At least six people have been shot dead at a church in northern Burkina Faso.

The violence took place on Sunday in the village of Silgadji, not far from the volatile border with Mali. Urbain Kabore, the communications director for the Sahel region of Burkina Faso said the attackers arrived on motorbikes at the end of a Sunday service and killed the pastor, two of his sons and three other worshippers.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility although violent Islamic extremism has been increasingly destabilising the country. A number of jihadist groups are known to operate the area.

It is the first attack on a church since jihadist violence erupted in the West African country in 2016.

Meanwhile, authorities said that in a separate incident attributed to jihadists in the east of Burkina Faso, five teachers were shot dead on Friday. The Islamic extremists have also targeted foreigners, abducting and killing a Canadian geologist earlier this year.

It is still not known whether a Catholic priest kidnapped a month ago is still alive.

More than two-thirds of people agreed with the statement that “society is too politically correct’, according the latest ‘Sign of the Times’ survey by Behaviour & Attitudes. Prof Ian Robertson, emeritus professor of psychology at Trinity College, suggested that the frustration with political correctness expressed in the survey might be a reflection of current debates around language and identity politics.

Other findings included that sixty one per cent of people agreed “everything is changing too quickly”.

The poll also shows that only fifty-four per cent of the 1,000 adults surveyed agreed that they felt pride in the result of the same-sex marriage referendum, even though 62 per cent of voters actually voted in favour of same-sex marriage in 2015.

Ian McShane, executive chairman of B&A, said the discrepancy might be explained by those who voted in favour of it based on human stories. “In the lead-up to the referendum, I happened to do a lot of research among older rural voters who would say ‘I’m not going to vote’ or ‘my granddaughter explained it all to me and I’m voting yes’, or ‘So and so from ‘Ballymagash’ down the road is gay, so I’ll probably vote yes’. I can see those people saying ‘No, I didn’t take pride in the result, but I voted yes’.”

In the referendum, 38 pc of voters voted No, while almost 40 per cent of the electorate did not vote at all.

A survey of more than 5,000 pupils, teachers and parents leaked to The Irish Times says that many students find that sex education is too often “fear-based” and focuses on matters like unwanted pregnancy and STIs. It also finds that students want a ‘safe space’ where they can discuss, ask questions and talk about all aspects of relationships and sexuality.

According to a report in the Irish Times, there were mixed views between students, teachers and principals on whether a school ethos is leading to children not being taught key topics in religious schools. While some said ethos was inhibiting the teaching of certain topics or presenting them narrowly, others said it was not an issue.

The Archbishop of Armagh, Eamon Martin has said that the “witness and martyrdom of so many persecuted Christians around the world…reminds us of the importance of advocating for freedom of conscience and religion.” He was speaking at a Mass on Sunday in St Patrick’s Cathedral, Armagh, in which he remembered the bombings in Sri Lanka last week in which more than 250 people were killed, mostly while attending Mass.

The victims were also remembered in the Pro-Cathedral Dublin yesterday at a Mass celebrated by Archbishop Diarmuid Martin. The congregation included President Michael D Higgins, the Taoiseach’s Aide-de-Camp, Commandant Caroline Burke, and members of the Irish Sri Lankan community.

Archbishop Martin told the congregation of his shock at “the terrible violence that hit the Sri Lankan nation”.

“Naturally, as Catholic Christians we remember in a special way our own Christian brothers and sisters who were among the prime targets and victims of the violence.  May God grant them eternal rest and peace,” he said.

Dr Lal Fernando, who is an assistant professor in the Irish School of Ecumenics, spoke of how his sister, who is a primary school teacher in Negombo, saw seven of her pupils killed in the attack, along with 18 of their family members.

When he spoke with his sister, he said she was “weeping inconsolably as she with her staff members, desperately attempted to identify the lifeless and disfigured bodies of her pupils”.

Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin has called for the suspension of the Petition of Concern mechanism in Northern Ireland as a way to break the current political deadlock on issues such as same-sex marriage or a standalone Irish language Act. The petition allows a majority of either Nationalist or the Unionist representatives to veto proposals on issues of serious importance, even if they are only a minority of the whole Assembly.

If that were not accepted, Mr Martin proposed that there be a referendum on same sex marriage as an alternative way to settle that issue.

Although a scandal regarding a renewable heat initiative and the extent to which blame fell on Arlene Foster caused the Government to fall, in talks early last year to resolve the political impasse, issues such as same sex marriage and Irish language prevented the parties reaching an agreement.

It is not clear however that resolving same-sex marriage would enable the devolved Government to be restored, or that it is even the most important issue dividing the parties.

Minister Regina Doherty has come under fire for suggesting that money is not the reason for the low take-up of paternity leave among fathers. Fianna Fáil’s social protection spokesman Willie O’Dea accused Ms Doherty of suggesting that men have no interest in looking after their newborns and said this is a “gross insult”.

“In my experience the vast majority of cases where people don’t take paternity leave it’s because they can’t afford it,” Mr O’Dea said.

Meanwhile, Richard Grogan, a specialist employment law solicitor criticised the minister for deciding to “play this card of men don’t want to be involved in the rearing of children” and said she should provide research to back this up. Mr Grogan said she should make paternity leave compulsory if this is what she believes.

Minister Doherty shot back at the criticism saying there’s still a perception “in much public discussion that caring is a ‘woman’s thing’ and that taking time off ‘real work’ is still a novelty for fathers”.

She argued that the remarks by Mr O’Dea and Mr Grogan “underline the resistance to any cultural change around who cares and who works and is regrettable. Ms Doherty added: “Similarly, over time, I hope initiatives like parental leave can change mindsets and, more importantly, actions – making it acceptable and possible for both parents to become actively involved in caring for their babies.”