Print friendly
A new law to be enacted in Ireland could make religious bodies that supply a service to the public subject to Freedom of Information law requests.
That was what Ireland’s Department of Public Expenditure and Reform told Socialist MP Joe Higgins, who had asked if Freedom of Information legislation could be extended to cover records that are currently kept by religious institutions.
Higgins had asked if this could include things like baptismal records.
“A new Freedom of Information Bill is expected to be enacted before the end of the year,” the department replied.
“It might be the case that some religious institutions, or additional bodies run by religious congregations, providing a service to the public, could be prescribed as Freedom of Information bodies under section 7 of the [new] Freedom of Information Bill, when [it is] enacted.”
The MP was taking up the case of atheist J.P. O’Malley, who was trying to formally leave the Catholic Church and wanted the Church to remove all record of his membership.
Formally leaving the Catholic Church became much harder after canon law changes in 2009.
O’Malley said the Church should not be able to keep his name on any records against his will.
Related Posts:
News category: News Shorts.
