Church holds fire on Amnesty's school groups

There is to be no further action on the closure of Amnesty International groups at Catholic schools in Northern Ireland, outside the diocese of Down and Connor, until after the autumn meeting of the Irish Bishops' Conference next week, Amnesty International in Belfast has been told.

A spokeswoman for Amnesty in Belfast told The Irish Times they were informed of this in a phone conversation last week with the Auxiliary Bishop of Down and Connor, Dr Donal McKeown.

The call followed reports that Our Lady and St Patrick's Catholic grammar school, at Knock in Belfast, was advised by Bishop McKeown to close its Amnesty group because of Amnesty International's pro-abortion stance.

Bishop McKeown saidAmnesty UK, which covers Northern Ireland, differed from Amnesty's Irish Section in its approach to abortion.

Last July Amnesty's Irish Section announced it would not be promoting the organisation's new campaign to allow abortion.

The spokeswoman for Amnesty in Belfast said there was "no question of a standoff" with Bishop McKeown.