Irish Vintners are once again calling on the Government to end the traditional Good Friday closing of pubs. With an eye to the Ireland soccer International against Switzerland which takes place in Dublin on that day, March 25, the Licensed Vintners Association (LVA) and the Vintners Federation of Ireland (VFI) have joined in calling the...
Changes to official forms to remove the words ‘male’ and ‘female’ and giving children hormone blocking drugs to delay puberty if they voice doubts about their gender identity are among the suggestions of a group of British MPsin a new report. The report details ways in which it believes transgender people can be made to feel more included in British society, according to...
A delegation of bishops visiting the Middle East has told persecuted Christians “you are not forgotten”. In a statement following the visit by the Bishops of the Holy Land Coordination, which included Ireland’s Bishop John McAreavey, the group addressed various communities across the region, stressing that “ongoing violence makes it all the more urgent that we remember...
The Minister for Children James Reilly has indicated the possibility of Ireland holding a referendum towards eroding the constitutional protection afforded to faith schools. He appeared yesterday before the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child in Geneva, Switzerland, where he was pressed repeatedly on religious patronage of schools in Ireland and admissions policies. Speaking to reporters...
The Labour Party is promising to cut the cost of childcare to €2 per hour if returned to government at the next election. The policy offers nothing to stay-at-home parents. According to The Irish Independent, the party’s undertaking would see a cap of €4.25 per hour (the current national average) for childcare, with the Government providing...
The persecution of Christians across the Middle East and in Africa is on the rise, a new report has revealed. According to World Watch List 2016, compiled by Open Doors, a Christian advocacy group which annually monitors rates of persecution around the world, 2015 saw a deteriorating position for many Christian communities. However, despite the...
Taoiseach Enda Kenny has voiced doubts that a referendum aimed at repealing the constitutional protection for the unborn would pass. According to The Irish Independent, when asked about the issue of the 8th Amendment to the Constitution, which offers equal status to a mother and her unborn child, Mr Kenny said, on a personal basis:...
The Irish Government is refusing to describe the persecution of Christians in the Middle East at the hands of Islamic State (IS) as genocide. In an answer to a question posed by The Irish Catholic newspaper, a spokesperson for the Department of Foreign Affairs acknowledged that the UN Commissioner for Human Rights has accepted last...
Over 200 mental health professionals in Chile have challenged the country’s College of Psychologists which stands accused of minimising the trauma caused to women by abortion. According to Lifesite News, doctors and psychiatrists were prompted to draw up ‘Abortion and Women’s Mental Health’ when the College’s own recently released document ignored the issue while advocating availability ofabortion. In...
The Catholic Church in Scotland has described as “sinister” government plans to open family planning services near schools as one method of tackling teenage pregnancies. According to the Herald Scotland, the Scottish Catholic Education Service felt compelled to write to ministers in response to a draft proposal on teenage pregnancies which contained plans for drop-in...
