Priests group: papal nuncio’s policies ‘out of sync’ with Catholic Church

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.

The Association of Catholic Priests challenged nuncio Archbishop Charles Browne’s selection of new bishops since first appointed nearly five years ago.

The association, which claims to represent over 30% of priests in the country, said that Archbishop Browne has declined to meet with it to discuss its concerns, despite it passing a motion at its AGM last year expressing “its grave disquiet at some of the policies presently being pursued in relation to the appointment of bishops in Ireland”.