A new code on religious advertising is set to be drawn up “as a matter of priority” by the new body set up to regulate broadcasting. A spokesperson for the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland (BAI), set up by the Broadcasting Act (2009) last month confirmed to the Irish Catholic that the issue would be high...
Italy has been found guilty of breaching “the religious rights of children” by allowing crucifixes to be displayed in classrooms, the European Court of Human Rights said today in a landmark ruling. The judgment also ordered the Italian government to pay €5000 moral damages to Soile Lautsi, the woman who had brought the complaint. The...
Two thirds of Irish people go to church at least once a month, a new opinion poll conducted by RedC on behalf of The Iona Institute has found. Compared with an ESRI poll conducted early last year this figure has jumped from 54%. The new poll is the first confirmation of anecdotal evidence that religious...
The first quarter of this year saw a 43 per cent increase in suicides, according to yesterday’s figures from the Central Statistics Office (CSO). The figures show that 106 people took their lives during the first three months of this year, compared to 74 during the same period last year. Those involved in suicide prevention...
A number of members of the Council of Europe’s Parliamentary Assembly have drafted a resolution calling on Member States to severely limit the right of health workers to conscientiously object to taking part in abortions and other controversial procedures. While the resolution does not specifically mention abortion, in a clear reference to it, the motion...
There are suggestions that the Government may be prepared to come to an arrangement over the dispute surrounding funding for Protestant schools. Martin Mansergh, Minister for State for the Office of Public Works, expressed hope yesterday that the budget could bring a resolution to the row, according to a report in the Irish Times. Dr...
Almost one fifth of all births in Ireland were to cohabiting couples in the first quarter of this year, according to new figures from the Central Statistics Office (CSO). The figures, contained in the CSO’s quarterly Vital Statistics report, show that there were 6,405 births (34 per cent of all births) registered as outside of...
The High Court has rejected an appeal by an unmarried father to prevent his ex-partner moving to the UK with her new partner and the unmarried father’s three children. The appeal was taken against a Circuit Court ruling which allowed the move. However, the ruling had also awarded joint guardianship to the father. This included...
Having children makes married couples happier, and each successive child makes parents successively happier, according to new research. However, the research reveals that those who become parents outside wedlock are less enthusiastic. The finding, based on the experiences of tens of thousands of British parents, contradicts a host of other studies which have concluded that...
UK children’s charity Barnardo’s is looking for more same-sex couples and individuals to adopt, its head of adoption has said. Carolyn Oliver, head of adoption at the charity, says she wants to ensure homosexuals are aware of their adoption rights. She told PinkNews.co.uk: “We’re looking for gay couples and individuals – many still don’t realise...
