The professional trial of a psychotherapist who agreed to try to change a homosexual man’s orientation has been suspended after allegations of attempts to intimidate a key witness. Supporters of Lesley Pilkington, the Christian therapist who faces being struck off, called in police after they said an expert witness was threatened in several ‘menacing’ phone...
A new website, AnonymousUs.org has been launched with the aim of inviting anyone and everyone involved in reproductive technologies, but especially persons born via egg or sperm donation, to write about their experiences and opinions- anonymously. Alana S., a 24-year-old woman from San Francisco, who was donor-conceived, founded the site as a “tool for better...
Catholic teacher training college, Mary Immaculate College in Limerick, has defended the number of hours that its teaching students spend on religious knowledge. In an interview with the Irish Catholic, Dr Daniel O’Connell, lecturer in Religious Education, responded to recent criticism in a report by the Teaching Council, which suggested that the college’s teaching course...
The aggressive secularism highlighted by Pope Benedict also exists in Ireland, Archbishop Diarmuid Martin (pictured) has said. In a homily at a service to mark the week of prayer for Christian unity, Archbishop Martin said that in Ireland “we encounter the aggressive secularism about which Pope Benedict spoke on his visit to Britain”. But he...
The Government’s proposed children’s rights amendment has been criticised by children’s charity Barnardos. Their criticism comes after reports said that the wording agreed between the office for the Minister for Children and the Attorney General would not give social workers more power to intervene in families and would not give agencies a right to sue...
More than half of older US teenagers are not living with both married parents, according to a new study. The data, taken from that US Census Bureau’s American Community Survey, shows that of the 12.8 million teenagers aged 15-17 years old in the U.S. in 2008, just 5.8 million, or 45 per cent were living...
The European Union needs to stand up for unity and diversity and protect the religious freedom of Christians throughout the world, Dublin Fine Gael MEP, Gay Mitchell (pictured) has said. Speaking as the co-sponsor of a European Parliament motion condemning attacks against Christians in the EU and beyond, Mr Mitchell said: “Over the past number...
The Christian owners of a guesthouse in the UK who restrict double rooms to married couples have been ordered to pay £3,600 in damages to a homosexual couple, but leave to appeal has been granted. In a ruling earlier today, His Hon. Judge Andrew Rutherford declared that Peter and Hazelmary Bull’s (pictured) policy was illegal....
More than a quarter of young adults in the US say that they have experienced violence in their current relationship, according to a study produced by the Child Trends think-tank. The report examined the sexual relationships of those aged 18-25, and found that 26 per cent of those in that age group reported experiencing violence,...
A row has erupted over an official EU diary for 2011 which refers to Jewish, Hindu, Sikh and Muslim festivities but makes no mention of Christmas, or any other Christian holidays. More than three million copies of the diary, intended for secondary schools, have been produced by the European Commission. France’s Minister of European Affairs...
