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

Religious orders damaged the nation’s most vulnerable children and abused human dignity, Cori director Fr Sean Healy said today.

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.

Social justice group Cori today set out a series of proposals for the Government to consider when devising its mini-budget due next month.

THE Government could look to save up to €6 billion in next month’s emergency budget — a dramatic escalation on previous estimates.

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

The Government was urged today to set out a seven-year plan instead of moving from crisis to crisis.

THE Government was last night urged to set out a seven-year plan instead of moving from crisis to crisis.

Social campaign think-tank Cori Justice today called on the Government to create a fairer tax system, penalising the wealthiest people.

SOCIAL campaign think-tank CORI Justice has called on the Government to create a fairer tax system penalising the wealthiest people.

THE Small Firms Association (SFA) has come under fire following its calls for a cut in the minimum wage.

The Government should introduce a weekly universal payment to help reduce poverty, a world expert said today.

Snoop Dogg has offered newlyweds Beyonce and Jay-Z some words of advice for a happy marriage - start a family.

WHEN HE arrived, the first cameo only painted a fragment of the complete Lifeimi Mafi.

The Taoiseach today urged unions to be realistic about wage demands as he began the difficult task of brokering consensus with employers.

Hip-hop superstar Snoop Dogg has banned his children from following in his footsteps and becoming rappers.

One fifth of adults at risk of poverty are working, an influential research body revealed today.

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 Government reached an historic breakthrough by raising the lowest social welfare support, the religious organisation CORI said yesterday. It represents 135 congregations.

A FRESH crusade for social justice to ensure Ireland’s economic wealth flows down to all citizens is urgently needed Fr Sean Healy warned last night.

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

WE in the Let Our Voices Emerge (LOVE) charity challenge CORI (Congress of Religious in Ireland) to stop protecting the State by keeping the promise of silence requested by the State on the so-called indemnity deal on child abuse.

Today’s Budget must use record public finances to address social inequality, it was claimed today.

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

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

A SOCIAL justice campaigning priest yesterday rejected claims by outgoing Finance Minister Charlie McCreevy that the economic policies of the Conference of Religious in Ireland would bankrupt the economy.

RELIGIOUS orders negotiators admitted yesterday they got a good deal when the Government capped their contribution to the compensation scheme for victims of institutional abuse at just €127 million.

The Conference of Religious in Ireland has launched a scathing attack on the foreign policy of the Bush administration, claiming it poses a threat to international peace.

US rap star Snoop Dogg has filed for divorce from his wife of seven years, according to court papers.

SURVIVORS of institutional abuse yesterday backed calls to reopen the controversial deal indemnifying religious orders from claims by victims.

The Conference of Religious in Ireland has urged Finance Minister Charlie McCreevy not to target the most vulnerable elements of society in his budget later this year.

Political Reporter

GOVERNMENTS should be legally obliged to set social and economic targets and face possible court action if they fail to fulfil them, according to a religious body.

THE growing gap between Ireland’s rich and poor has been attacked as “Ireland’s greatest budgetary scandal” by the Conference of Religious in Ireland (CORI).

THE Government has been accused of substantially widening the gap between rich and poor.

The Conference of the Religious in Ireland is calling on the Taoiseach to give a commitment that money will be available for the less well-off once benchmarking payments are agreed.

The organisation representing 150 religious orders is to co-operate with the Catholic Church’s independent audit into clerical child sex abuse.

The Conference of Religious in Ireland has called on the Taoiseach to honour his pledge to remove social welfare recipients from the poverty trap.

The Irish Congress of Trade Unions has asked Finance Minister Charlie McCreevy to take those earning the minimum wage out of the tax net in his budget speech later today.