Pope Benedict XV has told Catholic bishops from Ireland that they must deal effectively with problems caused by priests who sexually abuse children. The Pope said the wounds caused by abuse run deep.

The husband of murdered Strabane pensioner Attracta Harron today challenged the Government to prove it is serious about scrapping Ulster’s controversial 50% remission policy for dangerous sex offenders.

A former teacher who is serving a prison term for sexually abusing young girls has been stripped of his OBE. Denis Edward Grant was jailed for three and a half years at Belfast Crown Court in April.

Victims of domestic violence are more confident in coming forward to report crimes against them, Criminal Justice Minister David Hanson MP has said. Statistics show that calls to a helpline have increased by almost 20% in the past two years.

A Fermanagh-based priest has explained why he has written an account of the sexual abuse he suffered as a child and while training for the priesthood.

The Health Minister, Paul Goggins, has called for urgent action over Northern Ireland’s level of service for mental health services for young people. Fears have emerged following the revelation that a 17-year-old girl admitted to hospital with anorexia nervosa had to wait for four days to see a psychiatrist. The family of Lauren Martin – who weighs four stone – was told thatbecause she was legally classed as an adult,doctors could not intervene until she went into a coma.

Services in Ireland for patients with the rare genetic disorder, Prader-Willi syndrome, need to be urgently improved, experts have said. The syndrome, often referred to as PWS, typically causes poor muscle tone, short stature, incomplete development of the genitalia, cognitive disabilities and problem behaviours. However it is probably most recognised by a chronic feeling of hunger, which can lead to excessive eating and subsequent life-threatening obesity.

The queue of people with intellectual disabilities for full-time residential care is longer than at any time in the last five years, according to figures from Ireland’s Health Research Board. But the number receiving such care is also at an all-time high. The HRB figures put the waiting-list at 2,118, while 8,181 people are receiving full-time residential services.

There are conflicting public attitudes to mental health in Northern Ireland, according to the latest research. The Health Promotion Agency findings are being presented at a seminar to mark World Mental Health Day.

Women are generally more likely to be prescribed drug treatment by GPs while men are more likely to be referred for specialist treatment, according to a report from the National Women’s Council of Ireland (NWCI) on mental health.