Diocese backs women priests: Stark choices for Catholicism

Killala diocese is typical of many Catholic dioceses in Ireland. It consists of 22 parishes in north Mayo and north west Sligo, and struggles to provide a priest to each of those parishes. The diocese, unless something changes dramatically, will have just five or six active priests in less than two decades.

The collapse in vocations is so dramatic that the diocese has started a process to reflect on a vote that indicated that 85% of Catholics felt priests should be allowed to marry, while 81% supported priests who had married resuming ministry. The survey found that 80% backed women being ordained to the diaconate and, in opposition to the Vatican, 69% said women should be ordained.