ARCHBISHOP OF DUBLIN Diarmuid Martin, who yesterday said the Catholic Church in Ireland needed a ‘reality check’, has told Vatican Insider the result of the same-sex marriage referendum is a sign of a cultural revolution.
“I knew the Yes campaigners had won when I saw the high turnout for Yes votes,” Martin told the publication, part of Italian newspaper La Stampa.
“There were people queuing outside polling stations even before the doors opened. Many young people working outside Ireland came back especially to vote.”
“Even proponents of the referendum were shocked at the scale of the Yes vote,” Martin added.
“The health minister said it was not a referendum but a cultural revolution.
“The Church needs to ask itself when this cultural revolution began and why some of its members refused to see this change.
There also needs to be a review of youth pastoral care: the referendum was won with young people’s votes and 90% of young people who voted “yes” to the motion, attended Catholic schools.
In his comments yesterday, the Archbishop argued that arguing that gay rights could have been respected “without changing the definition of marriage”.
“I ask myself, most of these young people who voted yes are products of our Catholic school system for 12 years. I’m saying there’s a big challenge there to see how we get across the message of the Church.”
Catholic bishops are expected to gather later today to discuss the outcome of the referendum.
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