Amnesty Northern Ireland has responded favourably to a suggestion by Northern Ireland's Catholic bishops to resolve a dispute over the human rights body's campaign for a limited right to abortion. It says it would be happy if the Catholic bishops were to signal to their schools that they could re-join Amnesty on the basis that they would not support abortion.
Last August Amnesty International decided to campaign for abortion rights where the women's health or human rights are in danger.
The Vatican strongly condemned the move as a betrayal of Amnesty's mission, an English bishop resigned his membership and at least three Belfast schools at Rathmore at Knock disaffiliated from Amnesty.
Meanwhile, Amnesty in the Republic opted out of promoting the new policy. It is this derogation that Northern Ireland's bishops have asked the Belfast-based branch to explore to get schools back on board.
Patrick Corrigan, Director of Amnesty International in Northern Ireland, said he would be happy if the Catholic bishops were to signal to their schools that they could re-join on the basis that they would not support abortion.
But a Church source said the bishops also needed reassurances that money collected in the schools would not be spent on supporting abortion.
Mr Corrigan responded that it may be possible to develop its model of collecting money for trusts in order to provide that reassurance. But he said further talks are needed to explore that possibility.
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