A changing church

Sir, – “We are Church Ireland” welcomes the results of the Ipsos-MRBI poll (Home News, November 30th) as they confirm vast support…

Sir, – “We are Church Ireland” welcomes the results of the Ipsos-MRBI poll (Home News, November 30th) as they confirm vast support for the aims of our organisation, especially for the ordination of women priests and the lifting of the ban on clerical celibacy.

It is significant from the results of the poll that Irish people can differentiate between what are essential unchangeable Christian beliefs like the existence of God, the death, resurrection and divinity of Christ and those which are inessential and changeable like the ban against women’s ordination and the ban on clerical celibacy.

Is there any possibility that the hierarchical Catholic church can learn to see issues as clearly as its lay sisters and brothers? – Yours, etc,

BRENDAN BUTLER,

We are Church,

Clonskeagh Square,

Dublin 14.