State secondary schools must phase out a range of Catholic influences such as mandatory graduation masses, the display of exclusively Catholic symbols, and visits from diocesan inspectors. There is no indication that parents have been consulted about this.

The new rules will apply to more than 200 secondary schools run by the State’s Education and Training Boards (ETBs) – formerly vocational schools – which are officially categorised as multidenominational.

The “framework for the recognition of religious belief/identities of all students in ETB schools” outlines steps schools should follow to bring them into line with a multidenominational ethos. They include that any religious symbols on display must reflect the beliefs of the wider school community rather than one particular religion. It also means schools that symbolically represent religious celebrations should ensure balance, such as a school displaying a crib at Christmas but also Islamic symbols for Eid.”

A request by Ireland’s four Catholic Archbishops to ease Covid-19 restrictions on churches to allow public celebrations of the Mass has been described as unrealistic and inappropriate in an Irish Times editorial, even though the Republic is still the only place in Europe stopping public worship.

The paper argued against the request as the Archbishop of Dublin had said last month, when Level 3 restrictions were introduced in Dublin city and county, that the measures were “appropriate at this time.”

They likewise quoted him citing a Vatican document in his September 19 statement which he said “strongly supports the application of restrictive measures and ‘painful decisions even to the point of suspending the participation of the faithful in the celebration of the Eucharist for a long period’, when the need is great.”

The editorial also cited the age profile of congregants, and objected to the Catholic church receiving any special treatment.

South Korea’s National Assembly is considering a proposal to allow abortion up to 14 weeks as the deadline approaches to revise the country’s abortion law.

After the national law prohibiting abortion except in the cases of rape, incest, genetic disease, or risk to the mother’s health was overturned by South Korea’s Constitutional Court in April last year, the court gave Korean legislators until the end of 2020 to change the law.

South Korea’s Ministry of Justice put forward a proposal Oct. 7 to allow abortion up to 14 weeks in all cases and up to 24 weeks in cases of severe birth defects, sex crime, or health risk for the mother, according to Reuters.

The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Korea has issued a statement calling on the Justice Ministry to protect the unborn “from the very moment of conception.” Korean Catholics have also advocated for further legislation to address the needs of pregnant mothers.

Males need to be taught from the earliest age possible to do half of housework and caregiving, a men’s charity has claimed.

Sean Cooke, chief executive of the Men’s Development Network, said sharing unpaid work in the home is an “urgent matter of gender justice”.

He maintained there will never be gender justice until men take responsibility for half of the world’s childcare and domestic work.

Work to develop positive attitudes towards fatherhood and managing households should begin at the earliest age for boys, Mr Cooke said.

Speaking at the same event via videolink, the Minister of State for Mental Health and Older People Mary Butler said the goal of achieving “equitable and involved fatherhood cannot be underestimated”.

Ms Butler praised the network for “supporting family units across the country and challenge damaging stereotypes that often prevent people from availing of the support they need.”

The Spanish government has said it wants to change the law to allow 16 and 17-year-olds to seek an abortion without parental permission.

Equality Minister Irene Montero said women should have the right to “decide about their bodies”.

In 2015, the ruling Popular Party (PP) changed Spain’s abortion laws and mandated parental consent for those aged between 16 and 18.

Abortion is legal in Spain upon request in the first 14 weeks of a woman’s pregnancy, up to 22 weeks  in cases of “serious risks to life or health of the mother or fetus”, and after 22 weeks where the child is suffering from a life-limiting condition.

The French bishops’ conference has urged Catholics to join mass protests against a government-backed bioethics bill that would liberalize abortion and embryo research and allow in vitro fertilization for lesbian couples and single mothers.

“Pressure is mounting on the National Assembly to further extend abortion terms under the guise of women’s rights and equality and to reduce filiation to a simple act of will by those wishing to become parents — a child is no longer received, but sought, produced and chosen,” said the conference’s 10-member Permanent Council.

“We invite all citizens, especially Catholics, to inform themselves about these matters and make their reservations and opposition known. Our society must not let itself be surreptitiously drawn along a dangerous path for humanity’s future,” it said.

The four Catholic archbishops of Ireland have requested a meeting with Taoiseach Micheál Martin to address concerns about the closure of public masses due to Covid-19 restrictions.

Under Level 3 all religious services must move online, although places of worship can remain open for private prayer.

However, a letter from the Archbishops points out that communal celebration of Mass and the Sacraments, even with restricted numbers, “is at the very heart of what it means for us to be a Christian community”.

“We wish to engage constructively with the civil authorities to ensure that our people have continued access to the support of Mass and the Sacraments and essential spiritual nourishment for these challenging times,” it says.

The Church of Ireland Archbishops on Thursday evening affirmed “that each and every human life is intrinsically valuable in all its phases” as an assisted suicide bill in the Dáil goes to Committee stage.

Earlier on Thursday, Presbyterian Moderator Rev Dr David Bruce, said he was “deeply disappointed and gravely concerned” at Wednesday night’s decision by TDs not to reject the ‘Dying with Dignity Bill’.

The Bill, he said, “raises fundamental questions about the value that is placed on human life in Ireland, something that we firmly believe to be a gift from God”.

“At the same time, we welcome the acknowledgement by the Government, in its failed amendment to the Bill, that there is no human right to access assisted suicide.”

Meanwhile, the Irish Catholic Bishops released a statement saying there is no such thing as a life without value. “We ask people to consider the manner in which assisted suicide and euthanasia undermines the whole ethos of healthcare. Doctors and nurses are called to be advocates for life and should never be required to assist in any way in the deliberate ending of life”.

People Before Profit TD Gino Kenny has warned that progression of his Dying with Dignity Bill will take quite some time and may even need a referendum.

“It will hopefully move to the committee in the next four to six weeks,” said Mr Kenny.

“It will take the guts of around four to six months for a report on that process to be produced. It is not going to be straightforward and it is difficult to know where it will go.

“There could be a scenario where this never sees the light of day and gathers dust but, because of the cross-party support so far, I think that is unlikely.”

He said the committee report could also call for a referendum or citizens’ assembly.

Just four of 36 Fianna Fáil TDs supported the Bill going to pre-legislative scrutiny.

The Cabinet divided on the legislation, with Taoiseach Micheál Martin, Simon Coveney, Norma Foley, Heather Humphreys, Michael McGrath, Darragh O’Brien and Charlie McConalogue objecting to progression of the Bill.

Tánaiste Leo Varadkar, Helen McEntee, Stephen Donnelly, Simon Harris, Catherine Martin, Roderic O’Gorman and Eamon Ryan supported it.

Tanaiste Leo Varadkar, Justice Minister Helen McEntee, Health Minister Stephen Donnelly and Higher Education Minister Simon Harris were among those who voted in favour of an assisted suicide bill in the Dail last night.

By a margin of 81 votes to 71 votes, the bill has been passed to second stage where it will now be examined by the Justice Committee.

A Government counter-motion to pause it for 12 months was defeated. The opposition of palliative care doctors was ignored.

Sinn Fein, the Greens, and all the smaller parties of the left, plus 10 FG TDs and 4 members of FF voted for the bill.

An earlier motion by the Government to set up a special Oireachtas Committee to examine the issue in depth, while the bill was put on hold for 12 months, failed by a vote of 65 to 86. Non-cabinet members of the Government parties were allowed vote against the it.

In response, leader of Aontu, Peadar Toibin, decried the lack of scrutiny and said the manner in which the bill was passed was shocking. He noted there had been only 70 mins debate, after which 4 minutes were given to those who opposed the bill, a position ultimately adopted by 71 TDs.

The Pro-life campaign released a statement saying it is “extremely troubling to see a bill designed to facilitate the ending of human life pass second stage with such ease and without any meaningful debate or scrutiny whatsoever.”