Church reform like ‘beating one’s head against a wall’ says Church official

A leading advocate for reform in the Catholic Church has said trying to bring about about meaningful change is “like beating one’s head against a stone wall”.

The Association of Catholic Priests (ACP), which represents more than 1,000 priests across the country, and a four-man delegation of Irish bishops, are due to hold their first face-to-face talks in three years on Thursday.

Fr Tony Flannery, a founding member of the group, has admitted he fears the meeting is little more than a token gesture from Church leaders and will not pave the way for significant reform.