Archbishop of Dublin: feedback on IEC and Irish Church's future
As the International Eucharistic Congress in Dublin heads into its final days, the
city's Archbishop, Diarmuid Martin speaks to Vatican Radio in an exclusive interview
about how the congress can impact on the future of the Irish Church and his impressions
of the event.
Listen to the full interview by Emer McCarthy with Archbishop
Martin:
Archbishop
Martin says his impressions of the Congress so far are very positive: "the impression
you get is that the Irish Church is growing in a different direction, a new direction,
but a healthy one and I think we're on the right track." At the same time the Archbishop
cautions against hopes of a rapid transformation in Ireland as a result of a week-long
Eurcharist Congress: "You're not going to change the Church in seven days," he warns.
Archbishop Martin also speaks about the important ecumenical element of the
Dublin congress which he himself wanted and stresses the need for greater unity within
the Catholic Church in Ireland for a more effective evangelisation: "If the Church
itself could overcome many of the petty divisions that are present in the Church in
Ireland, I believe it'll be a great witness to others as to what communion means in
a society," he says.