Irish Government threatens Catholic marriage agency over same-sex couples

A marriage counselling service could be forced to close unless it accepts same-sex spouses.

The Irish government has threatened to stop funding the bishops’ marriage counselling agency unless it changes its policy to accept same-sex couples.

Accord, an agency of the Irish bishops’ conference, received £1.4 million in state funding last year and could potentially be forced to close if such funding is withdrawn.

The Times said that Tusla, the government’s childcare agency, has said that any agency it funds must make its services “accessible to everyone”. A new agreement has been sent to state-funded counselling services including Accord.