The best way to resolve tensions between Irish Catholics and Rome is a good, old fashioned schism 
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As a historian of early modern Irish and British history, there aren’t many  things that capture my attention quite like the potential for a schism, and the events currently unfolding on Ireland are impossible to ignore. 
To say that it has been a difficult time for the Catholic Church in Ireland is somewhat of an understatement; clerical abuse, sex scandals, Papal tyranny, and archaic notions of society that have finally begun to catch up with those who once knew absolute power on the island. 
Some say the Church has headed down a road of terminal decline, “<a href="http://www.gladysganiel.com/irish-catholic-church/loss-and-hope-in-the-irish-catholic-church-part-ii-research-published-in-doctrine-and-life/">haemorrhaging previously committed members and surrendering its moral authority</a>”, all the while refusing to acknowledge the gravity of the issue and remaining <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-17973830">unwilling to alter the status quo</a>. 
And needless to say the press is all over it with articles like: <a href="http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/opinion/2012/0501/1224315407650.html">‘Church in Need of New Direction to Avoid Drift Towards Oblivion’</a>,  and <a href="http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/local-national/republic-of-ireland/ireland-abandoning-religion-faster-than-almost-every-other-country-16195112.html">‘Republic of Ireland Abandoning Religion Faster Than Almost Every Other Country’</a> 
But when stepping back from the hype and looking at some cold numbers, the more diligent researcher will quickly discover that the notion of ‘terminal decline’ is somewhat inaccurate. Last year’s <a href="http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/local-national/republic-of-ireland/ireland-abandoning-religion-faster-than-almost-every-other-country-16195112.html">Irish census results</a> reported that 84 per cent of people described themselves as Catholic. 
Furthermore, a <a href="http://www.cso.ie/en/media/csoie/census/documents/census2011pdr/Census%202011%20Highlights%20Part%201%20web%2072dpi.pdf">survey</a> commissioned by the <a href="http://www.amarach.com/assets/files/ConsumerForesightArchive/ACP%20Survey%20Findings%20April%202012.pdf">Association of Catholic Priests</a> (ACP) , carried out by Amarach Research in which 1,005 Catholics throughout the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland were interviewed, found that 35 per cent (one of the highest rates in Europe) reported attending Mass weekly. Over half of the participants said that they attend Mass at least once a month, and only 5 per cent reported that they never attend. 
On the issue of sexuality, three-quarters reported that they do not view the Catholic Church’s teachings on sexuality as relevant to them or their families. Sixty per cent disagreed with the statement ‘that any sexual expression of love between gay couples is immoral’, while just nine per cent strongly agreed with the Church’s teachings on homosexuality. 
The research further found that nine out of ten were in favour of <a href="http://www.associationofcatholicpriests.ie/2012/05/celibacy-in-the-catholic-church-a-brief-history/">allowing priests to marry</a>. Fifty-five per cent want bishops to serve a fixed term as opposed to serving until they are 75 years of ages, as is the current practice. Up to 77 per cent of the study group also want women to be ordained. 
Most interestingly, perhaps, is that a significant proportion of churchgoers and nearly one-quarter of its clergy are experiencing a shift in collective values which may very well lead to the ultimate change; a break with Rome in favour of an independent Irish Catholic Church. 
But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. 
Catholicism remains dominant in Ireland, but no longer do all Catholics support its core tenets. This revolutionary shift in lay attitudes puts well-meaning priests in an increasingly uncomfortable position; namely to what extent do they follow the tenets of their faith versus the increased awareness of modern social values. Furthermore, who wants to sign up for a vocation which predisposes many to view you as a potential threat to children? 
On the other hand, priests remain answerable to a Vatican which demands that the clergy teach things that are anathema to the laity’s common sense. Priests who defy these expectations are being silenced by the Holy See’s Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF), a body tasked with investigating and dealing with errors in doctrinal teaching. Priests who defy these expectations are being silenced by the Holy See’s Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF), a body tasked with investigating and dealing with errors in doctrinal teaching. This is the same body required to investigate <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sexual_abuse_scandal_in_Cloyne_diocese">clerical abuse</a>, but judging by the <a href="http://www.justice.ie/en/JELR/Pages/Cloyne_Rpt">Cloyne Report</a>, it appears it is less pressing to seek out abuse than to gag priests who express a desire for reform and a more liberal approach to Catholic doctrine. 
And then there is the issue of life outside the confines of Mass. 
If ACP is to be believed, in a modern Ireland with issues like STDs and the like being a legitimate concern, there are few priests who would preach against artificial contraception or who would chastise a congregation with regard to sex before marriage. Here we find another rock and a hard place as priests cannot openly preach acceptance of social promiscuity, so instead opt to remain quiet on these and similar topics. 
So if Rome won’t budge and a hefty number of both the clergy and laity are at odds with the doctrine of the Church, what are the options? 
The Irish Catholic Church and specifically members of the ACP can ignore the problem and go on as they have been, doggedly accepting the direction of Rome and attempt to bring people back to the fold through the hard line the Vatican wishes priests to take. But this is risky, with even the most ardent believers tarring the Church – as opposed to the religion itself –as an oppressor. 
Another option is they can bide their time and patiently wait for Pope Benedict to die. Yet this process is of indeterminate length and in the meantime many more parishioners may drift away. Even if the current Pope was to die there is no guaranteeing that his successor would entertain the idea of reform either. 
Finally, and the most effective option as this writer promotes, would be a good old fashioned schism (shock, eh?). The Irish Catholic Church has a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Celtic_Christianity">historical precedent</a> for being at odds with the doctrine of Rome, and has been ‘corrected in its errors’ since well before the time of Saint Patrick.  In thought and belief it has already begun, and it only remains to be put it into action publicly. This, of course, is much easier said than done. 
Whatever path is ultimately taken, one thing is for sure, if no reforms are enacted, people will vote with their feet and abandon the faith altogether. And when this conclusion is considered alongside the findings of the survey above, such a move would be truly radical, and heart-breaking indeed. 
The short of it is that much of what is being debated has little to do with the core teachings of Christ and more to do with long and largely out-dated tradition within the Church. 
It is time for a truly Irish Catholic Church that meets the needs of its congregation.
<pre>Image from: http://hereandnow.wbur.org/2011/04/06/clergy-sex-ireland</pre>

Schism or Bust: The Irish Catholic Church in Flux

The three distinct personalities of modern Ireland go far beyond the plastic Paddy and his slow-poured Guinness 
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Challenging the Populist Status Quo 
Ireland is known by many  as the home of the craic, the blarney and roguish poets, and while even the most ardent Irishman would entertain the idea of wearing a leprechaun hat on Saint Patrick’s Day, the Emerald Isle is much more than the stereotypes associated with the Celtic partyland of popular culture. Nor does the true Ireland conform to the darker side of its typecasting, as a shadowy land of drunks, violent men in balaclavas, and a culture based upon the currency of potatoes, sheep and oppressive religious figures. 
In order to understand the real Ireland, one must first appreciate the reasons behind the labelling and acknowledge the factual elements within, before proceeding to unravel the complexities surrounding Irish culture and history. Only then will the disseminated pieces allow for a proper reconstruction. 
But there is a hindrance, and not only from the outside world. 
In the northeast corner of the island, 30 years of troubles have cast Northern Ireland as an unstable hellhole of political dogma and hard social division. Suspicion and tension still preside on both sides of the debate, while an overwhelming number of unaffiliated parties resolutely focus on the isolated disparity. And this exists regardless of the fact that things have greatly improved since the dark days of the 1970s and 80s. What remains is a tragic lack of a single voice, where sporadic terrorist attacks putrefy within the void. 
By contrast, the prevailing consciousness outside the island is one of misapprehension manifested in slurs and an approach that some argue flirts with racism in an all too acceptable fashion. &#8216;Paddy&#8217; has become a name synonymous with idiotic buffoonery, the ancient symbolism of the shamrock desecrated, and the history of the island projected through the veil of conquest. The problem is that it is neither localised nor restricted to everyday social banter. In February 2010, the journalist and then Director of the Centre for Social Cohesion, Douglas Murray, posted a reactionary, and some argued <a href="http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/douglasmurray/100025451/anyone-know-any-irishman-jokes/">anti-Irish opinion piece</a>, in the Daily Telegraph blog that prompted readers to post derogatory jokes in response. 
Across the Atlantic, New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg came under criticism for his alcohol-centred treatment of Saint Patrick&#8217;s Day, while in July 2011, <a href="http://politicalscrapbook.net/2011/07/richard-barnes-irish-builders/">London&#8217;s Deputy Mayor for Equalities, Richard Barnes</a>, when discussing the cost of redesigning Euston Station, queried, &#8216;are they like most Irish builders, saying that it’s going to be “roughly that”?&#8217; 
In 2006, The Irish Times criticised the prison newspaper, <a href="http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/frontpage/2009/1016/1224256789057.html">Inside Times</a>, for printing a series of anti-Irish jokes in two consecutive editions, despite complaints being made. 
The most damning example were the views expressed in <a href="http://irishecho.com/?p=54215">the Guardian by Julie Burchill</a>, who linked the Irish to fascism and child abuse, while commenting on the supposed &#8216;almost compulsory child molestation by the national church, total discrimination against women who wish to be priests, aiding and abetting Herr Hitler in his hour of need and outlawing abortion and divorce.&#8217; 
This is not to say that the Irish are unable to laugh at themselves, but the humour such as that popularised by ‘Father Ted’ and ‘Give My Head Peace’ must be properly understood; it is dark comedy that exists  as an intelligent response to detractors and so must be viewed with that in mind. 
In the light of this climate, it is time to challenge the misconceptions. Broken down into its basic, but by no means comprehensive components, modern Ireland can be presented in three distinct, but closely related personalities: the independent and progressive Eurozone of the Republic; the closely guarded, but highly colourful North, forever uncertain of its prescribed Westminster governance; and the shared history of scholarly prowess, accomplished artistry and globally celebrated hospitality. To an outside mind, therefore, Ireland is a complex affair and one which understandably lends itself to the simplifying process of caricature. The resulting impression of Ireland, once the balance is struck, is a land of joviality undermined by internal dispute, and due to its restrained global presence, one that can be affectionately patronised. 
And herein lies the problem; the uneasy relationship behind Ireland, the Industry and Ireland the Island. 
Ireland the Industry is the cartoon of Ireland, embodied in the palatable, plastic Paddy with his slow-poured Guinness, wooden pipe and flat cap. He is a jolly figure, whose friendliness is interpreted as idiocy, and his regional focus as charmingly backward. Such is the force of this prescription that Ireland has been reduced to making an industry out of the caricature, a desperate measure for a desperate situation. But this must not be interpreted as acceptance, for the pragmatist is not unfamiliar with the realist. 
Ireland the Island is the proud, but brow-beaten, alter-ego of Ireland the Industry. It realises the issues that have cloaked its counterpart, and constantly battles with the problems involved. It understands that it cannot change the populist perspective of Ireland, but rather wishes to inform outsiders, and invites them to experience the real Ireland. The vibrant revival of the Irish language and celebration of Irish music, dance and arts in all forms should be acknowledged as they are things that, in theory, should be championed across the four provinces. This camp also celebrates positive treatments of the island, pointing to events such as the visit of Queen Elizabeth II in 2011, the fine historical and social commentary on the island, and the increasing efforts to effectively console the North, rebuilding relations between the communities through a celebration of cultural assets they hold as part of a common heritage as people of this island. 
This article does not wish to advocate external censorship or excessive political correctness, but to consider whether the concept of plastic paddies and bar brawls is as true a reflection of Ireland, just as the painting of other nationalities by their prescribed stereotypes. Instead, consider this an invitation for both inhabitants of the island and outsiders alike to reconsider Ireland without the lazy cloak of prejudice, and to form a sustainable and fair impression of Ireland that future generations can be proud of.
<pre>Image from: <a href="http://gawker.com/5783121/stop-pretending-like-you-care-about-st-patricks-day">http://gawker.com/5783121/stop-pretending-like-you-care-about-st-patricks-day</a></pre>

Of This Island