Catholic Church needs a ‘reality check’, says Archbishop of Dublin

The Archbishop of Dublin has said the Catholic Church needs a “reality check” following Ireland’s landslide vote to legalise gay marriage. Diarmuid Martin also claimed that the referendum’s outcome was the result of a “social revolution” which had been brewing nationwide for some time. During the candid interview, Mr Martin claimed that getting the Church’s message across had become a “big challenge” – not least because its influence in Irish society has dwindled in light of increasing secularism and a series of child abuse scandals.

Have we drifted away completely from young people? Most of those people who voted Yes are products of our Catholic schools for 12 years.

Diarmuid Martin, Archbishop of Dublin

The archbishop also suggested that the Catholic Church in Ireland was becoming a “safe space for the like-minded”, instead of an institution that “reaches out” to all sectors of society – in line with the work of Pope Francis. According to Mr Martin, some of the Church’s religious figures may have appeared to be harsh, unloving and damning of gay people while pushing for a No vote – the very opposite of what they intended. Although the Pope has spoken out against same-sex marriages, he signified a change in the Vatican’s views on homosexuality while answering reporters’ questions in 2013.

If a person is gay and seeks God and has good will, who am I to judge?

Pope Francis

World Ireland