Archbishop of Dublin Dr Diarmuid Martin has called for more lay involvement in the church and warned priests in his diocese that they must not hinder more involvement from the laity. Dr Martin made his call at the ordination of a new priest, Fr Conleth Meehan for the Dublin Archdiocese at the weekend, a ceremony that was combined with the induction of ten lay workers to minister in Dublin parishes.
Speaking at the ceremony he said, "The fact that this year we are ordaining just one new priest is a cause of concern. The number of priests in the diocese is going down, our priests are getting older and yet there is more work than ever to be done.”
He claimed that there would be an increasing need for greater involvement of lay people in the church over the coming years and months.
He added, “We have excellent parish pastoral councils which have shown the way forward in enriching ministry, adding, that, “however, we also have pastoral councils which have not yet grown in their task and indeed, in a small number of cases, pastoral councils which may not have been allowed to grow because of their priest.”
And in a poignant message to his priests in the Archdiocese of Dublin he said that, “the specific authority of a priest is abused if he does not welcome and foster full participation of all men and women in the activity of his parish.”
He went on to say that while increasing lay workers brought a spirit of renewal for the church, these workers were not an alternative to priests.
SIC: CIN