Why is the Irish Catholic Church running out of priests?
Sir, While it is true that the Irish Catholic Church has a crisis in the radical shortage of vocations to the priesthood and religious life (report, Feb 27), the Catholic Church worldwide has not. While the vast majority of Irish priests have lived good lives and given admirable service, the media coverage of the errant minority has been so intense that the impression is that the priestly and monastic vocations are tainted. Consequently, all but the bravest are discouraged. Statistics show that 86 per cent of Irish people still consider themselves to be Catholic and two- thirds attend Mass once a week. Like the Catholic Church, the Anglican Church of Ireland has benefited from immigration but otherwise, in spite of having married and women priests, it too has suffered decline. How is it that in the UK the Church of England has perhaps 25 million baptised yet only one million attend Sunday services? The Very Rev Dermot Dunne and Dr Magee should have known that there are many married pri
Related Questions
- Does this mean that the Catholic Church will now allow priests to marry or that priests who left ministry to marry will be able to return?
- Does the Roman catholic Church excommunicate priests who have been found guilty of sex abuse against children?
- Dear Grace, When and why did celibacy become required of priests in the Catholic Church?
