This article is from page 13 of the 2013-09-17 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 13 JPG
THE Killaloe Diocese has just announced an ambitious new blueprint for the development of the diocese over the next seven years – but has side-stepped a number of controversial subjects such as woman priests and allowing priests to marry.
The new Pastoral Plan for the Killaloe Diocese, which is entitled Builders of Hope, was officially launched by Bishop Kieran O’Reilly in Ennis last Friday.
The plan was devised following an extensive “listening” process among the grass roots members of the diocese, which took place over the past two years.
The process involved the setting of 12 cluster groups, including more than 700 lay Catholics and members of the clergy, in different parts of the diocese. These groups have been meeting since October of 2011, debating and suggesting changes that could be introduced.
The new Diocesan Plan mentions a number of ambitious changes for the Killaloe Diocese including an increased role for women and lay people, an open dialogue with other faiths in the diocese and developing a more open decision-making structures for the diocese.
However, a number of the more controvertial suggestions put forward by the clusters, including an end to clerical celibacy and the ordination of female priests have been omitted from the final document.
According to the information received from the Killaloe Diocese, 11 of the 12 cluster groups who took part in the report indicated that allowing priests to marry and ordaining women into ministries was a priority issues.
Despite this strong grassroots mandate for including these issues in the Building of Hope report, neither issue is mentioned directly.
In addition to the cluster meeting, the diocese also conducted two on-line surveys, which included the participation of over 1,000 young people. Indeed, increasing the participation of young people in the activities of the diocese forms a central part of the new Pastoral Plan, as does issues surround child protection.