In both Germany and France, judges have ruled that a ban on public worship in response to the pandemic is disproportionate and a violation of rights. The judges were aware of the need to protect public health, but believed this could be done without a total ban. The German Federal Constitutional Court, on April 29th,...
While Ireland plans to keep the ban on public religious ceremonies until July 20th, other European countries are allowing public worship again much sooner. In fact, we seem to be one of the last countries to restore public worship. In some countries like Spain, Sweden, Poland and Bulgaria, public worship has never been discontinued even...
This is the full stranscript of an interview given by Archbishop Diarmuid Martin on Today with Sarah McInerney (RTE Radio 1), on 13th May. SMcI: What churches will look like in the new normal? Archbishop, thank you very much for joining me this morning. You have suggested that churches should start looking at a...
On Tuesday, we celebrated International Nurses Day, which coincides with the birthday of Florence Nightingale. She is regarded as a founder of modern nursing after she became famous for her work during the Crimean War of the 1850s. What has been largely forgotten is that she took inspiration from the works of medical nuns, who...
A new study from Harvard University has found that the frequent attendance of religious services dramatically reduces so-called ‘deaths from despair’, such as suicide, and drug or alcohol abuse. This finding seems more relevant than ever given the current pandemic that has resulted in untold job losses and a very uncertain future for many people....
This week, the final parts of the Children and Relationship Act 2015 have come into operation. This legislation has changed profoundly the legal arrangement of family relationships but in a way that downgrades the importance of the natural ties. Part 2 and 3, which were delayed because of technical mistakes in the original Act, contain...
By Dr Tom Finegan Decision-making in the context of scarce resources will tend to appeal to what sounds like utilitarianism, i.e., to the weighing of the “good” and “bad” involved in possible choices to see which choice will produce the highest amount of overall net good. For example, in the context of limited access...
By David Mullins There has been much talk recently of the need for both government and the National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET) to display greater levels of accountability and transparency. This is particularly true with respect to the deliberative processes that are being engaged in prior to conclusions and recommendations being made. Are the...
Philosopher Catherine Kavanagh has argued that the ambiguous expression “quality of life” can potentially be used to exclude those who are old or disabled from necessary treatments, especially at a time like this. In Ireland, it is notable that fewer than 10pc of nursing home patients with Covid-19 have been moved to hospitals for treatment...
A new poll commissioned by the Iona Institute looks at what happens to religious practice in a lockdown situation. In spite of the fact that public worship suspended, many people are tuning into religious ceremonies in various ways and almost a fifth of people (18pc) say they are praying more than usual. Weekly Mass attendance...
