Eamon Martin: Faith is one human possibility among others

Ireland is moving rapidly from a society in which it was “virtually impossible not to believe in God” to one in which faith “is one human possibility among others”.

That’s according to Eamon Martin, Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland, speaking at the University of East Anglia as part of the Newman Lectures.

Addressing ‘The Church in the Public Sphere — a perspective from Ireland’, Archbishop Martin said that while 78% of the population of the Republic “self-declaring as Catholic” (Census 2016) might be considered “a remarkable vote of confidence in the Church”, commentary here focussed on its decline “and the consequent calls from some quarters for a redoubling of efforts to remove the Church’s perceived remaining influence in schools, healthcare and public policy making”.