RTÉ has argued that a talk show guest’s description of the Eucharist as “haunted bread” was not sacrilegious. In a response to a complaint made to the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland by Kerry-based Fr Kevin McNamara in relation to an edition of The Late Late Show, RTÉ stated that the description of the Eucharist offered by comedian Blindboy Boatclub was “provocative” but not “sacrilegious”. Late Late producer Larry Masterson, in an email sent to Fr McNamara said: “The phrase ‘haunted bread’ was certainly provocative. [Blindboy] used it to get a reaction, and indeed it did. I do not believe, however, that it was sacrilegious. It was, in my view, a linguistic phrase that encapsulates the Holy Ghost and Holy Communion.” For his part, Fr McNamara rejected the statement and said: “From my viewing of our national channels the Catholic faith is not afforded sufficient respect or fair play. After all, RTÉ is funded by all licence payers.”

The Pro Life Campaign (PLC) has urged the Government to present the “positive side of the Eighth Amendment” to the United Nations. As Government representatives in Geneva faced the UN’s Committee on the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) – the PLC stressed the necessity of a voice to balance those of the National Women’s Council and the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission (IHRC), both of which have argued from a pro-abortion stance against Ireland’s constitutional protection for the unborn. Speaking in Geneva, the PLC’s Sinead Slattery said, “It is imperative that the Government present this very positive side of the Eighth Amendment, and that they highlight the families who say that their children are alive as a direct result of our life-saving laws… “Abortion is, by its very nature, discriminatory as it allows some human beings to be given lesser protection under the law. The practice of sex-selection abortions has also led to widespread discrimination against baby girls in particular and efforts to outlaw this practice have been opposed by abortion providers such as the British Pregnancy Advisory Service.”

A new study has found that people in the United States have more positive feelings today towards religious groups than four years ago. In a survey undertaken by the Pew Research Centre, people were asked to rate groups on a ‘feeling thermometer’ ranging from 0 to 100. The results showed nearly all religious communities receiving better feedback than in 2014. Catholics and Jews received the most positive ratings, at 66 and 67 respectively, both showing a 4-point increase. Buddhists gained a rating of 60, followed by Mormons and Hindus, at 54 and 58. Only the rating for Evangelical Christians, at 61, remained unchanged since 2014. Significant increase in positivity was shown for both Muslim and atheist communities, with Muslims moving from 40 to 48, and atheists growing from 41 to 50. The survey also found wide variation in the ratings that U.S. religious groups give one another. While for the most part Jews and Christians tend to rate each other warmly, atheists and Evangelicals continue to view each other in a negative light.

Fathers should be recognised as a “crucial pillar” in the life of children, a think-tank has warned. The Centre for Social Justice (CSJ) blamed the “throwaway culture” for causing people to give up on relationships quickly in the face of problems, relegating fathers to the status of a “dispensable extra”. According to Andy Cook, CSJ chief executive, the “relationship children have with their father affects their self-esteem, how well they do at school, even whether they are able to form happy, long-lasting relationships as adults”. He added that, in the face of the ‘throwaway culture’, “We need a societal shift in perspective from regarding fathers as a dispensable extra to recognising their value as a crucial pillar in a child’s life…Over the last 40 years, the meteoric rise in family breakdown has blighted the lives of the poorest children the most.”

Children are more likely to thrive in a married family unit, a new study has found. Compiled by the Social Trends Institute from data available in over 100 countries, the study reveals that children born to cohabiting couples are 94% more likely to experience family breakdown than children born to married couples. The study also found that more than three in five children born to unmarried parents had experienced family breakdown before the age of 12. Among the worst countries for family breakdown is Britain, prompting Sir Paul Coleridge, chairman of the Marriage Foundation to call on the government there to act on the study findings: “How many more surveys and reports do we need before government puts this problem at the very top of the social justice agenda?” He described the study as “a wake-up call” for Britain.

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has attacked a legislative bill in the US state of Arkansas that seeks to prevent women seeking termination on the grounds of the gender of the unborn child. Claiming that the content of Bill 1434, soon to be placed before the state House, is unconstitutional, the ACLU’s Executive Director Rita Sklar warned that “There is very good potential for litigation because of this burden on women obtaining abortions that they want for whatever reason.” Under the bill, before a doctor could perform an abortion he or she would be required to ask the woman if she knows the sex of her unborn child. If the woman answers that she does, the doctor would be required to request the woman’s medical records relating to her pregnancy. The doctor would be prohibited from performing an abortion on the woman until “reasonable time and effort” has been spent to obtain the records. Sex-selection abortions have become a major problem across the world and have caused major demographic imbalances in places such as India and China. If Arkansas passes Bill 1434, the state will become the eighth in America to ban abortion for sex-selective reasons.

Eight countries have now joined together in seeking to create a global fund for abortion in answer to US President Donald Trump’s ending of taxpayer funding of groups who provide overseas terminations. Following the announcement of the initiative to seek funding for that lost by the US announcement, Canada, Sweden, Denmark, Belgium, Luxembourg, Finland and Cape Verde have agreed to pledge future funding for abortion, viewing it as necessary for ‘gender rights and the fight against poverty’. Towards finalising the global fund, leaders from the eight countries will meet in Belgium this March 2 for a gathering themed ‘She Decides’. Thus far, the Netherlands, Belgium and Denmark have announced pledges to the value of €30million towards the project.