Film sparks calls for church apology

The church is being asked to apologise to thousands of pregnant women who were forcibly housed in Magdalene laundries in various parts of Ireland following the premier of a new film, Magdalene Sisters.

Directed by Scotsman Peter Mullan, the film premiered at the Cork International Film Festival.

Mr Mullan said that the film exposes the hardship and suffering endured at the hands of the Catholic Church.

“It's one of those things, it's a very dark chapter in Irish history that needs to come out, that needs to be confronted and then we need to move on from that. We need to learn from the mistakes in the past. The church has to have the courage to confess.

"They also have to have the compassion to compensate,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Adopted People’s Association (APA) has welcomed the release of the film. Anthony Sweeney of the APA said it sends out a very strong message.

“A lot of people grow up with the impression that their mothers rejected them somehow and that's why they were placed for adoption. By going and seeing a film like this, you find that no that is not necessarily the case. Society was extremely different back then and women were just literally forced into just giving their children away,” he said.