Reform the Catholic church’s structure, yes, but don’t forget its beauty and spirituality

Archbishop Eamon Martin. Photo: Kevin Scott

Mary Kenny

The “next chapter” of the Catholic Church in Ireland will be a very different one from those which went before, says Archbishop Eamon Martin. The consultation among the faithful – known as the Synodal Pathway – whose findings will be published next month will unveil a profile of Irish Catholicism which is much in contrast to what went before.

It’s hardly a revelation that “a major decline in the practice of the faith” has emerged: most of us can see that, anecdotally, in everyday life. Over and over again I observe that the daughters and sons of devout parents and grandparents have simply dropped religious practice.