5 Years to Save the Irish Church
Talks from the National Columba Book Conference,
Columba Books, 94pp, £7.99/$10
Let’s cut to the chase. What exactly is needed to stop the Irish Catholic Church from going under? As I read through these essays, I tried to extrapolate what the contributors were proposing should be done. I think a master list would include: an end to clerical celibacy; reversing Humanae Vitae; women priests; a loosening of the rules concerning who can receive Communion; a change to teaching on homosexuality; a more activist Church, pressurising the state to intervene forcefully on social inequalities; and a more empowered laity.
