The Iona Institute ~ for Religion and Society
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Catholic schools issued guidelines on integrating non-Catholic children
~Guidelines to Catholic schools on how best to integrate students of other faiths have been issued by the Joint Managerial Body/Association of Management of Catholic Secondary Schools (JMB/AMCSS). Read more...
Religious knowledge weak among Americans
~America may be a religious society, but levels of religious knowledge among Americans is low, according to a new survey by the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life. The poll is similar to ones commissioned by The Iona Institute in 2007. Read more...
Council of Europe report seeks to curtail conscience rights of health workers
~The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) will vote next week on a report which could drastically weaken freedom of conscience for healthcare professionals across Europe. The report says that conscientious objection should be limited to doctors and nurses but not to medical institutions like hospitals, that doctors and nurses with an objection to a procedure such as abortion must refer the patient to someone who does not have such an objection, and that in ‘emergencies’ they must carry out the procedures themselves. Read more...
Catholic parish in ‘breach’ of human rights for sacking bigamist
~A Catholic parish which fired an organist and choirmaster because he had been shown to be a bigamist and an adulterer breached his human rights, the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has said. Read more...
New study shows which jobs most at risk from divorce
~Dancers, bartenders and massage therapists have the highest divorce rates, while engineers, optometrists and podiatrists have the lowest, according to a new US study. The study, published in the spring edition of the Journal of Police and Criminal Psychology, is based on US census data from 2000. Read more...
New EU policy on gender equality ignores stay at home mums
~A new EU “gender equality” policy, advanced by the European Commission, is focused on further increasing the number of women in the workplace, to the exclusion of women who choose to work in the home. Read more...
Don’t demonise ex-spouse for sake of children, parents told
~Parents who have broken up must not depict one another as “ogres” to their children, Britain’s leading family law judge has said. Speaking to Families Need Fathers, Sir Nicholas Wall, the President of the Family Division of the High Court, said separated couples often used their children as “both the battlefield and the ammunition” in their rows. Read more...
Men on losing side in divorce cases says new study
~Men are ejected from their home in 99 percent of divorce cases where the court decides to award sole residency of the family home to one spouse, a new study says. The study, reported in this week’s Sunday Business Post, is based on the outcome of almost 500 judicial separation and divorce cases conducted in Dublin, Cork and the Southeast. Read more...
Pope warns of threat to freedom of conscience and religion
~The Pope yesterday warned of a growing threat to freedom of religion and conscience in a speech delivered in Westminster Hall before a gathering of the civic, political and religious leadership of British society. In recent years, new British laws have forced the closure of Catholic adoption agencies, nurses have been suspended for offering to pray for patients and Christian civil registrars sacked for refusing to officiate at same-sex civil unions ceremonies. Read more...
Eighty-seven percent of Irish describe themselves as ‘religious’
~Ninety-five percent of Irish people still identify with one or another religion according to a poll in The Irish Times. It finds that only 2.5pc describe themselves as atheist, and another 2.5pc as agnostic. A total of 13pc said they were not religious at all, with 87pc saying they are loosely to strongly religious. Read more...
Pope criticises “aggressive secularism” as he begins UK visit
~Pope Benedict has criticised aggressive secularism as he began his British visit in Edinburgh today. He also recalled Britain’s Christian roots. In an address before Queen Elizabeth II, he said: “Today, the United Kingdom strives to be a modern and multicultural society. In this challenging enterprise, may it always maintain its respect for those traditional values and cultural expressions that more aggressive forms of secularism no longer value or even tolerate." Read more...
Irish attitudes to sex become more liberal - poll
~Irish attitudes to sex and relationships are becoming more liberal according to a new Irish Times/Behaviour Attitudes survey published today. Among its findings is that 57pc of respondents believe living together before marriage results in more stable marriages; 67% believe gay couples should be allowed to marry; 48% admire those who choose celibacy for moral or religious reasons; 46% say gay couples should be allowed to adopt, and the average age when most people feel teenagers should begin to have sex is 18 years. Read more...
Pope to defend freedom of religion in Westminster speech
~Pope Benedict XVI is expected to warn of a growing threat to religious freedom in a speech he will deliver in Westminster Hall, London this Friday, While praising Britain's role in establishing religious liberty, he is expected to warn that the country will suffer if it allows secularism to destroy its Christian heritage. Read more...
Religious practice improves educational performance says new study
~Religious practice improves a child’s educational performance, according to a new report. The report, Religious Practice and Educational Attainment, by Dr. Pat Fagan of the US-based Family Research finds that “the direct positive effects of religious practice include “higher grade point averages, more time spent on homework, and a significant decrease in high school drop-out rates” and that “all these hold even more so for children from low-income neighbourhoods.” Read more...
Only 11 surveyed in new gay adoption study
~A new report on the experiences of children raised by same-sex couples in Ireland has been launched by pro-gay marriage organisation, Marriage Equality. The report was launched as part of a wider push to legalise adoption by same-sex couples and the total number of participants in the study was 11. Read more...
BBC Accused of Anti-Christian Bias
~Cardinal Keith O’Brien (pictured) of St. Andrews and Edinburgh has accused the BBC, the world’s largest broadcasting organization, of anti-Christian and anti-Catholic bias. In an interview with The Sunday Times last weekend he stated: “Our detailed research into BBC news coverage of Christianity in general and Catholicism in particular, together with a systematic analysis of output by the Catholic Church, has revealed a consistent anti-Christian institutional bias.” Read more...
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Children of lone parents account for two-thirds of those in poverty
~Two- thirds of children suffering from consistent poverty live in lone parent families, according to a new report, even though the number of children being raised by lone parents is less than half that. The report, issued by the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) shows that in the three years from 2004 to 2007, the proportion of children in poverty who are living in lone parent families has increased. Read more...
‘Birth bonus’ increases Polish birth rate
~Giving mothers a so-called ‘birth bonus’ for every child, as distinct from giving tax relief to families has encouraged couples in Poland to have more children, a conference of Catholic politicians has been told. At the meeting in Rome last week, the former Polish Minister for Education Roman Giertych said that Poland had experienced a slight increase in its birth rate since 2003. Read more...
Huge increase in number of men claiming domestic abuse
~The number of men contacting Amen, the leading support service for male victims of domestic abuse has increased by 80 per cent, according to its 2009 annual report. The group, which operates a helpline and counselling service for men, said last week that 3,644 people had contacted their service last year, up from 2,028 in 2008. Read more...
Majority of Britons believe religion is a force for good
~A majority of Britons believe that religion is a force for good, according to a new survey carried out on the eve of the Pope's visit to the UK. In addition, 49 percent versus 28 percent believe faith-based schools have a right to exist. Read more...
Waters warns of growing attack on religious freedom
~Increasing intolerance of religion in Irish public life is “an indication of an incipient totalitarianism that would obliterate the most fundamental freedom there is,” according to one of Ireland's leading commentators. Writing in the Irish Times, John Waters said that Irish culture “has decided that the declaration of religious conviction is always ‘offensive'”. Read more...
Northern Ireland society breaking down says think tank
~Society in Northern Ireland is breaking down, with soaring levels of unemployment, family splits, mental illness and addiction, a leading UK think-tank has warned. A report from the influential Centre for Social Justice says that the Stormont government needs to get past the issue of the Troubles and begin mending the fractures in communities across the region. Read more...
Women’s ‘double shift’ of home and work duties a myth finds new research
~Feminists who claim that men should do a larger share of the housework and childcare are ignoring the fact that on average, men and women already do the same number of hours of productive work, according to new research. Read more...
Controversial Equal Treatment directive held up by disagreements
~A controversial EU Directive, which many Christians fear will undermine free speech and freedom of religion, is being held up in negotiations between European member states. The Directive seeks to outlaw discrimination on grounds including sexual orientation and religion in the provision of goods and services, and includes a harassment provision which threatens free speech. Read more...
Euro parliament passes motion targeting religious groups
~A non-binding motion targeting EU funding of religious groups that provide health care services in Africa but are pro-life in ethos has been passed by the European Parliament. A bid to delete the motion was led by Dublin Fine Gael MEP Gay Mitchell, but was defeated. Read more...
Couple told they were “too white” to adopt
~A local council in London have told a couple looking to adopt a child in need have been told they were “too white” to adopt, according to The Daily Mail. Francesca Polini and her husband Rick offered to adopt a black or Asian child, who wait longer for adoption because of a national shortage of ethnic minority couples looking to adopt. Read more...
HPV vaccine scientist warns Government as programme is rolled out in schools
~The use of the controversial Gardasil cervical cancer vaccince on girls as young as 12 by the Government is a "public health experiment", according to the leading researcher in its development. Dr Diane Harper, who carried out safety studies to get Gardasil approved, warned of "serious adverse events including death" associated with it, and said that parents should be properly advised of the risks. Read more...
Increase in fees for UK egg donors proposed
~The fees for egg donors in the UK could be dramatically increased to as much £800 under proposals to tackle shortages in supply, it has been revealed. Critics have blasted the proposed move. Josephine Quintavalle, from Comment on Reproductive Ethics, said: “We would be absolutely outraged if the HFEA increases the payment limits above £250. Read more...
Christian student loses legal battle with college over moral beliefs
~A student at a US University who was told to change her beliefs on sexual ethics or leave her course has lost a legal challenge against the University, although she is now set to appeal. Jennifer Keeton, who is studying for a degree in counselling at Augusta State University in Georgia, was told she must undergo re-education training to change her beliefs on traditional sexual morality, training which could include attending gay pride marches. Read more...
Persecution of Christians in West inevitable says Archbishop
~Systematic persecution of Christians by the State is now almost inevitable in the West, Archbishop Charles Chaput of Denver has said. Speaking in Slovakia this week, Archbishop Chaput said that Christians faced “an aggressively secular political vision and a consumerist economic model that result - in practice, if not in explicit intent -- in a new kind of state-encouraged atheism”. Read more...
Legal battle looms over conscience rights of health workers
~The Becket Fund for Religious Liberty has threatened to sue a branch of the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) if it tries to force religiously affiliated hospitals to perform abortions against the conscientious objections of their doctors and nurses. Read more...
Couple tell story of false accusation of child abuse
~In a landmark decision, a British couple falsely accused by social services of abusing their 3-month-old son have won the right to tell their story breaking the normal seal of silence that applies to family law cases. Read more...
Ireland most expensive place for child-care: OECD
~Ireland is now the most expensive country in which to get child-care, according to a new study by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). Read more...
Children at risk of being placed with ‘unsafe carers’
~Children are at risk of being placed with “unsafe carers”, according to a damning new internal Health Service Executive (HSE) audit. The unpublished report comes after a summer of devastating revelations about the care of vulnerable children. Read more...
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Iona institute director addresses 10,000 at Knock
~Don’t allow ‘aggressive secularists’ to reduce religious believers to ‘second class citizenship’, the director of The Iona Institute, David Quinn, told almost 10,000 people at Knock on Friday. Mr Quinn criticised politicians who warned the bishops that they should not “intrude” on “State matters”, or who told other politicians that they shouldn’t let religion “cloud” their judgement. Read more...
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