Frank Somerville, a journalist at KTVU in California shared the image on Facebook after being sent it from one of the youngsters’ mothers along with a note.

Noelle Smith was quoted as saying: “I want to share a picture of my daughter and her friends from prom night.

“Now with the stories today about teenagers and tide pods and condoms gathering headlines – this picture speaks for itself.

“They all said Grace before eating and were all well behaved.”

However, the post which attracted more than 500 comments irked some people.

One user felt insulted and said: “So if I don’t say grace but open doors for people, use crosswalks, obey all laws etc I’m not a good person GET REAL.”

While another said: “No offense, but saying grace doesn’t mean any of those things. I’ve known people who do exactly this kind of stuff in public, but who are the most hypocritical, hateful jerks in private.

“Not saying these kids are like that, but just assuming they’re great based on this is a) taking quite a leap and b) kind of implying people who don’t believe can’t possibly be on the same level.”

Somerville said he was “honestly surprised” by the comments and defended sharing the picture: “I wasn’t trying to imply that you have to be a Christian to be a good person,

“What I see from these kids is that they are respectful…they are humbled…and that they are appreciative for what they have….

John Keenan, Bishop of Paisley sent a letter to the director of BBC Scotland, Donalda MacKinnon, outlining his concerns of the corporation’s treatment of Catholics in a recent short film titled Homophobia in 2018, Time for Love.

In the letter, he accused the film, which was published on the BBC’s digital platform ‘The Social’, of blaming hatred toward gay people on Catholics, citing Catholic teachings and liturgy.

The film also includes a clip which says the Catholic Sacrament of Holy Communion “tastes like cardboard and smells like hate”.

Bishop John wrote: “In the current climate of growing hostility to Catholics I would appeal that the BBC guard against adding fuel to the fire. In that regard I would ask that the corporation now reach out to Catholics to understand their concerns, that they are being portrayed in a prejudicial way.

“When it comes to important public debates about the wellbeing of the human person and the truth and meaning of human sexuality Catholics feel their views are becoming increasingly marginalised, almost criminalised”.

In his correspondence, dated 23rd April 2018, Bishop John quotes recent Scottish Government figures which show 57 per cent of religiously aggravated crime is committed against Catholics, who make up only 16 per cent of the population.

He said he hopes a meeting with the director of BBC Scotland could try to restore some “breadth and fairness”.

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They are expecting 150 people aged between 18 and 30 to join the Ministry Experience Scheme this year, compared to 47 in 2015.

Chair of the scheme and Bishop of Burnley, Rt Rev Philip North told Premier: “The chance to give a year for Christ, exploring where he might be calling them and doing that in the context of service – often among some of our poorest communities – is an attractive one to young people.”

Often sent to an urban parish, participants assist on church visits to schools and hospitals, help with administration and get involved in church events.

Other roles include skills training, theological education, volunteering in community projects and joining clergy prayer teams.

Bishop Philip added: “The people who participate often live in community; they’re well-supported, well-supervised and cared for by congregations, and so they’re able to serve and explore vocation in the context of loving community.”

More than two-thirds of the Church of England’s dioceses have joined the Ministry Experience Scheme, which is a major part of the Church’s bid to attract more young adults, woman and black and ethnic minority people into both lay and ordained roles.

Click here to listen to Premier’s Rosie Wright speaking with Bishop Philip:

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The relic – the heart of St Laurence O’Toole – was taken from Christ Church Cathedral in 2012.

It has no monetary value but is “a priceless treasure” for the church, the cathedral’s Dean, the Very Reverend Dermot Dunne, said.

The theft of the relic, which had been kept in a wooden heart-shaped box and placed within a small iron-barred cage, sparked a six-year investigation by Gardai.

The relic was presented to the Archbishop of Dublin the Most Rev Dr Michael Jackson on Thursday evening by Garda Assistant Commissioner Pat Leahy.

A choir sang to mark the heart’s return, with churchgoers queuing up to catch a glimpse of the relic and give prayers of thanks.

Archbishop Jackson thanked those who had helped recover the relic, and described the return of the heart as a joyful moment for the people of the city.

He said: “The return of the heart of Laurence O’Toole to Christ Church Cathedral brings great joy to the people of Dublin as Dubliners.

“For those of us associated with the life of the dioceses, it brings again to the fore the close relationship between Glendalough and Dublin, a relationship of more than 800 years.

“Laurence left the monastic city of Glendalough of which he was Abbot to become Archbishop of Dublin, hence cementing a vibrant relationship that continues unabated to this day.”

Approximately 875,000 paying guests passed through the tenth century landmark last year, compared to nearly 1,070,000 in 2007.

Bosses believe the slump has been particularly stark since the Charlie Hebdo attack in 2015 when two brothers forced their way into the Paris office of a satirical newspaper and killed twelve people.

Director of visits and marketing at the cathedral, Therese Heslop told Kent Online: “Visitor numbers have gone down ever since Charlie Hebdo, and terrorism continues to affect the tourism industry, and especially major tourist attractions.”

Canterbury Cathedral was ranked at the 19^th-most visited attraction in the UK ten years ago. By last year, it had slipped to 43^rd.

Therese Heslop went on to say: “In terms of money, we are talking [about a loss of] between £200,000 and £250,000 a year.”

Visiting school children from continental Europe have traditionally been a major source of revenue for the World Heritage Site, comprising of a quarter of all paying guests.

Yet, 30,000 fewer youngsters in groups visited Canterbury Cathedral last year compared with 2014.

Voicing some optimism around growth in adult group visitors, Heslop added: “The American market is strong and our status as Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion and part of Canterbury’s World Heritage Site continues to…