Former Fianna Fáil TD Mary O’Rourke has criticised the Government for its relative silence on the child protection failures of the HSE. Speaking yesterday at the Merriman School, Ms O’Rourke noted that the Taoiseach had gotten “great kudos” for his speech condemning the Church over its failures in handling clerical sexual abuse of children. “Rhetoric...
The UK’s equality watchdog has performed a U-turn over its stance on reforming the law to give greater protection to Christians who have been banned from expressing their religious beliefs at work. Don Horrocks, from the Evangelical Alliance, said the Commission had been “successfully intimidated against proceeding as they initially announced”. “Being forced to be...
The head of advocacy for one of Ireland’s leading children’s charities, Barnardos, has said the Irish Constitution discriminates against the children of married parents because it is very difficult to adopt such children. Norah Gibbons, head of advocacy with Barnardos, made the remarks this week at the Parnell Summer School in Wicklow. However, official figures...
Social workers in the UK town of Bristol removed two children from their parents after mistaking a baby’s brittle bone disease for evidence of abuse. The parents were also arrested by police. The children have now been reunited with their parents, but it took 18 months for social workers and doctors to realise baby Harrison...
Societies which do not strongly promote and uphold marriage inevitably experience marital breakdown and, in some neighbourhoods “the near disappearance of a culture of marriage altogether”, the Bishop of Elphin, Dr Christopher Jones (pictured), has said. Writing in yesterday’s Irish Independent, Bishop Jones said that marriage was “essential to the common good” adding that this...
Government policies which undermine the family will be vetoed, Prime Minister David Cameron (pictured) has pledged, in response to last week’s arson and looting. In a defining speech yesterday, Mr Cameron returned to themes which he has stressed since becoming leader of the Conservative Party, promising to tackle what he calls “broken Britain”. Specifically, he...
The more highly educated a person is the more likely he or she is to be religious, according to a new study. The research found a link between higher levels of education and increased levels of church attendance and bible reading. The study will be published in an upcoming edition of the journal Review of...
A British hospital which tried to force two Catholic nurses to participate in abortions has backed down after their lawyer cited equality legislation in their defence. The two nurses, who were Filipinos, objected to being placed on duty at a weekly abortion clinic in a busy central London hospital. The were instructed to hand out...
Religious freedom is declining globally, according to new research. The report, published by the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life, shows that more than 2.2 billion people – about a third of the world’s population – live in countries where government restrictions or social hostilities involving religion are increasing. The survey, entitled Rising Restrictions...
Most politicians have no idea of the value of marriage to society, according to the Bishop of Elphin, Dr Christopher Jones. Bishop Jones asked: when is the last time anyone “ heard of a politician or a Minister of Government speak of the importance of marriage, of family life for parents, for children and for...
