One of Cork County Council's most unusual motions was agreed yesterday by the members. It calls on the Catholic Church to view the lack of vocations as an urgent matter and one that might be rectified if bishops throughout the State and the higher church authorities considered making the vow of celibacy optional, together with the ordination of women priests.
There wasn't much debate on the issue yesterday when Mr Conor O'Callaghan, a Mitchelstown-based councillor, proposed the idea.
In his motion he said that in the light of the serious drop in vocations and the consequent seriousness of the fallout for local communities, the council should use its weight to impress on bishops, as well as the Archbishop of Armagh, the need for radical reforms in the church. "The consequences of this for our communities are extremely serious . . . I am not suggesting that the celibacy vow and marriage prohibition is the only problem but I believe it is a significant deterrent in keeping vocations low and a huge factor in the numbers leaving the priesthood.
"Recent surveys have indicated that this is the case. In bringing the motion, I am not proposing an argument on behalf of the church. I am simply expressing a view held by the vast majority of the Irish people.
"A recent survey indicated that over two-thirds of our population was in favour of the ordination of women priests. I believe an even greater amount will be in favour of having the vow of celibacy optional and allowing priests to marry should they choose.
"While not attempting to give the impression that I represent any view within the church, it is obviously difficult for those involved to raise this argument . . . Finally, I believe that the clear signs are that the church is facing a crisis situation and that a pro-active approach at this stage is necessary."