JUSTICE Minister Alan Shatter is under pressure to announce an inquiry into the detention and abuse of women at the Magdalene Laundries after the UN criticised the state’s failure to protect the women and called for a thorough investigation and compensation scheme.

FIVE former taoisigh were among the mourners who attended Garret FitzGerald’s funeral — three Fianna Fáil office-holders, Brian Cowen, Bertie Ahern and Albert Reynolds, along with John Bruton and Liam Cosgrave of Fine Gael.

THE Catholic Church’s child protection tsar, Ian Elliott, was on the verge of resigning in the past year after a review of child protection standards in the country’s 26 dioceses was halted because the Church refused to co-operate.

THE Justice for Magdalenes (JFM) advocacy group has said it is “greatly concerned” that CORI (The Conference of Religious of Ireland) has refused to meet and discuss the group’s campaign for an apology and a redress scheme for survivors of the Magdalene laundries.

The Government should get rid of the state’s 111 tax breaks and protect social welfare in the Budget, it was claimed today.

THE wealthiest in Irish society should pay more tax so that the poor can be protected, according to Social Justice Ireland which releases its policy briefing on Budget Choices today.

A new social justice organisation committed to building a just society was formed today.

TWO high-profile members of Conference of Religious of Ireland (CORI) – Fr Sean Healy and Sr Brigid Reynolds – are to head a new organisation called Social Justice Ireland.

An eerie silence fell over Dublin today as more than 5,000 men, women and children weaved through the city in solidarity with the victims of abuse in church-run institutions.

Victims of child abuse in church-run institutions will today hand a petition to the head of the Conference of Religious of Ireland.

THE Pope was “visibly upset” by the stories of clerical child abuse, Archbishop of Dublin Diarmuid Martin said yesterday, with an announcement from the Vatican on the Ryan Report now likely.

GROUPS representing child abuse victims have called on the Government to revisit “every” compensation case with a new expert advisory board.

A senior Christian Brother leader today backed growing demands for criminal prosecutions against those responsible for decades of child abuse in church-run schools.

THE head of Faoiseamh, the counselling service funded by the Catholic religious orders, has defended the decision to cap the number of therapy sessions for clients just months before the Ryan Report came out.

MORE religious orders have bowed to pressure to provide extra funds for survivors of institutional child abuse – but half of those involved have still not said how they will respond to the controversy.

One of the Catholic church’s most high-profile campaigners today broke his week-long silence over the child abuse scandal to back calls for more victim compensation.

ONE of the country’s largest religious orders has pledged to make more funds available to help former residents of its residential institutions who were abused while in care.

Religious orders responsible for decades of shocking child abuse tonight defied the country’s most senior Catholic clerics, rejecting calls to reopen talks on a capped victims’ compensation scheme.

THE Church cannot run away from its “moral responsibility” to increase its contribution to the compensation paid to the victims of institutional abuse, said Environment Minister John Gormley.

YOU wouldn’t expect two middle-aged nuns to out bargain a senior minister and an experienced career civil servant, but that’s what the Government claims happened on the days leading up to May 16, 2002 .

GOVERNMENT policy on the child abuse indemnity deal with religious orders was in disarray last night after the Taoiseach and four of his ministers gave differing accounts of how it is to be handled.

ONE of the country’s leading social justice groups has demanded the Government tackle surging unemployment and the growing number of working poor.

ONE IN six Irish people are now living in poverty despite years of economic growth and unprecedented job creation, says a leading social justice campaigner.

THE poorest people in society must be financially compensated if the Government introduces a hefty carbon tax on fuels, a Dáil committee heard yesterday.

MIGRANT rights campaigners are to meet Justice Minister Brian Lenihan next month and will call for a special ‘Bridging Visa’ to be introduced to help workers who are undocumented.

IF FIGURES predicting that between 10% and 15% of our working population will be illiterate in 2016 — just the lifetime of a decent car away — are correct, we are facing huge educational and social challenges.

DESPITE the unprecedented wealth of the Celtic Tiger phenomenon — now a dim and distant memory as industry declines and thousands of jobs are lost — the stark reality is that poverty remains a dark blot on the conscience of society.

The Conference of Religious of Ireland (CORI) has accused the Government of allowing "unacceptable" social problems to develop in this country.

SOCIAL welfare payments need to increase by €38 weekly to pull recipients over the poverty line, a Catholic organisation has warned.

The Government must adopt a programme to develop a fairer Ireland by tackling social inequality across the board, it was warned today.

The group that represents Irish religious orders has described the proposed new partnership agreement as a "major breakthrough on social policy".

WHILE supping a nice pint of stout during the week, I was startled by the landlady who had been quietly reading the newspaper.

The body representing the leadership of Ireland's religious congregations has called for drastic reforms of the tax system to help people living below the poverty line.

The Conference of Religious of Ireland pre-budget submission states that fairer taxes and improved social welfare rates must be given top priority in the next national budget.

The body representing Ireland's religious congregations has said the country must begin planning to cope with population growth over the next 25 years.

The Conference of Religious of Ireland has called for social and environmental assets to be taken into account when assessing Ireland's national wealth.

A RECORD number of 76,954 houses were built in Ireland last year - up almost 12% on 2003, Housing Minister Noel Ahern confirmed yesterday.

The Conference of Religious of Ireland has called on the Government to provide more money for the provision of social housing.

AN overhaul of social housing policies is urgently needed, CORI (the Conference of Religious of Ireland) has warned.

CONTROVERSIAL proposals by Dublin City Council to restrict the lands of religious orders from being rezoned for residential use could prove unconstitutional.

Two economists from NUI Galway are calling for the development of a new National Fairness Strategy to help build a future without poverty and inequality.

THE two articles which won awards for Irish Examiner journalists at yesterday’s ESB National Media Awards ceremony in Dublin provided a major embarrassment for a leading financial institution and a senior Government minister.

The Conference of Religious of Ireland (CORI) has reiterated its long-running call for increases in social welfare to help tackle poverty in Ireland.

Fianna Fáil delegates arriving in Inchydoney, west Cork today expressed hopes that the parliamentary meeting will give the party a much needed boost.