forced to pay $30,000 in an out of court settlement. The ACLU sued the couple, Jim and Mary O’Reilly, because they refused to host a lesbian wedding...
The Government’s proposed children’s rights referendum will be based on the wording proposed by an Oireachtas committee chaired by former Fianna Fáil TD, Mary O’Rourke. Speaking on Newstalk earlier today, the Minister for Children, Frances Fitzgerald (pictured), said that Government officials were working to ensure that the wording is based on the principles outlined by...
The head of the Catholic Church in Scotland, Cardinal Keith O’Brien has set up a new body to support marriage and the family. The new Commission for Marriage and the Family will be led by a bishop and composed mostly of lay people. It will produce materials and organise events “which will support ordinary Catholic...
Fianna Fáil has warned that the Government may not be able to rely on it support for its proposed children’s rights referendum after spokesman for children Robert Troy said it is “totally unacceptable that the Government has allowed the summer to pass without publishing the wording of the referendum on children’s rights”. And he warned...
Religion and spirituality are good for your mental health, say a new study which recommends that health care professionals take this into account in their treatment programmes. According to the study, published in the Journal of Religion and Health, regardless of which particular religion people belong to, faith can improve a person’s well-being. The findings...
Minister for Social Protection Joan Burton is to address a major international transsexual rights conference in Dublin next month. The conference is sponsored by Transgender Equality Network Ireland (TENI) and TENI Director Broden Giambrone said that the event “provides an ideal platform for activists to share experiences, resources and best practice”. The conference will bring...
Married men earn more over their lifetime than either single men divorced men according to a new study. Using Census data on wage and income, Drs Pat Fagan and Henry Potrykus, of the Marriage and Religion Research Institute, looked at earnings for divorced men, married men and single men. According to their findings those...
