Irish priests call for marriage rights to boost ordinations

The Association of Catholic Priests wants men who left the priesthood to get married to be re-admitted, and for the church to allow married men to be ordained.

They are among the measures being put forward to address the chronic shortage of Catholic Priests.

The association warns that the shortage could result in group funerals, with up to 10 coffins in the church at the same time.

Fr Gerry O'Connor, a Redemptorist Priest at Cherry Orchard in Dublin, said group weddings are also a real possibility.

"I think it's a mathematical certainty given the lack of recruits into the priesthood and the fact that there's a very aged priesthood," he said.

"We're facing a situation where there will be very few pries in the future unless something dramatic changes tin terms of a upsurge in vocations, but there's absolutely no sign of that happening whatsoever."