Germany is to subsidise IVF treatment in a bid to increase the country’s extremely low birth rate. Germany’s Family Minister, Kristina Schroder said it was “intolerable” that couples couldn’t have children because of the high cost of IVF. Minister Schroder said: “I find it intolerable if the hope for children is dashed because of money....
The Government and the banks must not treat the family home like any other property to be seized because of mortgage arrears, the head of the Catholic Church’s Council for Justice and Peace, Bishop Raymond Field (pictured), has said. His call echoes that of the Master of the High Court Ed Honohan, who said last...
Child custody applications rose by 44pc last year, according to family court statistics published yesterday. According to legal sources, the increase is due to an increase in unemployment among unmarried fathers who need to supplement their incomes. To claim allowances for their children — such as additional social welfare or points towards social housing —...
The Swedish Parliament has voted to campaign against a Council of Europe resolution that upholds the right of medical personnel not to perform abortions. In a vote last week, Swedish parliamentarians voted 271 to 20 to instruct the Swedish delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Coucil of Europe (PACE) to work to change the...
Human beings are naturally predisposed to believe in religion and life after death, according to a major three-year international study. The 1.9 million pounds project involved 57 researchers who conducted over 40 separate studies in 20 countries representing a diverse range of cultures. One of the project supervisors was Professor Roger Trigg of Oxford University...
There is a “crisis of credibility” with Irish child protection services, according to the head of the Health Service Executive’s family and children’s services. He said we lack a “proper child protection system”. Gordon Jeyes said that said a new child protection register should be set up, and that those families placed on the register,...
Respect for religious freedom is a guarantee of good governance, and the demands of conscience sometimes trump obedience to the State’s laws, the Archbishop of Glasgow has said. Speaking to newly elected Members of the Scottish Parliament, Archbishop Mario Conti acknowledged that in a pluralistic society, “Christians will want to argue for what is right,...
Britain is a Christian country and it should go without saying that Christians should have a voice in political debates, Prime Minister David Cameron has said, adding his Government will “do God”. Addressing Church leaders at a Downing Street reception, the Prime Minister said that because “so many political questions are moral questions”, Christianity is...
The leader of the Opposition, Michéal Martin, has clashed with the Government over faith- schools. Speaking yesterday in the Dáil during Leader’s Questions he suggested that Churches would be worried “about the impact of Government policy on their schools”. He was speaking following a query by Sinn Féin leader Gerry Adams as to whether the...
The US state of Arizona has passed a law protecting the right to religious expression of university students. The move comes after a series of cases in which various Christian students and student groups have been sanctioned by a range of colleges. Last year, a Christian student in Eastern Michigan University was expelled by college...
