The Department of Education has given the go-ahead for five new primary schools in the Dublin metropolitan area. None of these, however, will be denominational schools. Three schools will be run by the non-denominational patron, Educate Together, while An Foras Pátrúnachta, which is an inter-denominational patron for gaelscoileanna, will run two of them. Educate Together...
A leading campaigner for racial equality in the UK has questioned interracial adoptions. Simon Woolley, head of Operation Black Vote (OBV), has attacked the Government’s moves to make it easier for white couples to adopt black children. In a open letter on OBV’s website, Mr Woolley suggested that the new policy, announced by Education Secretary,...
One of America’s leading Catholic bishops has described President Obama’s order last week to the US Department of Justice to stop defending the Defence of Marriage Act (DOMA) in US federal courts as an “alarming and grave injustice”. Archbishop Timothy Dolan of New York has said in a statement that government had a duty “to...
Malta is set for a referendum on divorce after the Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi of the National Christian Democrat party wrote to opposition Labour party leader Joseph Muscat and proposed May 28 as the date for a vote. Malta is the only country in Europe that still bans divorce. Mr Gonzi has proposed a straightforward...
Married couples are most likely to be happy with their relationships compared with other couples, while marriage breakdown does more damage to children than living in poverty, according to a new study published yesterday. The study, which is tracking members of 40,000 households across Britain, found that children who grow up in a traditional two-parent...
Strengthening traditional marriage and protecting human life at all its stages is fundamental in the promotion of the common good, and our newly elected politicians must not forget this, Ireland’s Catholic Bishops have said. In a statement following its March meeting in Maynooth, the Bishops commended the newly-elected members of the Dáil on their willingness...
The head of Irish National Teachers’ Organisation (INTO) has called on the new government to establish an open forum to tackle the issue of school patronage. Sheila Nunan, the general secretary of the union, suggested that the forum could be set up this month, begin its work in September and be finished by the end...
A new study of classroom behaviour has found a steady increase in problem behaviour by children, including kicking and punching of teachers. According to The Irish Independent, teachers often feel helpless. One teacher told the study of a pupil who “would scream and shout, push children out of the way and she would hit children.”...
The word ‘marriage’ has vanished from UK Government conception figures. The Office for National Statistics (ONS), which released the information, said for birth and conception statistics it “does not distinguish between civil partnerships and marriages”. Instead the term ‘legal partnership’ is used for both. New figures show that, in 2009, there were around 900,000 conceptions...
British law has no place for Christianity, despite the UK’s long history of religious observance and the traditions of the established Church, the High Court has said. The ruling was condemned for further restricting the right of Christians to manifest their beliefs. Lord Justice Munby and Mr Justice Beatson made the remarks when ruling on...
