A group of Catholic priests has criticised the Vatican’s diplomatic representative in Ireland, claiming the papal nuncio has pursued policies that are “inadequate to the needs of our time, at odds with the expectations of people and priests, and out of sync” with the Church.

A spokesperson for the Association of Catholic Priests says he is not overly concerned about the future of St Patrick's College in Maynooth.

Legislation to make same-sex marriage a reality here is expected to be enacted by the end of July.

The Catholic Church hierarchy here has said it will no longer carry out the civil elements of weddings if marriage is extended to gay couples.

The Association of Catholic Priests has decided not to make a recommendation for or against the proposal in the upcoming marriage referendum on May 22.

While comments from three well-known and reform-minded priests (Frs Iggy O’Donovan, Brendan Hoban and Peter McVerry) in the media about the proposed marriage referendum are clearly their own personal views, and not on behalf of any order or diocese, or the Association of Catholic Priests (ACP), it certainly does the ACP or its concerns, no favours if leading figures in or sympathetic to it can be perceived not (a) as (rightly) opposed to enforcing Catholic canon law via the Constitution or law of this State, but (b) as unconcerned with maintaining what is the universal model of marriage as between male and female, a model which long pre-dates not only Roman Canon Law, but also the gospels and indeed the Hebrew bible.

A body representing over 1,000 Catholic priests has called on bishops to open up dialogue with their members to find a solution to the vocations crisis.

I am replying to an article in the Irish Examiner of September 30, by Father Brendan Hoban.

An influential group representing Ireland’s Catholic priests has warned that ordained clerics are facing the grim prospect of having to celebrate collective funeral Masses in the near future.

TV3’s religious show has been slammed by the Association of Catholic Priests as a vehicle for Vincent Browne to “coax a series of likely suspects into a studio and attack them for their beliefs”.

The Church has little choice but to ordain married men and welcome former priests back into the clergy if it is to exist in Ireland in 20 years time, a founding member of the Association of Catholic Priests claims.

From the island of saints and scholars to this: Ireland now ranks as one of the world’s least religious countries.

The Association of Catholic Priests has accused the Archbishop of New York of destroying the reputation of priests “who had given lifelong service to the Irish Catholic Church”.

The Association of Catholic Priests says it has real concerns about the future of the Catholic Church.

Justice Minister Alan Shatter reiterated that everyone, including priests, were obliged to report child sex abuse and other offences, including white collar crime, to the gardaí, even if they hear about it in the confessional.

The Association of Catholic Priests has said the Vatican should remember that “it is not a totalitarian state dealing with dissidents” but a Church that needs to re-find its way.

Cash-strapped priests are facing a significant pay cut, which will see their meagre salaries plunge by 25% in the space of just two years.

The visitation report’s criticism that some priests and lay people hold “theological opinions” at odds with the official teachings of the Church may refer to priests taking a more practical approach to their parish work than the Vatican would like, Catholic priests have suggested.

Catholic priests have expressed serious concern about the visitation team’s proposal that seminarians in Maynooth should spend more time separated from other students if they are to achieve “a well-founded, priestly identity”.

Priests have welcomed the apostolic visitation’s acknowledgement that further work needs to be completed by the Catholic Church here to ensure that clerics on leave following abuse allegations are all being treated the same across the dioceses.

TWO of the most senior bosses in RTÉ news and current affairs are to step aside while a public inquiry investigates how the state broadcaster incorrectly accused a County Galway priest of raping an African woman and fathering a child with her.

THE ASSOCIATION of Catholic Priests (ACP) has said the Vatican “won’t take too kindly” to calls from the former Bishop of Derry to end clerical celibacy.

FATHER Brendan Hoban, parish priest, theologian, writer and one of the founders of the Association of Catholic Priests, is prepared to go to jail rather than break the traditional seal of confession.

IT USED to be considered a cushy number. A free university education, the chance to travel, accommodation and housekeeper provided, instant respect, a fair degree of power, opportunities for promotion, a pension, security for life.

A NEW organisation to represent ordinary priests claims it will speak out without fear on a range of issues affecting the Catholic Church in Ireland and wider Irish society.

UP to 150 priests are expected to gather in Portlaoise today for the inaugural meeting of the Association of Catholic Priests (ACP) — a reform-driven organisation which is aiming to “stand for moral courage”.

MOST Irish priests favour an end to the celibacy rule and believe such a move would encourage more people into the priesthood.

THE Catholic Church is living in a time warp and is being led by a phalanx of right-wing conservatives, according to a leading priest’s new book.