The National Conference of Priests of Ireland (NCPI), which has represented both diocesan and religious priests in Ireland for 31 years, is set to wind up.According to a report in the Irish Catholic newspaper, a lack of activity in local branches meant that there were insufficient delegates to validly elect a new President at this year's AGM of the Conference.
A motion was put before the AGM to wind up the NCPI and this was agreed.
Reacting to the news, outgoing President Fr John Littleton said that it was "a sad reflection on the morale of priests in Ireland".
The National Executive Committee (NEC) of the NCPI will now assist in the legal process of winding up the Conference.
A spokesperson for the NEC, Fr William Bermingham, said that there seemed to be "a lack of connection between the NEC and priests in local areas".
"Priests didn't seem to feel a sense of ownership regarding the NCPI," he said. This had created organisational difficulties, which the NEC had been seeking to address.
However, ultimately they had decided to cease operations, in order to allow the possibility for a new representative body to emerge.
However, Fr Bermingham stressed that such a body would have to emerge after a great deal of reflection amongst priests. "We have no template for an alternative body," he insisted.
He said that the organisation had "worked very well over the past number of years", but that such operations "tend to bloom and wane".
For over three decades, the NCPI has acted as the professional body for priests nationally, and has sought to promote every aspect of the priestly ministry.
However, Fr Bermingham suggested that, with priests taking on increasingly specialised roles, such as school chaplaincy, the remit of the NCPI had perhaps been too wide.
The work of the winding up committee will include finalising all the legal and financial details, and it is expected that it will have concluded its task by the end of November.
At their autumn meeting, the bishops expressed concern at the current absence of a national representative body for priests.
"The NCPI played an important role as a forum to support the priests of Ireland, and to discuss and represent their views. Since it was founded over thirty years ago, it has promoted and organised many useful initiatives for priests - diocesan, religious and missionary - including residential renewal programmes and annual conferences," said the statement they released yesterday.
The bishops have now decided that the President of the Bishops’ Conference will invite the chairman of each Diocesan Council of Priests, from across the country, to a meeting to see what can be done.
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