Ireland’s most recently ordained bishop, Alphonsus Cullinan, has said that the Church must continue to teach the truth about marriage in spite of May’s referendum result. Dr Cullinan, who is the bishop of Waterford and Lismore, was addressing a meeting of The Iona Institute last month in Dublin. His topic was, ‘Teaching the Truth about...
A decision this week by the High Court of Northern Ireland found that the jurisdiction’s abortion law is incompatible with Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights because it does not permit abortion in pregnancies involving either so-called “fatal foetal abnormalities” or sexual assault. Article 8 deals with the right to privacy and...
A Church of England ad has been banned from cinemas. The makers of Downton Abbey didn’t want mention of religion in the series. In this week’s Irish Catholic, I write that a new secular prudery seeks to banish religion from public view, not least from our screens. The new attitude calls to mind “the old Hays...
This week sees the 20th anniversary of the referendum that narrowly legalised divorce in Ireland back in 1995. Various media outlets are marking the occasion, chiefly by claiming that the Yes side was right about the effects of the referendum and the No side was wrong. (This leader in today’s Irish Times is a good...
In this blog I look at the “Ethics” section of the proposed “Education about Religious Beliefs (ERB) and Ethics” curriculum which is intended for primary schools. I ask whether it is compatible with faith-based instruction in denominational schools. The previous blog examined this issue in the context of the “Education about Religious Beliefs” (ERB) component (available here,...
The National Council for Curriculum Assessment (NCCA) recently launched a consultation paper on a proposed new curriculum for primary schools called “Education about Religion and Beliefs (ERB) and Ethics”. This short piece analyses how likely it is that ERB will be compatible with the current way of teaching religion by primary schools with a faith-based...
Iona Director David Quinn appeared on RTE’s Claire Byrne Live to debate school admissions policies with barrister Paddy Monahan. The debate focused on the criteria on which school places are allotted in the event of a shortage. David Quinn argued that the State must ensure that enough school places exist for all who want them....
A report in last week’s Irish Catholic quotes teachers who say it is very hard to talk about their faith in….Catholic schools. The teachers attended The Iona Institute seminar on denominational schools a fortnight ago and spoke during the Q and A session. This news might come as a surprise to some but it shouldn’t....
Justice Minister, Frances Fitzgerald, has signalled her willingness, in light of the passage of the Bill allowing for same-sex marriage, to alter the “prohibited degrees of relationship” that currently bar people marrying those who are considered too closely related. This raises the prospect of relationships until now considered too incestuous being permitted. The prohibited degrees...
Budget 2016 will see the Home Carer’s Credit (HCC) increase by €190 per annum. The HCC was first introduced in 2000 to slightly offset the huge discrepancy tax individualisation created between one income and two income married couples. The increase is good, but doesn’t go nearly far enough. When Charlie McCreevy announced tax individualisation as...
