Eighth amendment key election issue – claim
The key human rights issue of our time is the right to life of the unborn, and defence of the Eighth Amendment must become a central issue in the upcoming general election, Family and Life’s legal advisor told a gathering in Kildare recently, writes Susan Gately.
Tens of thousands of Irish people were “walking around” today because of the lack of abortion and a “major factor is our constitutional protection of the unborn”, Tom Finegan told around 60 people gathered in Lawlor’s Hotel in Naas.
“Our job is to insist in a compassionate manner, that unborn children are human beings and by virtue of that alone, are deserving of human rights protection,” he said.
Death cert for unborn child
A coroner has said he will be issuing a death certificate for a 34-week-old unborn baby girl who died after her mother was killed in a road crash.
It is understood to be the first ruling of its kind in Ireland.
Coroner Paul Morris at Clonmel Court made the decision at the end of an inquest into a fatal crash at Bansha in Co. Tipperary in March 2012.
The Coroner said in his understanding in this case the baby was “born” and it would be within his jurisdiction to assign the status on her that she had therefore died.
Spanish TV plans ‘I want to be a nun’ reality show
A new Spanish TV programme titled I Want to be A Nun will give viewers the opportunity to see the world behind a convent’s doors.
TV cameras will follow five women in their twenties with a strong religious vocation as they spend six weeks in religious communities in Madrid, Granada, Alicante and Bolivia.
Producers said the aim of the programme is to cast a light on a community that is “rarely seen” on television, and at the end of the series the women will decide if they want to join religious life.
Fr John Leogue RIP
The death has occurred of Fr John Leogue at the Mater Private Hospital in Dublin on January 24.
Originally from Mohill, Co. Leitrim, he was ordained to the priesthood for the Diocese of Elphin in 1986. He held a number of positions throughout the diocese and was appointed parish priest of Athleague in 2002.
A keen statistician, Fr Leogue used this gift to assist in financial planning for the future of the diocese. Following the death in 2014 of Fr John O’Rourke, he took responsibility for the management of the Sick and Retired Priests fund and offered his assistance to older clergy in making plans for their retirement.
Ar dheis lamh Dé go raibh a anam dílis.
Coole parish to celebrate 175th
The Church of the Immaculate Conception in Coole, Co. Westmeath is hosting a novena of Masses in honour of Pope Saint John Paul II as part of its 175th anniversary celebrations.
Running from the first Tuesday of Lent and to the second Tuesday of Eastertide, guest speakers include Bishop Kevin Doran of Elphin, Fr Janusz Lugowski, chaplain to the Polish community in the Diocese of Meath and Fr Shane Crombie, diocesan vocations director.
