Priests in Ireland who with-hold information about alleged child abuse, even when told to them in the Sacrament of Confession, will soon be liable for up to five years prison. The new laws are an unprecedented display of tough action against the Catholic Church, in what was traditionally a Catholic country. “The law of the land should Read more
Ireland’s Religious Orders have so far failed to pay their share of the compensation for their part in the institutional child abuse settlements for victims. In 2002 the Irish Government brokered a deal which saw the Orders involved awarded indemnity against all legal claims by institutional abuse victims if they paid 120 million euros (NZ$208m) Read more
The coming five years will be among the most critical in the history of recent Irish Catholicism according to Archbishop Diarmuid Martin of Dublin. Martin was commenting on the time it was going to take to release the findings of the Visitation of the Catholic Church in Ireland. “I can say that I am impatient Read more
Commentators on both sides of the Irish Sea are unanimous in declaring the Queen in Ireland was an extraordinary triumph, one that opened hearts and shifted attitudes, laying ghosts to rest and opening up a new era of friendship for both nations. Three of the key moments occurred on visits to historically resonant places. At Read more
Religious leaders are hailing Queen Elizabeth II’s historic state visit to Ireland this week as a sign of reconciliation following centuries of sectarian hatred and violence. They hope it will help heal divisions. Arriving in Dublin on 17 May for a four-day visit, the queen will be the first British monarch to set foot in Read more