IRELAND
Belfast Telegraph
The autocratic approach of Pope Benedict has brought the Catholic Church in Ireland to the brink of schism, argues Malachi O’Doherty
Thursday, 19 April 2012
A revolution is brewing within the Catholic Church in Ireland. It is coming from the only stratum of the Church that has the power to affect radical change: the priests. The question is: will they have the numbers, the coherence, or the energy to force major change?
They know what has to be done, because they have already recognised the difference between the character of the Church in Ireland and the kind of church Rome wants it to be.
Last week, the Association of Catholic Priests (ACP) published the findings of its own research, which found that most Catholics think that the Church is somewhat, or completely, subservient to Rome.
A majority called for bishops to be appointed on fixed terms. Most lay people and nearly half of priests said they wanted to be involved in the appointment of bishops. Even larger majorities said they thought women should be ordained and that priests should be allowed to marry.
This report describes a local Irish church that is so much out of step with Rome that tensions are inevitable.
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