The age limit for consent to sexual intercourse for teenagers, violence within society, permanent deaconship, the attempt to give an answer to infertility and the trade of women: these are the items on the agenda of the December general assembly of the Irish Bishops Conference that took place in Maynooth over the last few days. “Children must be protected not just from irresponsible adults but also from themselves, until they reach the age of maturity, which is now 18”, state the Bishops with reference to the proposal of lowering the age limit for legal consent to sexual intercourse to 16 years of age. But the Bishops are also worried about “the widespread culture of violence” that “is tearing the social fabric”, as well as the trade of women, against which they would like to see “a legislation that, instead of deporting them back to their native countries”, could “offer them temporary residence permits and assistance to help them overcome their traumas”.
