A notable development the past few decades has been the steady erosion of the majority religion in Ireland. Where once the Catholic Church played a prominent, even unhealthy, role in the public and private lives of most of the population, now the levels of practice in parts of Dublin are well below 10%. Since the grossly inept mishandling of the revelations of child sexual abuse by a small number of priests in Ireland, the members of the hierarchy seem demoralized and incapable of offering the type of prophetic witness that is needed to regain the lost ground. This book examines the state of Catholicism in Ireland. The contributors include clergy, educators, journalists, academics and artists who have something of significance to say about their experience of contemporary Catholicism. The overall aim of the book is to contribute to an on-going debate about what must be done to create a credible and constructive future for the church in Ireland.
