IRELAND
The Platform
As a historian of early modern Irish and British history, there aren’t many things that capture my attention quite like the potential for a schism, and the events currently unfolding on Ireland are impossible to ignore.
To say that it has been a difficult time for the Catholic Church in Ireland is somewhat of an understatement; clerical abuse, sex scandals, Papal tyranny, and archaic notions of society that have finally begun to catch up with those who once knew absolute power on the island.
Some say the Church has headed down a road of terminal decline, “haemorrhaging previously committed members and surrendering its moral authority”, all the while refusing to acknowledge the gravity of the issue and remaining unwilling to alter the status quo.
And needless to say the press is all over it with articles like: ‘Church in Need of New Direction to Avoid Drift Towards Oblivion’, and ‘Republic of Ireland Abandoning Religion Faster Than Almost Every Other Country’
Note: This is an Abuse Tracker excerpt. Click the title to view the full text of the original article. If the original article is no longer available, see our News Archive.