What are the signs of a great openness to religion among members of Gen Z? Stephen Bullivant, Professor of Theology and Sociology of Religion at St Mary’s University, Twickenham in London, looks at what the data have to say. He gave his talk at 2025 Iona Institute youth conference on October 11 in Dublin. The...
At our recent youth conference, Bishop Niall Coll (pictured) addressed the topic, ‘The Crucial Choice Before Gen Z’. Citing St John Henry Newman, he said that there are “three Ds” needed for faith, namely ‘disposition’, ‘decision ‘and ‘difference’, that is, a disposition towards the faith, followed by a willingness to make a decision to embrace...
Watch the opening remarks from David Quinn at the annual Iona Institute youth conference. In his opening address at the annual Iona Institute youth conference last Saturday, (you can watch the address here), David Quinn spells out the demographic facts of life to Gen Z. He told a packed room that ‘Gen Z’ (roughly corresponding to those in their...
There is a marked revival of interest in religion among young people in Northern Ireland, a major new poll commissioned by The Iona Institute has found. This is a clear reversal of the previous continual decline by age. The youngest age group polled, that is, the 18-24-year-olds, are more likely to have a ‘very positive’...
It has been revealed that more than one hundred babies have been born alive in Ireland following abortions since the procedure was legalised in 2019. A large majority of these babies suffered from a major congenital abnormality and were generally delivered between the 22nd and 27th week of pregnancy. The grim news came in reply...
The Department of Education has published the redeveloped Primary School Curriculum. It contains five broad subject areas and they will be all rolled out in schools over the next few months. Last year, during the consultation process, the Iona Institute presented concerns about the draft proposals, concerns that have now been confirmed by what has...
On Tuesday. the street where the office of The Iona Institute is based had to be cordoned off by Gardai (see picture above), after a suspect package was sent to us. I opened the package, which turned out to contain a large amount of white powder. Some of it spilled out onto the floor, the desk, and my hands. The letter...
In Ireland, the number of births continues to exceed deaths, but only thanks to the contribution of immigrant communities. In the first quarter of 2025, for the first time on record, more Irish nationals died than were born, a watershed moment. The overall fertility rate for the country is now 1.5, well below the replacement...
The annual Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) pilgrimage took place in Knock last weekend. Aid to the Church in Need is an international pontifical charity that devotes itself to helping persecuted Christians all over the world. It also draws attention to what it sometimes calls the ‘polite persecution’ of Christians in the West,...
A new United Nations report is calling for the eradication of surrogacy in all its forms, arguing that the practice inherently harms both women and children. It also recommends punishing buyers, clinics and agencies. Ireland should pay attention. We have one of the most permissive surrogacy laws in Europe although it is awaiting commencement for...
