Armagh’s Auxiliary Bishop Michael Router Photo: The Irish Sun The auxiliary bishop of Armagh has warned parents not to alienate their children from the other parent when relationships end, saying it’s “a particular form of domestic abuse”.
In a homily over the weekend, Bishop Michael Router pointed to International Parental Alienation Awareness day, which takes place on Sunday, April 25.
“This day highlights a particular form of domestic abuse that manifests itself in more subtle ways than physical or sexual violence. Parental alienation is a problem that has garnered increasing coverage by the media in recent times,” Bishop Router said.
“Parental alienation often takes place when one parent tries to distance his or her children from the other parent when a marriage or relationship ends.”
Although it is justified for a child to be separated from a parent because of “threatening behaviour”, he said, in the case of parental alienation “there is no such reason”.
He added that when the courts have recognised that the parent should have access to their children, yet the other parent refuses to allow it, “such a denial of the rights of children to have a loving relationship with both parents has long-lasting and damaging consequences for a child”.