The Christian principles on which Europe was founded are either being sidelined by secularists or instrumentalised by populists for political gain, according to the continent’s Christian leaders.

Catholic bishops have joined other Christian churches in calling for an open and consistent dialogue between church and state ahead of June’s elections to the European Parliament.

In a joint statement, the Commission of Bishops’ Conferences of the European Union (COMECE), the Conference of European Churches, the Inter-Parliamentary Assembly on Orthodoxy, and Together for Europe said it is of “vital importance” to facilitate a participatory democracy and ensure the broadest possible participation of citizens in decision-making processes, as well as in the management of European affairs.

They noted that a significant portion of EU citizens who see the future of Europe through the lens of Christian values “now feel marginalized, as they do not have the opportunity to express their positions and opinions in an autonomous and distinct way.”

“We also notice the exclusion of any appropriate reference to Christian values in relevant EU texts,” they said.

The world population is expected to fall for the first time since the Black Death because of plummeting birth rates, a Lancet study has found.

Women would need to have 2.1 children each on average to maintain population growth, known as the “total fertility rate”, and as of 2021 it stood at 2.23 worldwide.

But experts say it is on a persistently downward trend, having fallen from 4.84 in 1950, and researchers predict it will decrease to 1.83 in 2050 and 1.59 by 2100.

It means that in 2050, 155 of 204 countries will have birth rates lower than required to sustain the population size.

The UK, like other high-income countries, has a fertility rate lower than the average, at just 1.49 in 2021.

It has fallen from 2.19 in 1950 and will continue to decrease to 1.38 and 1.30 in the next 25 and 75 years, the researchers said.

It will mean the current population of around 67 million becomes increasingly unbalanced toward older generations before falling as the eldest people die, unless there is migration.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2024/03/21/worlds-population-to-fall-for-first-time-since-black-death/

Legislation to allow ‘assisted suicide’ of those with six months to live has been recommended by a special Oireachtas committee. This was despite repeated warnings from expert witnesses that such a move would eventually lead to a widening of the grounds as in other countries.

However, a minority report will also be published recommending no such legislation.

The report of the committee says a new law should apply to those with six months to live, or 12 months where there is a neurodegenerative condition.

It argues that when a person’s capacity to make a decision is in doubt, a functional test should be introduced as part of the assessment for eligibility.

If someone assessed for assisted suicide temporarily loses decision-making capacity, the committee argues that their eligibility should be suspended while they are incapacitated.

A healthcare workers’ right to conscientious objection should be protected in law, although they will be obliged to refer a patient to a participating professional or oversight body.

To be considered for ‘assisted dying’, two formal requests must be made with a set specified interval in between – with at least one of these recorded in writing, before two independent witnesses.

Family members or other parties such as carers or guardians will not be able to request assisted dying for another person.

Three members of the Special Oireachtas Committee on ‘Assisted Dying’ have dissented from its final report and launched their own ‘Minority Report’ arguing against any legislative change.

Committee Chair Michael Healy-Rae, Independent Senator Ronán Mullen and Fianna Fáil TD for Longford Westmeath Robert Troy say the case for assisted suicide “has not been established, whereas the case against any change is overwhelming”.

“There are no lives not worth living,” the three dissenting voices say.

Meanwhile, the Aontú Leader Peadar Tóibín TD said, as a human rights party, Aontú is fully opposed to this legislation as “all life should be protected and defended”.

He noted that the College of Psychiatrists and the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland are both opposed to assisted suicide legislation.

“We also saw testimony from Elma Walsh, the mother of the late anti-suicide campaigner Donal Walsh. She talked about the drop in the suicide rate following his public appeal to young people not to take their own lives. I think there would be a huge contradiction in our approach to tackling suicide rates if we were to legalise assisted suicide or euthanasia”.

“Imagine being a volunteer for a suicide prevention organisation if this legislation was in place… would you be expected to recommend assisted dying to a terminally-ill suicidal person who calls the helpline?”

MPs from all the main parties have backed changes to the law that would abolish rules allowing abortions up to the point of birth for an unborn child diagnosed with Down syndrome.

An amendment to the Criminal Justice Bill being tabled by Sir Liam Fox, a former cabinet minister, would bring the law in line with the 24-week abortion limit for foetuses with no “serious disabilities”.

He said the change in the law would stop people with Down syndrome being treated as second-class citizens, a situation he described as an “absolutely utter travesty”.

The most recent abortion statistics published by the Department of Health and Social Care revealed that there were 859 abortions involving a baby diagnosed with Down syndrome in 2021, up by a quarter from the previous year.

The head of the Catholic Education Partnership (CEP) has welcomed the dropping of plans for a ‘neutral’ ethics programme at primary level to be taught in religion class.

It will instead be taught under history and geography.

This should avoid confusion with teaching what is right and wrong, true and false, in catechism, according to the head of the CEP, Alan Hynes.

“We have long argued this is based on a falsehood,” Mr Hynes told The Irish Catholic. “We are happy that the State has listened to us and this has been withdrawn.”

While formal Religious Education (RE) will drop from two and a half to two hours a week, Mr Hynes said the topic of world religions will now be dealt with under history and geography, rather than RE.

In addition, the hours allotted to well-being is “suited well” to a Catholic setting, with Catholic schools treating the well-being of the whole person for decades, said Mr Hynes.

The draft propose small changes around sex education, including teaching about puberty to third and fourth class. Mr Hynes said this reflects the fact that children are coming to primary school later and therefore are older when they reach these classes.

The risks posed by legislating for ‘assisted dying’ are “enormous”, according to a consultant in palliative care.

Commenting on the Oireachtas Committee on Assisted Dying’s recommendation to legalise assisted suicide and euthanasia in Ireland, Dr Miriam Colleran, said that she was “surprised” that the committee had dramatically deviated from the analysis of other European counterparts. “We’re surprised that the majority of committee members have taken such a different opinion to the Danish Ethics Committee which recently published a report compiled by 16 of 17 members that safeguards could not be introduced to make assisted dying, euthanasia and/or assisted suicide safe.”

She added: “The evidence shows that people seek assisted dying in particular because of feelings of burden,” she said.

“A compassionate society gives supports and is also aware of risks. The risk with assisted dying is the inappropriate death of a person. That’s an enormous risk. We are concerned about people feeling pressurised overtly, subtly or from within themselves to avail of assisted dying, euthanasia or assisted suicide”.

The confidentiality of confession is endangered by Hong Kong’s proposed new National Security Law, imposed by Beijing, according to 16 international experts on religious freedom.

“The new law could force a priest to disclose what is said in confession against his will and conscience and in complete violation of privacy,” they write in a statement published by Hong Kong watch. This would be a clear violation of Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

The bill presented to Hong Kong’s parliament this month includes up to 14 years in prison for anyone who knows that another person has committed treason and fails to report it to the authorities within a reasonable time.

The signatories urge the international community, and religious leaders to stand up for religious freedom in Hong Kong.

A Ministerial briefing note released to Gript Media under freedom of information legislation states that the wording of the comprehensively defeated Article 41.2 “Care” amendment to the Constitution was designed to avoid placing into the Constitution “a concrete and mandatory obligation to provide support.”

The release of the Department of Finance records prompted No campaigner Senator Michael McDowell to accuse the Coalition of having misled voters.

Ministers had also insisted there were no taxation or immigration implications. But files showed officials grappling with tax issues and legal advice that said greater weight would be given to non-marital family rights “in childcare, immigration and social welfare”.

Mr McDowell said Government spokespersons “consistently misrepresented the substance of the legal advice that they were receiving from the AG and elsewhere [including apparently outside counsel]”.

“They attempted to minimise or deny any practical implications for succession law, taxation law, immigration law, welfare law and childcare in a manner that the documentation proves was misleading.”

Mr O’Gorman’s spokesman said: “The Minister rejects that assertion.”

Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) must “listen hard” to those they represent, leading voices of the No campaign in last week’s referendum on care have said.

NGOs advocating Yes-Yes votes faced criticism following the overwhelming rejection of the family and care referendums last week. There have been suggestions Oireachtas members will review Government funding of the sector.

The Family Carers Ireland (FCI) organisation, which describes itself as representing “family and young carers across the country” is one of those who has faced a backlash.

The Equality Not Care (ENC) group, founded to campaign against the care referendum, this week called for the “immediate resignation” of the “leadership” of FCI. Michael O’Dowd, a carer and member of ENC, said the FCI statement “felt like gaslighting and that they were relighting the referendum”.

Asked if there was a future for FCI, he said: “There has to be. But the board has to look at themselves … They are voluntary and there’s no doubting their commitment but they need to listen hard to carers and not assume they know best.”