IRELAND
Irish Examiner
[Report on ACP meetings with Priests Councils]
Monday, June 24, 2013
Most Irish bishops believe we have become a “nation of pagans” who bought in to the “evils of materialism and consumerism” of the Celtic Tiger era.
By Eoin English
Irish Examiner Reporter
A report from the Association of Catholic Priests (ACP) also claims there is a strong view among ecclesiastical authorities that falling vocations and Mass attendance figures are a result of people “not having time or interest in faith”, rather than as a result of any of the clerical sex abuse scandals to rock the Church.
It also found the vast majority of priests believe the controversial New Missal is “very unsatisfactory”.
The ACP report, published yesterday after its first series of nationwide meetings with priest councils, said the bishops believe that evangelisation and re-education is needed — but it warned against relying on ageing priests to renew the Church.
“The age, lack of energy, tiredness of priests was very obvious. Expecting these men to bring about any real change was clearly not living in the real world. Keeping the show on the road for another few years is the most that can be expected from most of them.”
ACP founder Fr Tony Flannery has warned that without urgent action, Ireland could be without priests within 20 years.
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