Majority of Catholics want radical change in Church teachings and law

The overwhelming majority of Irish practising Catholics want to see radical change in their Church, including the ordination of women, an end to compulsory celibacy for clerics, with permission for priests to marry, and a greater role for the laity.

Three in four of those surveyed find the Church’s teaching on sexuality irrelevant to them or their family, according to an all-Ireland study conducted on behalf of the Association of Catholic Priests (ACP).

Most people surveyed object to the Church’s stance against sexual relations between gay couples and see nothing wrong with homosexuality. The majority are also anxious for the Vatican to permit divorced people to receive Communion, according to the study carried out by the market research company, Amárach.