Archbishop’s speech - Catholicism in crisis

YESTERDAY’S admission by Archbishop Diarmuid Martin that the Catholic Church in Ireland is on the verge of collapse and must accept that it may become a minority culture is a realistic assessment but it is nevertheless a sea change almost beyond comprehension.

Though it is easy to see why this has happened it is still a spectacular fall for an organisation that so recently held almost absolute sway in this country.

The Archbishop’s welcome acknowledgement that the Catholic hierarchy would have to surrender control of primary schools would have been beyond comprehension for churchmen of an earlier generation.