Marriage in Ireland has declined steeply since the 1980s, a new report has confirmed. The report, entitled Family Figures: Family Dynamics and Family Types in Ireland, was published yesterday by the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI), and found that the number of people in alternative family forms, especially cohabitation and lone parent families, had...
Faith-based schools cannot be allowed to teach sex education in a way that is true to their ethos, according to the Liberal Democrats and the British Humanist Association. They say they by permitting this, those schools will teach sex education in a manner that is ‘homophobic’, ‘sexist’ and would ‘violate’ human rights. The British Government...
Senator David Norris misquoted The Iona Institute in the Seanad on Wednesday, incorrectly saying the institute was concerned that the proposed children’s rights amendment would “impinge on the power and authority of the Church.” In fact in its statement on the proposed referendum, and in subsequent media appearances, The Iona Institute, and its director, David...
Senator Ivana Bacik has called for a public debate on the relationship between Church and State in Ireland. She was reacting to the meeting in Rome between the Pope and the Irish hierarchy. Senator Bacik said she wants to see the continued involvement of the Church in education debated, as well as the broadcast of...
The Catholic Archdiocese of Washington has ended its 80-year-old foster-care program in the District rather than license same-sex couples, the first fallout from a row over the city’s move to legalise same-sex marriage. Catholic Charities, which runs more than 20 social service programs for the District, transferred its entire foster-care program — 43 children, 35...
The Government will seek the Attorney General’s advice as part of its consideration of the report of the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Children’s Rights, Taoiseach Brian Cowen has said. Mr Cowen also refused to specify a referendum date. “Obviously there are complex legal and constitutional issues at the heart of this report. We will give...
The Government’s proposed children’s rights amendment could give the State too much power to intervene in families, the Iona Institute has warned. In a statement responding to the publication today of the proposed wording by the All Party Committee on Children’s Rights, the Institute said that while the wording needs careful study, a guiding principle...
A Christian who was told by her bosses at British Airways to hide a small cross she wore around her neck has lost her case for religious discrimination at the Court of Appeal. Nadia Eweida, 58, was appealing against an earlier court ruling that decided BA had not broken the law by asking her to...
The Catholic Primary School Management Association has welcomed a decision by the Department of Education to approve two new Catholic schools saying this was in line with parental wishes in both Galway and Drogheda. Patrons of the new schools will be Bishop Martin Drennan in Galway and Cardinal Sean Brady in Drogheda. The decision has...
Junior Minister, Martin Mansergh, has denied changing his mind on the issue of conscientious objection and religious freedom. In a speech during the Dail debate last month on the Civil Partnership Bill, Minister Mansergh said he would not support giving a right of conscientious objections to public servants such as civil registrars. This appeared to...
