Advertise in this spot on CatholicCulture.org. View all ads.

Catholic World News News Feature

Irish priests seek changes in Church October 27, 2004

Catholic priests in Ireland are looking for changes in the Church, according to a survey conducted by the Irish Catholic, an independent newspaper.

The Irish Catholic survey of 1,307 priests found that 58 percent of the respondents felt that the Church "has not changed enough in keeping with the times," while only 6 percent said there has been too much change.

One proposed change clearly backed by the Irish priests was the introduction of a permanent deaconate; 78 percent of the respondents favored that move. There was also very strong support (74 percent) for the proposition that the Church has not adequately recognized the role of women.

A majority (57 percent) of the priests who completed the survey said that they would favor an end to the discipline of clerical celibacy. However, a majority (60 percent) also said that ending celibacy would not produce an increase in the number of men entering the priesthood.

The vast majority (79 percent) of priests reported hearing no more than 20 confession per week. And a slimmer majority (56 percent) called for more widespread use of general absolution-- a practice that is now barred by Church law, except under very rare circumstances.

The Irish Catholic survey was conducted by sending questionnaires to 2,832 priests all across Ireland. The 42 percent response rate was high, but because the respondents were self-selected, the survey cannot be regarded as scientifically accurate.