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).

Instead of fearing faith schools, secular liberals who believe in diversity should support parents’ “right to educate their children in an ethos of their choosing”, says Gerard Kelly in his editorial.

“One cannot celebrate diversity by restricting choice”, he argues.

Mr Kelly’s article follows a series of attacks on faith schools by secular groups and think-tanks who say they undermine social cohesion.

The British Humanist Association earlier this month called for the Government’s new Equality Bill to strip faith schools of their right to choose some staff and pupils who share their religion.

But Mr Kelly points out that most faith schools offer their communities “excellent teaching and support”.

“To blame them for the actions of sectarian fanatics, as some critics do, is unfair and glib”, he adds.

“Are those outrages the result of over-exposure to church fetes and nativity plays or do they have their roots in something more fundamental – poverty, say?”

Secular liberals who oppose faith schools are “inconsistent”, he continues.

“Most people would accept that parents have a right to educate their children in an ethos of their choosing, however wrong it may seem to others, as long as the law is observed.

“That is the nature of a tolerant, democratic society.”

Earlier this month the Revd Janina Ainsworth, Chief Education Officer for the Church of England, defended faith schools’ right to maintain their ethos by choosing some staff and pupils who share their religion.

“Their proposals to strip faith schools of the right to use any faith-based admissions criteria would dilute a key ingredient that can help to make these schools distinctive, popular and successful”, she argued.

“The thousands of staff, governors and parents involved in creating inclusive, distinctively Christian learning environments in voluntary-aided church schools will say with one voice that their motivation is to provide the best possible place for children to learn and develop, spiritually, socially and academically.”

Commenting on the issue last year, Revd Ainsworth said: “Some seem to believe that the Christian ethos, which is so valued by parents, is like a sort of magic dust that is sprinkled on church schools simply by association.

“But it is, in fact, achieved through the hard work of staff and governors in building a learning community that is underpinned with Christian values.”

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”.

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.