The Fine Gael party refused to accede to objections by Independent TDs against a ‘citizens’ assembly’ to examine the possibility of eroding the protection of the right to life of the unborn, it has emerged. As negotiations on the formation of the next government unfolded, a number of Independents, including Mattie McGrath, Michael Collins and Noel Grealish voiced concerns over the assembly, which had been part of the Fine Gael election manifesto. The TDs insist the appropriate place for any debate on repealing the constitutional 8th Amendment protection is the Dáil chamber. The assembly will not, however, be removed from the Programme for Partnership on the next administration.
The Government has published a new Bill under which adoption law in Ireland will be dramatically changed. The Adoption (Amendment) Bill 2016 aims to allow for adoption irrespective of marital status, allowing a step-parent to adopt as well as those cohabiting, and proposes changing the criteria under which a child can be adopted – by High Court order – without the consent of the biological parents in cases of ‘parental failure’.
The Northern Ireland Christian-owned bakery at the centre of a legal row involving a same-sex marriage cake is set to return to court next week. Exactly two years after the order for a cake was turned down on the grounds of Christians beliefs on marriage as between one man and one woman, Ashers Baking Company will attend the Court of Appeals in Belfast on May 9. A spokesperson for the company owners, the McArthur family said: “As a family we are simply hoping and praying for a just outcome so that our ordeal in court next week will be our last.”
The European Council has announced the establishment of a new position for an envoy tasked with addressing growing religious freedom restrictions internationally. The first person to become the special envoy for religious freedom outside the EU will be Slovak politician Ján Figel, a former EU Commissioner. The religious freedom lobby group ADF International welcomed the announcement, stating that “with the growing persecution of religious minorities throughout the world, the European Union must act beyond political statements and resolutions.”
Ireland should use its political influence to have Islamic State actions against Christians and other minorities declared genocide at the United Nations, a leading TD has said. Fianna Fáil foreign affairs spokesperson Brendan Smith told The Irish Catholic that Ireland could take a lead in having the UN refer Islamic State actions referred to the International Criminal Court, in turn compelling signatory countries to take responsibility in preventing and punishing the genocidal attacks. “Such a declaration should be made now,” Deputy Smith said.
There are hopes that some of a proposed nine new post-primary schools for 2017 will be entrusted to Catholic patrons. Eilis Humphreys, Education Officer with Le Chéile, a Catholic schools trust, told The Irish Catholic newspaper that the body is “considering” tenders for one or more schools among the forthcoming raft but cautioned that no final decision has been made yet. Le Chéile last gained responsibility for a Catholic secondary school in 2014. Chéile Secondary School Tyrrelstown was Ireland’s first new Catholic secondary school in 30 years.
Catholics in the United States who are highly religious report being “very happy” with their lives, according to a new study. Conducted by the Pew Research Centre, the study, ‘Religion in Everyday Life’, found that the 31% of Catholics who pray daily and attend religious services at least once a week – defined as ‘highly religious’ – reported greater satisfaction in their lives than those falling outside the definition. The study also found that while “both attendance at religious services and prayer frequency have declined in recent years among the US public as a whole…among Catholics and others who are affiliated with a religion, levels of worship attendance and personal prayer have both been steady since 2007”.
An Italian Cardinal has warned that same-sex adoption must not be allowed to resurface in Italy after controversial elements of a civil unions bill were removed by parliamentarians ahead of a vote this month. Cardinal Angelo Bagnasco, head of the Italian Bishops’ Conference said: “The adoption provision has been torn up and we all hope that it does not come back in another way because it would be hypocrisy”, adding, “Putting other unions on the same level as marriage weakens the family. A family is formed by marriage between a man and a woman and it is the foundation of civil society.”
The rate of closures of abortion facilities in the United States has led one abortion activist to state, “we are a dying breed”. The comment came from Shauna Heckert, the executive director of Women’s Health Specialists of California in response to a decreasing demand for abortion services across America, with records showing a drop from 1.21 million terminations to 1.06 million between 2008 and 2015.
