The Committee is responsible for gathering and summarising responses to questionnaires for the Irish Synodal Pathway.

The young Catholics wrote that they love the Church's teaching, but their voices have not been heard.

The process leading up to the Synod on Synodality in Rome did not pay attention to their views, they said.

They express concern that the synodal process might give a false impression. As it stands. it suggests all Catholics in Ireland would like to see changes made.

Ireland's bishops also received a copy of the letter..

Peadar Hand, one of the letter's organisers, said making changes may not be the way to go.

"Among people who are actually practising and trying their best to live their faith, there's no desire for a change in Church teaching," he said.

"The duty of the Church is not to change with the world, but to change the world."

The letter says:

"As young practising Catholics, we would like you to hear our voices regarding developments with the Synodal Synthesis" it begins.

It goes on to explain young Catholics' concerns following the presentations at the pre-Synodal National Gathering in June.

Issues of concern include "the emerging synthesis risks presenting a false conclusion".

"The Sensus Fidei is in conflict with current church teaching and practice" they say. "This relates in particular to human sexuality, marriage and ordained ministry."

The Catechism defines sensus fidei or sensus fidelium. It is "the supernatural appreciation of faith on the part of the whole people when, from the bishops to the last of the faithful, they manifest a universal consent in matters of faith and morals".

The Irish Catholic Bishops' Conference has been asked for comment.

In March 2020 Pope Francis announced a Synod on Synodality.

Its aim is "to provide an opportunity for the entire people of God to discern together how to move forward on the path towards being a more synodal Church in the long-term".

The three-part synodal process started in October 2021 with consultations at the diocesan level. A continental phase is scheduled to commence in March 2023.

The final and universal phase will begin with the XVI Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops. This will be themed: "For a Synodal Church: Communion, Participation and Mission."

The Assembly will take place at the Vatican in October 2023.

Source

• CNA

Welcoming the new student intake, Bishop Alphonsus Cullinan, chair of the Bishops' Council for Vocations, said, "It is really heartening that twenty-one men have started as seminarians in various locations to study on propaedeutic courses. This brings the number of men training for the priesthood for Irish dioceses to 74 in total. We thank God for each of them.

"Over the last year, in a special way, the Bishops' Conference promoted vocations to Diocesan priesthood. All around the country people prayed that the call to priesthood would be heard. Thanks to efforts in parishes, and via traditional media as well as on social, the vocation of priesthood was discussed in family settings, parishes and in communities. In addition, and based on feedback, faith-filled encounters with priests and committed lay people encouraged the idea that God is still calling men to priesthood. Such a positive notion was firmly planted in minds and hearts."

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Over 160 young adults from all over Ireland gathered for the get-together.

The brainchild of the Irish Catholic bishops, the Intentional Young Adult Ministry event comprised participant-led activities, reflection and a Mass.

Energy and enthusiasm

Keynote speaker Father Stephen Wang from the Archdiocese of Westminster spoke on the theme ‘The Heart of Catholic Young Adult Ministry'.

"There seems to be a great deal of energy and enthusiasm in the Irish Church at the moment - and a desire to discover new ways of connecting with young people today.

"I pray that the meeting will be a catalyst for renewal in the Church, and will allow the Holy Spirit to speak to the hearts of all those who will be present."

Synodal gathering

Bishop of Cork and Ross, Fintan Gavin (pictured, centre) helped organise the event themed 'Into the Deep'.

"I welcome in a particular way the young adults who are joining us in such great numbers" he said.

"We are a wonderfully diverse group - ordained, religious and laity, old and young, professionals and students, men and women - all sharing in the one baptism.

"This is an important synodal gathering for the Irish Church."

Youth ministry has changed

Gavin also noted how much the context of youth ministry had changed.

"As a young person you have to stand out from your peers and the culture does not support you as it did in the past" he said.

"When we think of the small numbers of young people in the Church in Ireland today we could well feel despair, desolation - like we have fished all night long and caught nothing."

However this is not actually the truth, he said.

Many initiatives

Catholic youth ministries have actually "animated" many initiatives in Ireland Gavin said.

He backed his comment, citing a few currently active groups such as Youth 2000, Alpha, Sycamore, and Lourdes Pilgrimages.

In addition he pointed to other projects inspired by various movements and religious groups.

What to do now

"Each young person needs to be befriended, trust built up, invited into an encounter with Christ and followed up afterwards" he told those at the Intentional Young Adult Ministry event.

"We are called to go beyond our traditional boundaries and meet young adults where they are, both physically and spiritually.

"We are called to go to new shores and to connect with people one on one.

"We need to find ways of presenting Christ as a person alive, who gives us our joy and our hope, as good news in a culture where so often Christ, faith and the Church are presented as a burden rather than something that gives life and meaning.

"Growth must also be intentional."

Source

• The Tablet

The initiative aims to protect local biodiversity, raise awareness about global conservation efforts and emphasise the role of people of faith in safeguarding the environment.

The bishops' call comes in response to Pope Francis' 2015 encyclical, "Laudato Si', on Care for Our Common Home."

The move also aligns with the international commitment made at the 2022 United Nations conference on biological diversity, COP15, to restore 30% of land to nature.

Immense potential to impact ecosystems

With 1,365 parishes encompassing 2,646 churches across 26 dioceses on the island of Ireland, this initiative holds immense potential to significantly impact local ecosystems.

The plan has been hailed by Jane Mellett, Laudato Si' officer with the bishops' development agency, Trócaire, who told EarthBeat it was "Great to see this leadership in response to the biodiversity crisis."

Mellet said that the National Biodiversity Data Centre in Ireland has welcomed the bishops' proposal and would be happy to journey with a pilot parish.

The Irish Catholic Bishops' Conference has been at the forefront of environmental initiatives. It was the first bishops' conference globally to divest its assets from fossil fuels. This action has inspired similar commitments from bishops' conferences in Austria, Belgium, Eastern Africa, the Philippines, and Scotland.

Timeframe provides time for parishes

Bishop Martin Hayes, the coordinating bishop for Laudato Si' in the Irish church, clarified that the biodiversity and pollinators proposal is a strong recommendation, not a requirement. Parishes are encouraged to engage individuals passionate about gardening and local gardening experts to lead the implementation of the initiative.

To support the parishes, the Laudato Si' Working Group (LSWG), associated with the Irish Episcopal Conference's Council for Education, is developing resources such as The Faith Community Pollinator Plan and Gardening for Biodiversity.

The LSWG, comprising climate experts, theologians and Trócaire staff with experience in climate-affected regions worldwide, has played a vital role in advising the Irish bishops on environmental issues.

The timeframe of 2030 provides sufficient time for parishes to make a meaningful impact. Although most parishes will be starting from scratch, they hope to witness positive results within a few years.

Sources

National Catholic Reporter

Where once every large family in the country expected one son to join the priesthood, the scandals that have rocked the Church in the last two decades have meant the numbers being ordained have crashed.

But now the drive to recruit more priests has been rebooted to take into account new ways of contacting those who might have a vocation - including the use of digital and social media.

While there is a worldwide shortage of priests, the new awareness campaign around the year of vocations is specific to Ireland.

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Following their spring general meeting Catholic bishops' said they were asking parishes across Ireland to give over almost a third of their grounds to nature, a process sometimes called 'rewilding'.

Environmental issues have been firmly on the Church's agenda since Pope Francis published his encyclical Laudato Si', with its subtitle 'on care for our common home', in 2015.

The Irish Church has a Laudato Si' working group and there are numerous initiatives being undertaken at diocesan and parish level across the country.

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Fr Andrew O'Sullivan, a parish priest in Dublin, said increased costs made it financially challenging for parishes to continue heating buildings, despite churches being 'freezing'.

He has been forced to reduce the length of Mass from 50 to 30 minutes this winter to help with rising energy costs, which have increased by 25%.

In terms of community centres, O'Sullivan said: "We are faced with the choice of charging more or closing our doors."

The centres are used by worshippers, community groups and charities.

He and other priests are advising parishioners to wear vests while preparing to cut down Mass lengths.

Some priests have already started shortening their Masses to save on energy.

South Kerry priest Fr Patsy Lynch said: "I've been doing it in 30 minutes. That's not a long time."

"I think every priest is being affected by rising energy bills. There is an energy crisis, and we all must pay due attention and take the necessary steps."

The Catholic Church said its buildings should be included in the Government's energy support schemes. Financial supports were announced for households and businesses in Budget 2023, but not for community facilities.

The bishops noted how "especially during winter, church buildings are frequented by the homeless and vulnerable to keep warm and to be safe."

In the capital, Fr O'Sullivan is responsible for the Church of Mary Immaculate in Rathmines and the Church of the Three Patrons in Rathgar. These are both huge buildings and, therefore, difficult to keep warm.

Fr O'Sullivan said: "The churches are colossal buildings. My great fear is that if bills keep rising, we may find ourselves in a position where we simply won't be able to pay them."

"If we get bills of tens of thousands of euros, we'll have to ask people to wear an extra layer of clothing, and then if that doesn't work, we will just be forced to shorten things, or close doors if we have to."

Fr O'Sullivan said he fears for vulnerable community members such as "the homeless and most isolated in society" who rely on the church for warmth.

"Our parish churches and our centres are buildings that are safe spaces for a lot of people, and even the homeless come here to keep warm and safe. It's going to push a lot of parishes into a position where they just can't afford to pay."

Fr O'Sullivan explained that while energy bills for both churches have already risen by 25%, he fears the 'next batch' of bills is going to be even higher.

Sources

Irish Times

Extra.ie

CathNews New Zealand

Martin made the comment after attending Ireland's national pre-synodal assembly this week.

"The question is — what next?

"We are still not entirely certain, but we are open to what the Holy Spirit might be saying and to a quiet and gentle renewal of the faith. We are moving from maintenance to mission.

"In order to make space for something new, we have to accept that there is no point in trying to maintain a particular form of the life of the Church which was for a different time."

The facts are clear. In 2016, people identifying as Catholic in Ireland made up 78.3 percent of the population (approximately 3.7 million people), down from 84.2 percent in the 2011 census. It's predicted the 2022 census will show a further decline.

Ireland also has an ageing clergy and few vocations to the diocesan priesthood or religious life.

Martin noted the past year's synodal conversation with people all over Ireland culminated in the assembly, which was a moment to hear the fruits of that conversation.

"One of the things that is coming across is the (pre-)synodal conversations - an awful lot of people are very passionate about their faith in Jesus Christ ... with the Church. But they want the church to be open to something different," he says.

There are some big barriers to renewal though.

Feedback to the assembly revealed "a despair among a lot of our young people, a lack of hope, and a lack of a sense of purpose" and at the same time "a belief in faith, in hope and in love". This is "what we are trying to rekindle in the life of the Church," Martin says.

His confrere, Archbishop Dermot Farrell, says clerical sexual abuse had irreparably damaged the church's reputation in Ireland. This could spell the end for Catholicism in Ireland if major changes were not implemented within the church, he warned.

He said evidence of Christian belief in Ireland today "has, for all intents and purposes, vanished" and this "underlying crisis of faith was particularly acute among the younger generations". He added, "The current model of the church is unsustainable".

Martin has a more hopeful view.

"We are moving into a new period of evangelisation, recognising that many people - even those who have been baptised in the faith - perhaps don't have a personal relationship with Jesus, don't have a personal sense of God, and indeed maybe don't have a sense of direction in their lives," he says.

"We are trying to find new ways of communicating the joy of the Gospel, which is very much a theme that Pope Francis has been revealing to the Church during his pontificate."

He stresses the importance of reaching out to young people who "are living in a very different space," suggesting the Church play an important pastoral role among an increasingly disaffected youth.

Source

• The Tablet
• Catholic News Service

They also want better-prepared, shorter sermons and the removal of bloodthirsty Old Testament readings from Masses and other liturgies, according to a survey of tens of thousands of believers across the church's 26 dioceses on the island.

Similar surveys to the Irish one, which will be considered by an 160-strong national assembly in Athlone, Co. Westmeath on Saturday, are under way across the Catholic world in preparation for a synod in Rome next year.

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Archbishop Dermot Farrell (pictured) has pledged to respond "positively and swiftly" to new proposals put forward by his parishes to deal with the challenge.

"We face a particular challenge in the shortage of priests to minister to our parish communities — communities which themselves are very different from even one generation ago," he said.

At Mass in Dublin's Pro Cathedral he said that, as bishop of the diocese, it was his strong conviction that "we are not called to be passive in the face of changes which imperil the three-fold mission with which we have been entrusted, but together to shape our future in the light of the gospel".

Archbishop Farrell announced that he is putting in place formation programmes to support those who are willing to undertake leadership and ministry in new ways, working alongside our priests and deacons in the pastoral leadership of our parishes.

He invited women and men who feel called to ministry to train as lectors, acolytes and catechists.

He also pledged to appoint where necessary pastoral leaders - deacons, religious and lay people - when parishes cannot have a resident priest, to support the priest who will have pastoral responsibility for that parish. This voluntary service will be supported by the pastoral workers in the diocese.

"It is my pastoral responsibility as bishop to do this - for the sake of the gospel and for the sake of the People of God. Christ brought his disciples along a new way. He calls us to find a new way in our time."

He said his call to the diocesan family was to embrace what Pope Francis calls Christian risk.

"It is a call to ensure that the way the Church is organised, our structures or our pastoral certainties, do not restrict our mission in the twenty-first century.

"To do so would be to impose the old solutions on new problems, that is, to use second-hand solutions which appear tried and tested, but which in the end are tired and superficial."

Sources

• The Tablet
• Catholic Culture

But fresh opportunities are also presenting themselves, he maintains.

At his installation Mass last Sunday, Bishop Michael Duignan of Galway and Kilmacduagh (pictured) highlighted the Church's diminishing role in the Republic.

Many parishes "are struggling" despite "the great work done by generations of priests, religious and lay people", he said.

There would be "a sense of genuine mourning" in letting go of infrastructure, systems and pastoral practices that were beneficial in the past but now may "hinder rather than help the life of faith", he told the 1400-strong congregation.

Building bridges to the future

The Irish church is standing at a "threshold moment" and making a transition to the future, Duignan said in his homily.

He prayed it would build bridges not barriers and would reach out in compassion to aid those who find themselves in need.

He also prayed that it would be "less afraid of those who see life differently from us" and was aware of its own human weakness.

"I believe there are a lot of structures that we need to move on from in order to develop new structures. It is rebirth, it is regrowth, it is a reality check," he said.

As an example, he noted there are fewer masses being offered by parishes. There's an opportunity though for more holistic and spirit-filled liturgies.

"People know change is coming, they know that the present way we are doing things won't last forever and that there may be a better way of doing things.

"It is clear that in the future, we will be a smaller faith community."

He himself is leading two formerly independent dioceses.

While they continue to maintain their own integrity and autonomy, the dioceses will be working more closely together where possible, with Duignan's leadership.

"Under the guidance of St Peter himself in the person of Pope Francis, we have been nudged together to do something genuinely new...we are being called to bring about a new ‘An Earrach Thiar' - a ‘Western Spring.'"

The metaphor echoes the words of Cardinal Mario Grech, Secretary General of the Synod of Bishops, who told Ireland's bishops in February last year:

"A synodal process promises an ecclesial springtime - a rebirth of an authentic Church."

Source

• Independent,ie
• CNA
• Image: Westmeath Independent

In a joint statement, Bishop Brendan Kelly of Galway, Kilmacduagh and Kilfenora and Bishop Michael Duignan of Clonfert said that their two dioceses in the west of Ireland would be joined under the leadership of a single bishop while remaining autonomous dioceses.

"We have been informed by the Apostolic Nuncio, Archbishop Jude Thaddeus Okolo, that in the near future the Holy Father Pope Francis intends to appoint a single bishop to the Diocese of Galway, Kilmacduagh, and Kilfenora and the Diocese of Clonfert," said the joint statement published on November 16.

The bishops explained that this change would not be an amalgamation and would not suppress either diocese.

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Archbishop Eamon Martin of Armagh and Archbishop Dermot Farrell of Dublin paid tribute to the generosity of parishioners.

Irish bishops had asked for a special collection in parishes across Ireland in the wake of the Russian invasion.

The collection took place largely over the weekend of March 26-27.

In a joint statement, the archbishops said: "Since the outbreak of this war, over seven million people have been displaced and nearly five million people have been forced to emigrate from Ukraine, becoming international refugees.

"As Christians, our Gospel imperative is to support the victims of this appalling humanitarian crisis, in the words of the Holy Thursday Liturgy, ‘where charity and love are found there is God'.

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One bishop will be appointed by Pope Francis to the Diocese of Galway, Kilmacduagh and Kilfenora and the Diocese of Clonfert.

The change was relayed to the current bishops by the Pope's representative in Ireland, the Apostolic Nuncio, Archbishop Jude Thaddeus Okolo.

Bishop Michael Duignan of Clonfert and Bishop Brendan Kelly of Galway, Kilmacduagh and Kilfenora sent a joint letter to parishioners about the decision.

The letter said the union was "not an amalgamation" and it would not suppress either diocese.

"Both dioceses will continue to maintain their own integrity and autonomy as is but will work closely together, where possible, through the person and ministry of a single bishop."

The letter went on to say that the Holy See will continue its consultations on the matter. In addition, meetings will be organised "at various levels in each diocese to inform the people of God and talk to them about it".

Bishop Kelly is 75 and has therefore reached the age of retirement. Bishop Duignan will likely take up the role of Bishop of Galway, Kilmacduagh and Kilfenora when Bishop Kelly retires.

The bringing of two or more dioceses together is known as ‘in persona episcopi'.

The Latin term means "in the person of the bishop". It is used by the Catholic Church to designate the union of two or more dioceses under one bishop.

One bishop exercises the pastoral governance of both dioceses equally. Each diocese maintains its identity and handles its own "cultural heritage" as it deems fit.

They keep their own personnel or can share with other dioceses; priests will not normally be asked to minister beyond their own diocese unless by a special request or mandate.

Each diocese handles financial administration independently and makes its own pastoral decisions as usual.

In December 2019, the former Archbishop of Dublin, Dr Diarmuid Martin, told the international Catholic weekly, The Tablet, that he favoured a reduction in the number of dioceses in the Irish Church.

"I think there are good reasons now to rationalise the dioceses. The borders have been there from the twelfth century. In some cases, they work, and in other cases, they don't work," he said.

Dr Martin pointed out Pope Benedict XVI, in his 2010 Letter to Irish Catholics, had said a rationalisation would proceed. "It has been a long time coming."

"There has been opposition," Dr Martin revealed. He explained that "changing diocesan boundaries and depriving a town of its cathedral is a very sensitive thing".

Sources

• RTE
• Independent.IE

Nicola Brady is currently General Secretary of the Irish Council of Churches, and Joint Secretary of the Irish Inter-Church Meeting. She has been noted for facilitating relationship-building between the Christian churches in Ireland.

Dr Brady has previously worked in several peace-building roles, both nationally and internationally.

Following her appointment Brady said, "The Synodal Pathway is an important and hope-filled development in the life of the Catholic Church in Ireland and I am grateful for the opportunity to help guide and shape this work."

A statement from the Catholic Communications Office said Brady "has particular expertise in the area of faith-based peace-building on the island of Ireland and internationally, including human rights advocacy, support to victims/survivors, facilitation of civic dialogue, community engagement with policing, and research across a broad range of issues relevant to reconciliation."

Brady holds a BA in European Studies from Trinity College Dublin. Her PhD, also from Trinity, examined the response of the Catholic hierarchy to political violence in Northern Ireland (1921-1973) and to the Basque Country (1936-1975).

The Bishops met virtually for their summer 2021 plenary meeting. They announced on June 16 that Brady will head up a new synodal steering group to make preparations.

In their statement, Irish bishops said their work on the synodal pathway has been "assisted and greatly encouraged by Cardinal Mario Grech and Sister Natalie Becquart of the general secretariat for the Synod of Bishops in Rome."

The bishops also announced they had received more than 550 public submissions as part of the initial phase of the synodal pathway.

Sources

Crux

Association of Catholic Priests

Irish Catholic Bishops' Conference

The synod will take place "within the next five years".

The bishops said they are "acutely aware of the huge challenges to the Catholic faith" that have emerged during the past 50 years, including the rapid transformation and secularization of society, leading to fewer people practicing the faith and a decline in religious vocations.

Since his election in 2013, Pope Francis has said he wanted to breathe fresh life into the concept of synodality articulated at the Second Vatican Council in the 1960s.

In the Irish context, the process is expected to lead to a national gathering of laypeople, priests, bishops and religious women and men to chart a new pastoral program for the church's future.

The church leaders acknowledged that "we hear a cry for transparency, greater participation and accountability in the church."

The process also will especially include the voices of women, the bishops said.

"While many women are very engaged in church life in Ireland, we acknowledge the critical need to honour the contribution of women, to hear their deep concerns, to formally recognise their roles and articulate new models of co-responsibility and leadership involving all laypeople — women and men."

They admitted that, like so many others, they have been "appalled" by the findings published reports into institutional and clerical abuse.

"The recent shocking revelations about mother and baby homes in Ireland - north and south - have further reminded us of the deep trauma felt by so many in the Body of Christ and the need for inner healing and hope."

The bishops plan for Ireland's synod calls for two years of prayer, listening and discernment that will coincide with a nationwide consultative process.

A task force is expected to be established this summer involving laypeople, religious, priests and bishops.

"As we embark on the synodal pathway, we ask for prayers that this may be a time of renewal, reform and new hope for all the people of God in Ireland," the statement concluded.

Sources

NCR Online

The Tablet

The Irish Catholic

The ACP, which represents over 1,000 Catholic priests in Ireland, says reform is urgently needed to prevent parishes from closing across the country.

"We're facing a catastrophic situation in the next 10 to 20 years because there are not enough male celibate vocations to keep our parishes alive," ACP spokesman Father Tim Hazelwood says.

"We're facing a situation where the sacraments could disappear in some parishes because our priests are all getting older and no one is coming through to replace them.

"In maybe 10, but definitely 20 years, priests in Ireland are going to be an endangered species unless things change. We're facing a really bleak future unless new measures are brought in."

The ACP has long called for radical church reform.

It has advocated relaxing strict celibacy rules, ordaining married men, inviting back clerics who left their parishes to get married, and ordaining women to the diaconate.

Hazelwood also says the current crisis is increasingly taking a toll on the health of older working priests.

Many are continuing to work beyond their retirement age because there is no one coming through the seminaries to replace them.

Speaking of his own parish, he says "The age profile of the priests gives food for thought ... one over 80, two over 70, nine over 60, 10 over 50, and two over 40."

"Fast forward 15 years and the very best you could hope for is 10 priests for all that area and, even if healthy, they will all be elderly men. That is the stark reality."

The crisis is evident in every diocese in Ireland.

Earlier this year Bishop Dermot Farrell urged his diocese to see the "signs of the times," warning that the number of priests under the age of 75 would halve over the next decade.

The warnings for the Catholic Church in Ireland come at a time when hopes have been raised for the future of the Church following the just-finished Amazon synod.

Last week, in a landmark vote by the Vatican, bishops recommended the Pope gives permission for married men in Brazil to become priests.

Source

• Irish Central
• Image: BBC

Released yesterday, Irish broadcaster Raidió Teilifís Éireann (RTE)'s documentary Rome V Republic examines the events that led up to and followed the Church's hold over every aspect of Irish life after the foundation of the state in 1922.

Although the early 19th-century Irish politician Daniel O'Connell's campaign for Catholic emancipation in Ireland energised Irish Catholics, the mid-century Great Hunger (often called the Potato Famine) triggered the major turning point for the Church.

Having reduced the population from just under 8.2 million in 1841 to just under 5.8 million in 1861, the famine unexpectedly strengthened the Church's influence.

Professor Mary Daly from University College Dublin explains the problem in pre-famine Ireland wasn't that people were atheists - it was the lack of priests to serve them.

"Basically the Catholic Church in 1841 did not have the manpower to really look after the six million-odd Catholics in Ireland at the time," Daly says.

However, the deaths of millions of Catholics as a result of the Great Hunger meant the church had smaller numbers of more God-fearing parishioners, she adds.

"A lot of the population loss occurred in the poor and very poor people who were not regular Sunday mass goers, who would have practiced a different form of Catholicism based around a good mixture of superstition and folk belief with Catholicism."

With the deaths of the bulk of the country's poor, the rising middle class - shop keepers, merchants in town, farmers - became a dominant influence, as they were much more devout as a group than the poor, Daly says.

"They were the people who would have educated their children, they would be God-fearing. Respectable is the word worth using.

"Many would have aspired in time to send a son into the priesthood, so the Catholic Church is in a stronger position, absolutely."

Fast-forward to 1922 and the documentary shows how strong the Church's influence in Ireland has become.

The documentary presenter, former Justice Minister Michael McDowell, says Ireland's first free state constitution (1922) was drawn up by a committee which included Michael Collins.

McDowell says the constitution was a very secular document until a raft of "Catholic morally inspired legislation" was brought in.

It catalogues how the new cash-strapped Irish Republic was forced to rely on the country's 13,000 religious personnel.

This situation continued until the huge numbers of vocations fell dramatically as soon as free secondary school education came in 1967.

"After that vocations literally fall off a cliff," Dublin City University's Dr. Daithí Ó' Corráin says.

Despite all, however - including the lack of priests, two decades of scandals, cover-ups and revelations - the documentary concludes that church remains embedded in Irish life.

Source

• Entertainment TV News
• Irish Central
• Image: Herald.ie