No turning point in sight for Catholic Church amid dwindling numbers, says Archbishop

 No turning point in sight for Catholic Church amid dwindling numbers, says Archbishop

Archbishop of Tuam Francis Duffy said: 'I suggest you look at your priest, he may be the last in a long line of resident pastors and may not be replaced.'

The only certainty for the future of the Catholic Church in Ireland is the “ongoing and sustained decline” of worshippers and priests, an Archbishop warned his parishioners on Saturday.

He said “all trends [point] dramatically downwards” and there is "no turning point in sight" across Ireland.

Archbishop of Tuam Francis Duffy made the comments in St Mary’s Church, Westport, Co. Mayo amid a dwindling number of practicing Roman Catholics in Ireland.

“I suggest you look at your priest, he may be the last in a long line of resident pastors and may not be replaced,” he told parishioners. “I suggest you look at your church, you may be lucky to have a Sunday Mass or several, but for how much longer?” 

'Twists and turns'

He encouraged parishioners not to “give up” or “let the situation drift” and said this is “a time of decline in some respect but it is a time of great hope”. He said now is not the time to be “silent about the good news of Jesus Christ and to relegate it to the back pages. This is a time for faith, faith into action, faith into reaching out". 

Archbishop of Tuam Francis Duffy.
Archbishop of Tuam Francis Duffy.

“There are no quick fix solutions or approaches as we reflect on and consider our Church,” he said. “Instead we journey together on a path that will have many twists and turns and will not always be easy.” 

The archbishop asked the congregation to “carry on pastoral work alongside a much smaller number of clergy”. He said now is “the best of times” to consider the priesthood although it would be “challenging” and “with risks”.

Following years of decline, the Catholic Church finds itself having to merge parishes and share priests to ensure the continuation of regular services — which are set to be greatly reduced under new strategies underway.

Priest shortages

Last month it emerged that half of the priests serving in the diocese of Cashel and Emly will be above the age of retirement within five years and just one candidate is training for the priesthood, a story repeated across the country. As part of a plan to deal with projected priest shortages across Ireland, Archbishop Kieran O'Reilly said the Church will form pastoral units which will encompass multiple parishes and require lay people to share the work of priests.

The Catholic Church is currently undergoing a global synodal process that seeks to gain feedback from all members on the future of its existence, with some hoping for progressive voices to be heard in Rome next year at the close of the three-year synod, and others looking to maintain the authority of the church hierarchy and its historical teachings.

Archbishop Duffy said “there are no quick fix solutions or approaches as we reflect on and consider our Church”. He said the synodal process is a “pathway not a runway”, emphasising he is not “dampening expectations” for the future of the church but “being realistic” of its “new chapter” in Irish society.

“The landscape of the Catholic Church in Ireland, as you know, has been changing for some time and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future,” he said.

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