A Catholic Bishop has appealed to the members of various sporting organisations to assist with stewarding at Christmas masses to implement Covid-19 guidelines.

Bishop of Cloyne Dr William Crean said that priests and parish pastoral councils across the diocese, which has a population of approximately 160,000, would be hugely appreciative to anyone who does offer to act as a steward so that people can gather safely for prayer at this difficult time.

Separately, in a letter to priests, he noted that while some parishes may limit their celebrations for Christmas day to online broadcast, “most parishes will be offering extra Masses to facilitate as many people who wish to gather to celebrate the gift to the world of the Christ Child”.

Ireland’s Catholic Bishops have welcomed the arrival of vaccines to combat the Covid-19 pandemic.

In a statement, they encouraged Catholics to get vaccinated, to protect both themselves, and those who are vulnerable.

They also urged people to advocate for ethically-developed vaccines.

They noted that many currently being developed do not depend for their design or production on foetal cell lines derived from abortions.

But if one of those is not available, they say it is permissible to accept a vaccine involving the use of foetal cell-lines, when the risk to life is significant, as in the present pandemic.

The only group in America whose mental health is better this year than last year, are weekly church-goers.

That’s according to a new poll by Gallup.

Americans reported the worst assessment of their emotional and mental well-being since polling began in 2001.

Taken over the month of November, the poll showed declines since last year across all demographics, with one exception.

While the number of people who rated their well-being ‘excellent’, declined by 9%; the number of weekly church goers who did so, increased by 4%.

A Labour MP in the UK has resigned as the party’s shadow faith minister after she suggested conscience protections for people tasked with officiating same-sex marriages.

Janet Daby, the Lewisham East MP, quit her front bench role on Monday and issued an apology for her remarks.

It comes after she last week told journalists there “needs to be something in place that respects people’s conscience and views of faith” if they don’t wish to officiate at same-sex marriages.

Ms Daby had been asked on a Zoom briefing for the Religion Media Centre as to whether it was appropriate for registrars to be sacked for refusing to hold same-sex wedding ceremonies.

She compared it to a vote of conscience in parliament, or nurses not wanting to participate in an abortion, she said there needs to be something in place that respects people’s conscience and views of faith, as well as that protects people’s right to be treated equally.

In a Twitter post on Monday, Ms Daby said: “I sincerely apologise for my misjudged comments on Friday, and have decided to resign as Shadow Faith Minister.”

The IFA Live Animal Crib has been opened at the Mansion House in Dublin.

Due to pandemic restrictions people can view the animals only through enlarged windows at the front of the crib this year.

“I was determined the crib would be back,” said Lord Mayor Hazel Chu. “It is 25 years since it was first launched and in that time it has become a Dublin tradition.”

She also announced that on Christmas Day she and Knights of St Columbanus will serve dinners to the homeless at the Mansion House forecourt and garden as the RDS is not available due to Covid-19. Dinners will also be delivered to people around the city.

Meanwhile, on Tuesday of this week, a series of inter-faith gatherings to celebrate religious festivals missed during 2020 began at the Lord Mayor’s garden near the Mansion House

Rewind 2020, organised by the Dublin City Interfaith Forum, will continue until December 14th with each day dedicated to a different faith.

Beginning at 1pm each afternoon, faith communities taking part will include Buddhists, Sikhs, Jews, Hindus, Baha’i’s, Muslims, and Christians. Covid-19 guidelines are being strictly adhered to with attendance limited to 15.

Social media posts that promote prayer to combat Covid-19 should only be taken down if they “increase the risk” of catching the virus, Facebook has told its content moderators.

Internal training documents, reported by The Times, Ireland, state that posts about religious gatherings to cure the virus should be permitted once they take place online and not in person.

In a lengthy slide deck entitled Covid-19, misinformation and harm, moderators are given advice on what content should be taken down, and what can be left up on Facebook or Instagram.

The company sets out three tiers for its moderators to consider when reviewing content.

In the second tier it says that posts that make claims that partaking in a religious activity can cure Covid-19 if that activity calls for an action that “increases the risk of exposure of transmission of the virus” should be taken down.

However, it will not take down posts that call for prayers to help cure Covid-19 or a group zoom prayer meeting where similar statements are made.

The public worship of God must not be set aside by any earthly power, nor neglected by the true people of God, according to a Baptist pastor who opened his church for religious services despite Northern Ireland’s coronavirus restrictions.

Pastor David Patterson said church closures have been to the detriment of the faithful.

Writing in Belfast’s News Letter, he said Christians are to be law abiding citizens, but only in so far that laws are not contrary to the Word (or Law) of God.

“The Executive in directing the citizens of Northern Ireland not to meet for the public worship of God, acted beyond their God given mandate, because the Executive’s prohibition on the public worship of God is contrary to Scripture.”

He also rejected the argument proposed by many to close churches out of love of their neighbour.

The two great commandments, love of God and of neighbour, can never negate each other, he said.

“We must obey God and worship Him, and in doing so endeavour to love our neighbour.”

Same sex couples in Northern Ireland are able to convert their civil partnerships into marriage from Monday of this week.

More than 30 couples are expected to make the change initially.

Under legislation that came into effect on Monday more than 1,300 same sex couples will be able to convert their partnerships into marriage.

Such civil partnerships have been legal in Northern Ireland since 2005 but it was only earlier this year that same-sex marriages were permitted.

That same legislation allowed complementary-sex couples to also engage in civil partnerships.

The HSE’s Health Protection Surveillance Centre (HPSC) have released updated COVID-19 guidance for religious services, along with a new set of guidelines specifically for “the holiday season”.

It sets out how “overcrowding” at mass or other religious services could be prevented over the Christmas period.

Recommendations included running additional services, increased stewarding of parishioners, and for churches to set up an “advance booking system where necessary” for places at services. Parishes have been successfully abiding by public health guidelines since March.

Mass should not exceed one hour, including the time it takes people to enter and exit the church, the guidance stated. There should be at least one hour between services to allow time to clean surfaces, and ventilate the church.

Due to the increased risk of Covid-19 transmission from people singing in proximity to others, the guidance stated carol singing will not be permitted at religious services.

Ireland should take a lead role in raising the Chinese government’s campaign of “genocide” against the Uighur people when it takes its seat on the UN Security Council in January, the chairman of the executive committee of the Uighur World Congress has said.

Addressing a webinar organised by Senator Rónán Mullen, Omer Kanat called on Ireland to use its position on the Security Council to help his people, and referenced the Nazi extermination campaign against the Jews.

“The world said never again, but never again is happening now in China and no-one can claim they don’t know,” he said.

Mr Kanat said he “would like to ask Ireland to take the lead in organising support for a UN Security Council agenda item to propose a commission of inquiry.”

“Everyone should be shocked that such a resolution has not even been proposed so far.”

He added that Ireland should also support EU sanctions against Chinese officials and companies aiding surveillance and forced labour in Xinjiang, and ban government procurement from Chinese companies involved in the surveillance operation.