Just 200 primary schools out of Ireland’s total of 3,300 would sufficiently serve the needs of parents wanting a non-religious education for their children, a leading Church of Ireland educationalist said last night at a seminar on denominational education organised by The Iona Institute. Dr Ken Fennelly, Secretary of the Church of Ireland Board of Education, revealed that he had arrived at his...
“Christianity is the world’s most persecuted religion”, a new study of religious persecution has said. ‘Persecuted and Forgotten? A Report on Christians oppressed for their faith 2013-15’, compiled by the UK branch of Aid to the Church in Need (ACN), makes its finding based on an examination of some 20 countries, including those in the Middle East where...
The Church of England is considering a plan that would see the closure of under-used parish churches except for high-profile calendar events such as Easter and Christmas. As the Church of England faces an ongoing decline in the use of its 16,000 parish churches, with one recent report conceding that the existing parish structures may not...
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...
The US state of California has enacted new legisaltion requiring all pregnancy care clinics licensed by the state to offer abortion information. As it comes into force with the signature of Governor Jerry Brown, The ‘Reproductive FACT Act’ makes no allowance for conscientious objection or the pro-life credentials of many clinics. Under the Act’s provisions,...
Traditional families and the culture of family remain “strong” in Ireland, the country’s leading prelates have told the Family Synod in Rome. As he addressed the assembled delegates in Rome, Archbishop Diarmuid Martin, Primate of Ireland, acknowledged that Ireland’s recent referendum granting same-sex marriage inevitably posed questions as to the nation’s Christian tradition in relation...
Britain’s House of Lords is to be the venue for the launch of a major report into anti-Christian persecution next week. Compiled by the Christian charity Aid to the Church in Need, the report ‘Persecuted and Forgotten? A Report on Christians oppressed for their Faith 2013-15’ is expected to reflect both the stark plight of...
English Cardinal Vincent Nichols has urged prelates gathered in Rome for the Synod on the Family to recognise “the passionate love people have for their families”. As the Rome synod continues, Cardinal Nichols, who is acting as moderator for one of the English language groups involved in seeking pastoral responses to the modern family and the challenges...
Two doctors in the Canadian province of Manitoba have said they will defy a requirement to cooperate with assisted suicide requests in any way, including referring patients to pro-assisted suicide doctors, even at the cost of their jobs. According to Lifesite News, Drs Mark Kristjanson and Larry Rados have spoken out in response to a call...
Just 1.6% of British people are gay or lesbian, according to latest national statistics. In a study by the Office for National Statistics (ONS), the results of which have just been released, of 247,623 people polled (with 238,206 valid answers), 92.8% identified as heterosexual, with 1.1% gay or lesbian and 0.5% bisexual. A further 0.3%...
