IRELAND
Association of Catholic Priests
Brendan Butler of We Are Church outlines the main issues that he would like to see the new pope dealing with.
To restore the credibility of the Catholic Church for alienated Catholics and the wider society, a new Pope should :
1 . Decentralise the absolutism and creeping infallibility within the papacy in favour of national bishops’ conferences, who should exercise co-responsibility with the Pope, with the Roman Curia reformed to become an administrative arm of the Church .
2. Establish that unity through diversity rather than uniformity be a guiding principle in all areas of Church governance and theological reflection.
3 Ensure that respect for the human rights of all the people of God should be foundational in the exercise of power within the Church.
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