IRELAND
Newstalk
Stephen McNeice
10:35 Monday 24 June 2013
A report released by the Association of Catholic Priests shows deep division among Church officials
The report claims “there seems to be a substantial number of bishops, and some priests, who believe that the problems we are facing are not due to any difficulties in the Church or with the priesthood, but are caused by a lack of faith in the people.”
Although acknowledging that many priests and bishops strongly disagree with the conclusion, others maintain that abuse allegations and the Church’s policies themselves are no longer fundamental problems. Instead, the major issue facing Catholicism in Ireland is that the Irish people have “to all intents and purposes, become pagan… The people, they told us, have bought into the evils of materialism and consumerism, and don’t have time or interest in faith any more”
However, the short report – available on the ACP website – also states “apart from stating their understanding of the problem, there didn’t seem to us to be any practical ideas, or indeed energy, around how this evangelisation could be progressed… If there are such radically different understandings of the current situation, it is hard to see how we can make headway in working towards a solution”.
The group met with priests and bishops through regional priest councils to gauge their opinion of current clerical issues. They have also reported on responses to issues such as The New Missal, allegations against priests and the Year of the Faith. Although some topics divided opinion, there was consensus that the New Missal was largely unsatisfactory and the Year of the Faith was a “non-event”.
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