News Roundup

Bishops urge faithful to ‘keep Christ at the centre of Christmas’

The Catholic Bishops have appealed to people to “keep Christ at the centre of Christmas this year”.

Nonetheless, in a message at the conclusion of their winter meeting on Wednesday night,

they described it as “impossible” for the usual large numbers to attend Christmas Masses later this month due to Covid-19 and have reminded people that such Masses would be “widely available over webcam”.

They “strongly encourage families to ‘tune in’ from the ‘domestic churches’ of their living rooms and join with those who are gathering in their local churches in welcoming the birth of the Christ-child”.

Christmas was “about more than just one day. Families are welcome to attend Mass at some point during the 12 days from Christmas Eve to Epiphany (January 6th),” they said.

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Drop focus on ‘lifelong spousal maintenance’, says divorce law expert

The laws governing maintenance after divorce should drop a presumption of lifelong financial obligation, according to an expert in divorce and family law.

Geoffrey Shannon believes the issue of maintenance now requires a fundamental review, as it is still operating according to laws that date back to 20 years before the 1995 referendum.

“In the context of divorce, what you have is the marriage ceases, but your obligations continue indefinitely,” he says. “No single concept alone can govern the system of maintenance, yet we have a system where the focus is on lifelong spousal maintenance.”

A couple might only be married for four or five years, and have no children, yet the Irish system presumes the possibility of one spouse having a lifelong financial obligation towards the other.

“Really what I am saying is that the payment of maintenance between former spouses should facilitate a smooth transition from dependence to economic independence, ensuring that the dependent spouse is provided for until he or she is self-sufficient.”

Maintenance should be calculated in a way that reflects the duration of the marriage, and the commitments that are required.

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Spain set to legalise euthanasia

Spain is set to become the sixth country in the world to legalise euthanasia.

It is expected that the law will be approved in the first quarter of 2021, despite unanimous opposition from the members of an agency of the Ministry of Health, Social Care and Equality, who declared that “solid health, ethical, legal, economic and social reasons” existed to reject euthanasia and assisted suicide.

A report presented by the Socialist Party’s Justice Committee, which outlines the law, has been approved with 22 votes in favour, although it was opposed by the Partido Popular and Vox, who already presented amendments which were rejected in the Congress of Deputies.

The proposal may be approved as soon as January. It would allow people to be euthanized in their own homes and not only at health centres.

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All-Party Group calls for pain relief for unborn babies in late term abortions

The Oireachtas Life and Dignity Group have said giving pain relief to unborn babies before they suffer late-term abortions would be both merciful and humane.
“It is routine practice for unborn babies undergoing surgical procedures to be given pain relief to ensure they feel no pain or distress during the procedure,” the group said in a document published on Wednesday morning.
“Babies being aborted at an identical gestational age, however, are denied the same dignity and respect as they are regarded as non-persons in the eyes of the law and by those carrying out the abortion procedure,” it said.
Carol Nolan, TD, said that recent research had found that foetuses felt pain after 12 weeks’ gestation and said that she wanted to see “humanitarian pain relief for babies” required.
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Bishops should direct that all Christmas Masses be online, says priest

A Dublin parish priest has appealed to the Catholic bishops to advise that all Masses in Ireland at Christmas take place online.
“The best and safest solution is for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day Masses to be online only, with churches open after for people, families,” Fr Adrian Egan said. This is contrary to the position of bishops’ conference all over the world which have campaigned for the right to a safe return to public Masses, with French and US bishops taking legal cases.
Fr Egan, the parish priest at Our Lady of the Assumption parish in Ballyfermot, said “I know these things can be decided locally, but it would be better coming from the bishops.”
On Monday evening, the Association of Catholic Priests (ACP), of which Fr Egan is a member, tweeted it had received a “significant volume” of phone calls and messages from priests articulating anxiety and concern about the return to worship following the ending of Level 5 restrictions and the difficulties faced by parishes in mustering stewards and volunteers for churches and car parks at Christmas time.
Ireland was unique in Europe in stopping public worship at mid-level restrictions.
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Huge implications for Irish children and HSE following ruling against Tavistock clinic

A landmark judgement in the UK High Court against a children’s gender identity clinic will also affect Irish services.
Young British woman Keira Bell (23) won her case against the Tavistock clinic for prescribing her puberty blockers as a child. Some Irish children with gender dysphoria are referred to the Tavistock  which is the UK’s only gender identity clinic for children.
The Court ruled it doubtful that under 16s could understand the long-term consequences of the treatment, and that it was unlikely they could give informed consent.
The three judge panel said even a 16 or 17 year old would likely need a court’s approval before embarking on the experimental treatment.
In February, it was reported that Irish doctors had raised concerns about gender identity services at Crumlin Children’s Hospital in Dublin. The service is provided by flying in two clinicians from the Tavistock clinic. They alleged that the service providing puberty blockers to children was “unsafe”, but their concerns were suppressed by the HSE.
The Irish Mirror reported in August that a total of 78 Irish children have been sent by the HSE to the Tavistock for treatment. Six out of ten Irish children referred to Crumlin with gender identity issues receive psychosocial while 4 out of 10 receive medical treatment, including puberty blockers.
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Ireland’s ageing population ‘to cost exchequer €850m a year’

The Republic’s rapidly ageing population is likely to cost the exchequer an additional €850 million a year from 2021 onwards, the Irish Fiscal Advisory Council (Ifac) has warned. Ireland’s fertility rate is now well below replacement level.
In the report it estimates that the additional cost of providing pensions to new pensioners – public sector and social welfare recipients – will be €370 million a year between 2021 and 2025. while the additional cost of providing healthcare to an ageing population will be €484 million a year.
That puts the costs of providing for an ageing population at €854 million annually.
And while the projections are only out to 2025, these types of age-related costs will continue at the same level or higher after 2025, Ifac’s chief economist Eddie Casey warned.
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Belgian Catholic laity petition for the resumption of public worship

A group of Belgian Catholics is demanding the resumption of public worship in their country.
They expressed their views in a petition sent to the Belgian Bishops’ Conference and the Vatican ambassador on Thursday.
In it, the so-called ‘Committee of Concerned Catholics’ asks that the Church returns to the situation before the current Belgian lockdown, when a limited number of people was still allowed to attend Mass, subject to health and safety measures. They refer to the situation in the Netherlands and France where public liturgies are still permitted. Within days, the online petition was signed by 500 people, according to the committee.
Belgian bishops’ spokesman Geert De Kerpel said the decision to suspend all public worship until at least December 13 was taken by the Belgian government.
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Study shows IVF children with birth defects at greater risk of cancer

Children with birth defects who were conceived via in vitro fertilization (IVF) were more likely to develop childhood cancer compared to those conceived naturally, according to the results of a cohort study.
Children with a major birth defect conceived via IVF had nearly seven times the risk of cancer than those without a birth defect (hazard ratio 6.90, 95% CI 3.73-12.74), reported Barbara Luke, ScD, MPH, of Michigan State University in East Lansing.
Those who had a birth defect and were conceived without medical assistance, however, were three times more likely to develop cancer (HR 3.15, 95% CI 2.40-4.14), researchers wrote in JAMA Network Open.
Luke’s group proposed that the epigenetic alterations — changes in the chemical structure of the DNA that do not change the coding sequence — that occur when an embryo is grown in a lab result in reprogramming that may cause birth defects and cancer in this population.
“IVF-conceived children are at about one-third greater risk of birth defects compared to their naturally-conceived counterparts, as well as at higher risk of childhood cancer, although in absolute terms these numbers are small,” Luke told MedPage Today.
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NPHET wanted only two weeks of religious services over Christmas

The Government were advised by NPHET to allow public worship occur for only two weeks over the Christmas period. Instead, public worship began again today under an adjusted level 3.

In a letter to the Minister for Health on November 26th, NPHET wrote: “While recognising the inherent right associated with indoor gatherings, potential congregation outside of services and the potential heightened vulnerability of those attending, the NPHET advises that religious services should be permitted for the two week period between the 21st of December and 3rd January, with strict protective measures in place”.

The Government’s advisory body added that the guidance should be reviewed “to ensure services are managed in as safe a manner as possible, with particular attention given to the avoidance of congregation before and after events and choir/carol singing”.

The Government ultimately rejected the advice and allowed religious worship to operate according to level 2 restrictions.

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