The Government’s continued commitment to introduce so-called ‘safe access zones’ around hospitals and clinics providing abortion has been described as “farcical” by a Laois-Offaly TD.

Speaking to The Irish Catholic, Carol Nolan TD accused the Minister for Health of being “openly terrified of the pro-choice lobby” over the issue.

Minister Stephen Donnelly had said he was still “fully committed” to introducing such legislation despite media reports that the plan had been shelved.

Ms Nolan said: “The Government position on exclusion zones would be farcical if it were not so serious. It represents the triumph of political pandering over respect for constitutional and civic values and it needs to be abandoned once and for all.

“He needs to stand up for the core values of free speech, recognise the peacefulness of pro-life supporters and stop insisting that he will introduce blatantly discriminatory laws to appease an aggressive and misleading campaign that falsely caricatures pro-life vigils without evidence or substantive reasons.”

Catholic dioceses across China hosted celebrations of the 100th anniversary of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) this year, while pilgrimages to China’s national Marian shrine were forbidden.

“Every community, every diocese has done congresses, performances, theaters, and even pilgrimages to the places of the Communist Party history,” said Fr. Bernardo Cervellera.

Bishop Joseph Li Shan of Beijing hosted a watch party at the bishop’s residence for President Xi Jinping’s July 1 speech marking the CCP centennial. Forty priests and Church members attended a symposium in Jiangxi province to study how to “implement the spirit” of Xi’s speech. And Catholics in Hubei held a flag-raising ceremony and celebration of the Party, according to the Chinese Patriotic Catholic Association website.

“But they are forbidden to go on pilgrimage to Our Lady of Sheshan, which is the national sanctuary for Our Lady in China,” the priest said.

The right of doctors to conscientious objection has been upheld by a court in the US.

Numerous faith-based hospitals and medics had objected to a Biden administration mandate requiring them to provide abortions and gender-changing procedures.

The plaintiffs argued that the procedures are potentially harmful and doing them would violate their conscience and medical judgment.

A federal court in Texas agreed and declared a nationwide injunction against the mandate.

The Biden administration is expected to appeal.

A US federal court rejected a lawsuit by a former Catholic-school guidance counselor who broke her contract by entering a same-sex union in violation of Church teaching.

Judge Richard Young of the Southern District of Indiana ruled that the former Roncalli Catholic High School counselor, Lynn Starkey, qualified as a minister of religion; thus, the archdiocese and school were exempt from federal workplace discrimination prohibitions, regarding her termination of employment.

Young wrote that “the court concludes the ministerial exception bars all of Starkey’s claims.” He granted summary judgement to the archdiocese in the case, ruling in favor of their petition to dismiss Starkey’s lawsuit.

Luke Goodrich, VP and senior counsel with Becket, the firm that represents the archdiocese in the case, stated on Twitter that the decision was a “big win” for religious freedom.

Becket, he said, “argued that Catholic schools exist to teach the faith to the next generation, and they can’t do that effectively if the law forces them to employ teachers who oppose core aspects of the Catholic faith.”

Pro-life activists must not be allowed have a presence outside centres facilitating abortion, according to one prominent abortion rights campaigner. No country in Europe has a national law banning the practice.

Speaking on RTÉ Radio 1, Dr Mary Favier claimed, without evidence, that the purpose of pro-life vigils was to intimidate patients and staff, and exclusion zones were necessary as a result.

She said such legislation would send “a really important message” that there was support for the legal availability of abortion. Once the legislation was in place it meant that if protesters turned up at a GP’s surgery, staff could “pick up the phone” and call the local Garda station who could then act.

“I’m not saying that people can’t protest, they can, but in an appropriate place, not where services are being provided,” she added.

She was speaking after a report in the Examiner said the proposed legislation had been shelved by the Government, despite it once being classed as a priority.

The Health Minister quickly denied the report and said that he remained fully committed to bringing in a new law.

Childcare services in some of the country’s most disadvantaged communities are at risk of becoming unviable because of a reduction in subsidies to families without employment, a Labour senator has warned.

The new national childcare scheme (NCS), launched last year, gives working parents more than twice the subsidised hours it allows unemployed parents, Marie Sherlock, a Labour Party senator said.

Hundreds of children risk losing access to afterschool care since the NCS introduced an allocation of 20 subsidised hours per week for the children of non-working parents but gave 45 hours a week to those from households with employment.

While the allocations sound generous, hours spent in school are subtracted from the allowance, effectively depriving the school-age children of jobless parents of any subsidy.

The divorce rate in the UK has risen tenfold since 1961 while fewer people are getting married, according to the Office for National Statistics.

The ONS also found that people were getting married later in life, living in less crowded homes and more likely to own their own home.

While the majority — 68 per cent — of people aged 16 and over were married in 1961, this fell to 49 per cent in 2011.

In the 1960s, the divorce rate was only 0.8 per cent but this rose to 9 per cent by 2011. Divorce rates increased steadily but started to drop after 2003 as fewer people married and were typically getting married later in life — marriages at older ages tend to be less likely to break up.

Leading political figures have paid tribute to a Catholic priest slain in France on Monday.

The body of Father Olivier Maire, Provincial Superior of the Montfort Missionaries, was found at his community’s home in the western Vendée region.

A 40-year-old Rwandan immigrant, who had been given refuge by the community, handed himself in to police, confessing to murder.

French President Emmanuel Macron said that Fr Maire’s generosity and love for others were reflected even in the features of his face.

He offered his condolences to the Montfortians and all Catholics of France, adding that, “Protecting those who believe is a priority.”

Bishop François Jacolin of the Luçon diocese said Fr Maire suffered a “brutal death”, but he was “a victim of his generosity” and “a martyr to charity”.

Dominican nun, Sister Véronique Margron, said there is incomprehension that the priest died while practicing the great biblical virtue of offering hospitality to a stranger.

Yet, she said she hopes this tragedy would not destroy the ideal of hospitality and sharing.

A group of pastors have told UK Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, that they continue to be against vaccine passport proposals, especially if they are extended to churches.

The pastors intend to resend an open letter, which was originally published in April, to Boris Johnson and all members of Parliament to underline their opposition to the scheme.

They have asked that leaders of churches or Christian organisations who have not yet signed, might consider adding their name and sharing it widely.

The pastors, who are from a range of denominations, say it makes no logical sense in terms of protecting others to make vaccination the basis of whether someone is allowed entry to a venue, or participate in an activity.

They also say the introduction of vaccine passports would constitute an unethical form of coercion and violation of the principle of informed consent.

Finally, as Christian leaders, they envisage no circumstances in which they would close their doors to those who do not have a vaccine passport, negative test certificate, or any other “proof of health”. “For the Church of Jesus Christ to shut out those deemed by the state to be social undesirables would be anathema to us and a denial of the truth of the Gospel,” they write.

The Vatican is launching a research project on the family to be carried out by Catholic universities around the world.

Called the ‘Catholic Global Compact on the Family’, its purpose is to create “a shared program of actions for promoting the family throughout the world in light of the social doctrine of the Church,” a press release said.

According to organisers, “the compact involves the study and research centers on family present in the Catholic universities situated throughout the five continents, by collecting information and research carried out on the cultural and anthropological importance of the family, focusing particularly on family relationships, the social value of the family and good practices of family policies at the international level.”