Former President of Ireland Mary McAleese has said that she thinks that the running of the Catholic Church 'must change' and that it is 'no longer fit for purpose'.
It comes as the former President spoke in length about her thoughts of gender equality within the structures of the church, the exclusions of LGBTQIA+ people within the Catholic Church community and even her own experience and faith, at a conference.
Speaking of her reflection of Catholicism and her own faith, President McAleese identified a number of as issues she hopes to see improved including the power imbalance in the church, the exclusion of women from church roles and the treatment of the LGBTQIA+ community.
“I’ve read everything that has been written on theology that excludes women and I’ve read nothing yet that is impressive,” said Ms McAleese.
“It’s just enough to stop people from whinging and complaining and to look like you’re doing something. But what you’re doing is never really addressing the fundamental inequalities and the fundamental waste of talent.
“I think the church has to change and the governance structure has to change. The hierarchical construct belongs to an old empire. It’s no longer fit for purpose,” she said.
The two-hour long event took place in Mary Immaculate College (MIC), Co Limerick and saw Dr Patricia Kieran, director of the Irish Institute for Catholic Studies (IICS) speak with Ms McAleese in front of an audience made up of the college’s students, staff and community.
In a detailed and wide-ranging conversation, Ms McAleese spoke about her upbringing in a Catholic family in a Protestant neighbourhood in Belfast, her perception of the Church in her formative years, her work as a lawyer, and her renewed focus on Catholicism since leaving Áras an Uachtaráin in 2011.
“What we don’t have is, if you like, a stable forum in which our bishops meet the people of God on the basis of equality.
“Our Episcopal conference, if it meets laypeople, they are brought in as invited guests or experts. I just don’t think it’s the right fit,” Ms McAleese said, while discussing how the Church could initiate conversation concerning integration with those who support it.
“I think our bishops have had a massive problem because of the clerical abuse and trust being shattered. At the end of the day, due to the way it's structured at the moment, the decision still ends up being filtered through the numbers of bishops - they have to have a majority.”