Skip to main content.
Religion News Blog is a non-profit service providing academics, religion professionals and other researchers with religion & cult news
ReligionNewsBlog

Religion news articles about religious cults, sects, world religions, and related issues

Navigation:
A Random Image


Related

More news articles & news archive on Catholic Church, Human Rights


Translate



Advertisements *

What is a cult: Cult Definition
Simple steps to financial health and a good credit score


Elsewhere

What makes Benny Hinn so controversial?


Catholic Church, Human Rights:

Amnesty International faces ban in Northern Ireland’s Catholic schools

The Guardian, UK
Sep. 18, 2007
Henry McDonald
www.guardian.co.uk

ReligionNewsBlog.com • Item 19397 • Posted: Tuesday September 18, 2007  

  • Google Bookmarks
  • Google Reader
  • Gmail
  • Yahoo Mail
  • Twitter
  • StumbleUpon
  • Reddit
  • Digg
  • Delicious
  • Blogger Post
  • Evernote
  • Facebook
  • Share/Bookmark
Click here... More articles on this topic: Catholic Church, Human Rights

The Catholic church in Northern Ireland has started to instruct schools to disband Amnesty International support groups because of the human rights organisation’s pro-abortion stance.

A spokesman for the church in Ireland confirmed that one of its grammar schools in Greater Belfast had been advised to wind up its Amnesty group. He also revealed that the Irish bishops will meet next month to discuss the presence of Amnesty in all Catholic schools.

Amnesty’s policy that rape and incest victims should be entitled to abortions has led to calls from senior members of the Catholic church in Britain and Rome for a withdrawal of support from the organisation.

In relation to the banning of school Amnesty groups, a church spokesman told the Guardian: “An inquiry did come from a school principal, on behalf of the teacher who is in charge of the school Amnesty group, asking for guidance on the future of the Amnesty group in the school. The advice to the school is that it would be inappropriate for the school branch to continue in existence in the context of Amnesty International’s new position regarding abortion.”

Asked if the policy in Down and Connor, which includes all of Greater Belfast, would be extended, the spokesman said: “The sacredness and protection of all human life will be discussed at the next general meeting of the Irish Bishops’ Conference.”

Patrick Corrigan, Amnesty’s Northern Ireland programme director, said he was still “hopeful” that the Amnesty school groups would not be affected by the row with the church hierarchy. “Amnesty International and the Catholic church have more in common than that which divides us, namely the issue of sexual and reproductive rights.”

Across the Catholic world, relations between the human rights organisation and the church hierarchy have been severely strained over Amnesty’s new pro-choice policy. One English cleric, the Catholic Bishop of East Anglia, Michael Evans, resigned from Amnesty after it took up a pro-abortion position. Bishop Evans, who was a founding member of Amnesty, said he regretted leaving it but had no choice as a Catholic.

Other Catholic bishops in Britain were more forthright in their condemnation of Amnesty’s decision. The Scottish Catholic archbishop, Keith O’Brien, whose diocese is Edinburgh and St Andrews, said that in the light of the decision no Catholic should remain a member of Amnesty International.

Amnesty has said the issue of abortion arose over the mass rape of women in war zones such as Darfur and Congo.

The Vatican denounced the pro-choice policy, claiming Amnesty “has betrayed its mission”. Globally, the Catholic church has withdrawn funding for Amnesty.

  • Google Bookmarks
  • Google Reader
  • Gmail
  • Yahoo Mail
  • Twitter
  • StumbleUpon
  • Reddit
  • Digg
  • Delicious
  • Blogger Post
  • Evernote
  • Facebook
  • Share/Bookmark


What You Can Do From Here

Read More Articles On These Topics
more religion news aboutmore Religion News Blog articles about
Share, Blog About, Bookmark, or Email This Article
Subscribe
Follow Religion News Blog on Twitter


Read Another Article
Find Related Information
cult research search enginecountercult information Use our custom search engines to find additional research resources on religions and cults
Find Related Books


Most Popular Today


Share This Article

To share this page simply copy and paste one of these URL's:





Counter Cult Search

Search for information about (religious) cults, cult-like organizations, -- as well as paranormal-, New Age, and pseudoscientific claims -- across 260+ websites, blogs and forums dedicated to cult research, spiritual abuse, ex-cult counseling & support.


Note: results are listed on another domain -- CounterCultSearch.com -- from which you can easily return here.


Apologetics Search

Search for apologetics articles, books, videos, and other research resources across 135 Christian apologetics websites and blogs.


Note: results are listed on another domain -- ApologeticsSearch.com -- from which you can easily return here.

About Religion News Blog
Religion News Blog (RNB), published by Apologetics Index, highlights news items and other resources on world religions, cults, religious sects, alternative religions and related issues. RNB's non-profit news clipping service is used by - among others - Christian apologists, countercult professionals, anticult organizations, cult experts, teachers, religion professionals, reporters and other researchers.

Home
Latest Headlines
RSS news feed [?]
Headlines by Email
News Trackers
Free content for your site
About RNB
Privacy Policy
Contact RNB
Link to RNB
Advertise on RNB
Apologetics Index
Cult FAQ
Apologetics Search Engine
CounterCult Search Engine