Speaking to ciNews after the official opening of a new care centre for young adults run by Crosscare, the Archbishop made his comments in response to the news that the Association of Catholic Priests now has over 1,000 members, ninety-nine per cent of whom are Irish priests working in Ireland.
Dr Martin also warned that there is a, “real danger,” in the Church attempting to move on from the clerical abuse scandals as this could result in it forgetting what happened in the past.
He said the past would, “belong to all of us who are part of that Church, and that will never change,” and he added that the Church’s focus must be to ensure that child protection services are in place and that they are verified as being in place.
The Archbishop also said education in the faith would be extremely important for the success of the New Evangelisation in the years to come. He said both reform and renewal would be part of the process, it was not a matter of either or.
“If you think that reform in the Church is just about changing a few structures, that isn’t going to work,” he warned, and added that renewing the faith in people would involve educating them in the faith and helping them become like those who work for Crosscare who, “show what their faith means.”
Separately, in his homily while administering the sacrament of confirmation at St Kevin’s Church, Harrington Street in Dublin, Archbishop Martin acknowledged that the Church needs to examine its structures and the way in which it witnesses in the world.
“But reform will never be just about reform of structures,” he said and added, “Renewal involves, above all, an opening of our hearts to the power of the Spirit who will allow us to grow strong in the depths of our Christian existence.”
He suggested that where the life of faith is marked by tiredness, the message of Jesus must be proclaimed and that the message of Jesus must be proclaimed in its integrity and with confidence.
“The Gospel must be preached in its integrity and with full confidence, even if its message does not seem to be received by those to whom it is preached. This is the challenge of New Evangelisation. We should never lose confidence,” the Archbishop urged.
“Faith is not a formula or an ideology, nor a list of rules and norms or simple aesthetics,” the Primate of Ireland said.
“Renewal in our faith is not simply an intellectual exercise. It is about entering into a relationship with Jesus and making our lives like that of Jesus himself.”
He said that change involves authenticity and integrity in our choices and decisions.
Recalling that fifty years ago the Second Vatican Council stressed the centrality of the call to holiness for each and every Christian, the Archbishop concluded, “True reform of the Church will come through that search for holiness through responding to the call of the Spirit.”