Church must ordain women

Sir — This year has the potential to be an important year for Irish Catholics. The scheduled visit of Pope Francis provides an opportunity for us all to reflect on our roles within the Church, and indeed the position of the Church itself within Irish society.

The reality is that the Catholic Church in Ireland has been in decline for more than a decade, as evidenced by a dramatic fall-off in regular church attendances, and in this context, I believe it is imperative that we evaluate the role of women in the Church as a matter of urgency.

In many areas of life in Ireland and elsewhere, women have gained or are gaining parity with their male counterparts. It is simply unacceptable in this day and age that women remain excluded from the Sacrament of Priesthood in the Church.

Yes, women play many important roles in the day-today running of the Church, but the ban on women as priests is discriminatory and is actually counter-productive. As an increasing number of people disengage from the Church, the energy and leadership that women priests could provide would be a major boost.

I have two young daughters myself whom I would like to bring up in the Catholic Church, but I find it increasingly difficult to explain to them or justify the inferior position of women within it.

Girls today expect to be treated equally to boys, and if the Catholic Church doesn’t embrace this reality, then it will continue to lose relevance.

To put it simply, the time has come for the Catholic Church to permit the ordination of women. Not only is it the right thing to do, it is actually vital for the future of the Church.

I hope that Pope Francis receives a warm Irish welcome later this year. However, I believe we also need to impress upon him that Catholics in Ireland believe in the equality of women within the Church.

I have no doubt that it is only a matter of time before this happens, as it has in other Christian Churches, but surely that time is now.

It would be of enormous benefit to the Church and, in reality, there is no convincing argument to deny it any longer.

I know there are many Catholics who share my point of view, and I suspect that Pope Francis may be amenable to change.

A strong voice from Irish Catholics demanding equality for women within the Church can make a real difference. The time to act is now.

If you feel like I do, and think we can work together to make this change, then let’s make it happen. M O’Sullivan, Co Cork