The Government has announced plans for free access to medical testing to meet a surge in sexually transmitted infections, including HIV. According to RTÉ, between 1995 and 2013, rates for STIs increased from 3,361 to 12,753, with the greatest rates of infection being among those aged under 25 and among men having sex with men....
Faith leaders in Canada have issued a joint declaration against the introduction of euthanasia and assisted suicide. As medical personnel come under increasing pressure to participate in end-of-life procedures in the wake of a Supreme Court decision in February that people in ‘grievous pain’ should be allowed to request assisted suicide, more than 30 Christian...
Some teachers in Catholic schools in Ireland report feeling “intimidated” when they raise concerns about ethos within their schools. According to The Irish Catholic newspaper, which gained comments from a number of teachers working in schools today at a conference on denominational education organised by The Iona Institute, the pressure is widespread as many schools...
India is proposing an outright ban on foreigners seeking surrogacy services there. According to The Guardian newspaper, in the wake of a court challenge earlier in October to the commercial surrogacy issue nationwide, the Indian government was called upon to finally move towards some form of regulation of an industry which is said to be...
The British government is reluctant to describe the slaughter of Christians in the Middle East as genocide, a minister has admitted. According to a report in The Tablet, when pressed in the House of Lords for a clear explanation of what Britain is doing to uphold Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights...
A coalition of opponents to Britain’s controversial plans to tackle extremist preachers has formed into a campaign group to defeat what it views as an assault on free speech. As David Cameron’s government presses ahead with the introduction of Extremism Disruption Orders (EDOs), under which it can effectively silence community leaders, including preachers for communicating ‘unacceptable’...
The Primate of All Ireland, Dr Eamonn Martin has said that the Synod on the Family which finished on Sunday will provide the Church with a clear vision of pastoral action for families. Writing in the Sunday Independent after his return from Rome, where he had served as a moderator of one of the English-language groups discussing the Synod’s theme of ‘The Vocation and Mission...
A legal challenge against Scotland’s proposed ‘state guardian’ scheme will be heard in court next March 8. The Named Person legislation has been roundly criticised as undue interference in family life since it was introduced as part of the region’s Children and Young People (Scotland) Act last year. Set to come into effect in August...
Spain’s main socialist party has vowed to end all Religious Education in the nation’s schools if elected this December. According to EWTN News, as part of his party’s election manifesto, Pedro Sánchez, leader of the Spanish Socialist Workers’ Party (PSOE), has promised that, if in government, he will lead a campaign to “promote a secular...
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...
