The Catholic Church in Ireland lost the gay marriage referendum (The Tablet, 23 May) not last week but in the 1990s. When serious allegations began to surface 20 years ago bishops moved priests from parish to parish and from diocese to diocese to avoid scandal. The subsequent cover up caused a tsunami in the catholic faithful of Ireland. Even then very few priests and hardly any bishops took immediate action to care for their people. Even to this day it appears that many high ranking officials in the Church are more concerned about the institution than they are about the care of good people in the pews.
It is interesting that no political party supported the “No” campaign. This must be due to the fact that the politicians were listening to their constituents. Sadly, our Church leaders do no depend on the power of the small but powerful ballot box. I am pleased that Archbishop Diarmuid Martin has called on the Church in Ireland to re-connect with real people. We have already lost a generation to the Church. Unless real action is taken others generations will follow. The call itself is not enough. The bishops must leave their palaces with their ivory towers to walk once more with their people. With even a little empathy they may well be surprised how easy and gratifying it is.
Fr Tom Grufferty, Christchurch, Dorset
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