‘It’s not right that women can’t give views on Church’

The idea that women cannot publicly give their views on the Catholic Church is not right, a Government minister has said.

Reacting to a row that broke out between Dublin Archbishop Diarmuid Martin and Culture Minister Josepha Madigan, who suggested women be ordained as priests, Minister for European Affairs Helen McEntee said the Church needs to modernise or risk becoming irrelevant.

Ms Madigan also suggested that priests be allowed to marry after she led prayers at her local church when the priest failed to show up.