Ten per cent of all marriages in Ireland now involve at least one person who has been divorced, according to figures released today by the Central Statistics Office (CSO). In addition, a majority of middle-aged people who marry, are marrying for a second time.

Young children, often from broken homes, are being recruited by Limerick's criminal gangs, according to a major new study.

The Government's Civil Partnerships Bill, published today, reveals “a deeply flawed and poorly thought-out approach to family policy which undermines the special status of marriage,” according to The Iona Institute.

The Government's Civil Partnerships Bill, published today, reveals “a deeply flawed and poorly thought-out approach to family policy which undermines the special status of marriage,” according to The Iona Institute.

A planned code of conduct for UK teachers risks imposing a “test of professional commitment to secularism”, a leading employment lawyer says.

Christians are still giving generously to charity despite the economic downturn, a new poll shows.

The Church of England is set to attack the BBC in report which says that the corporation is treating Christianity like a ‘freak show’.

The Archbishop of Dublin, Dr Diarmuid Martin is set to meet officials from the Department of Education soon to discuss his proposals to divest control of some Catholic schools, according to a report in the Irish Times.

EU leaders have agreed to provide the legal guarantees, including on abortion, the family and education, being sought by the Irish Government ahead of a planned re-run of the Lisbon Treaty referendum later this year.

A culture of broken relationships is scarring children and damaging society, a leading family judge warned on Tuesday.

Parental choice “must be at the heart of education policy”, according to Fine Gael's education spokesperson Brian Hayes. Speaking to the Irish Catholic newspaper, Mr Hayes said that there should be no “one-size-fits-all approach to educational provision”.

Half the children born outside wedlock in the third quarter of last year were to cohabiting couples, new figures show.

The right of parents to send their children to faith schools is recognised in the Constitution and cannot be brushed aside, the Archbishop of Dublin, Dr Diarmuid Martin, has said.

Guarantees protecting the Irish Constitution as regards family, abortion and education from aspects of the Lisbon Treaty, plus the accompanying Charter of Fundamental Rights, have been published by the Government ahead of a second referendum in the autumn.

If secularist opponents of faith schools think religion is “a busted flush” they should stop being afraid of its influence, writes the editor of the Times Educational Supplement (TES).

Ninety five per cent of Irish people still believe in God, according to a study launched in Maynooth this week.

Senator Rónán Mullen has challenged Ireland's EU partners to be true to their word and ensure that Ireland receives guarantees on family law and the right to life ahead of a second referendum on the Lisbon Treaty.

Ireland's Catholic bishops have reiterated their commitment to providing “Catholic schools to cater for the needs of parents who wish their children to have a Catholic education”.

In a statement following their Summer General meeting in Maynooth yesterday, the bishops responded to suggestions, made in the wake of the Ryan report, that the State should take the place of the Church as the provider of primary education.

A number of politicians, including Government Chief Whip Pat Carey, called for schools run by the Church and the religious to be handed over to the State.

In response, the statement said: “The Church accepts and supports choice and diversity within a national education system. We believe that parents who desire schools under different patronage should, where possible, be facilitated in accessing them.”

However, the bishops also acknowledged that in some areas, because of population changes, “there were more Catholic schools than are required by the local community”.

"In these locations this will mean reducing the number of Catholic schools, and we are ready to do this," they said.

The statement also pointed out that the Catholic Church was fully accountable and operated under State regulation. Specifically, the bishops pointed out that the safety and welfare of pupils in schools are assured by State law and regulation.

The standards operating to safeguard children in Catholic schools were State policies, and were being implemented, the statement added.

Socialist parties across Europe were dealt a serious blow in European Parliament elections at the weekend, as the Socialist group in the parliament, the PSE, lost 20 MEPs throughout the EU.

A Catholic mother in the UK is taking legal advice after Brighton and Hove Council arranged to place her ten-year-old son with a homosexual foster couple.