Numbers prove that most couples still want priest to preside over wedding, says bishop
A SENIOR Catholic bishop says priests will be always be more in demand for weddings than solemnisers.
Bishop Denis Nulty, who is president of Catholic marriage agency Accord, pointed to CSO statistics citing some 52pc of couples in Ireland opting to get married in the Catholic Church.
“The fact that 52pc are choosing to marry in the Catholic Church in 2019, saying we believe in this and this is important to us, is a superbly positive fact. I think people want the priest and the church,” he said.
When quizzed about Bishop of Clogher Larry Duffy’s recent comments about lay people performing funeral duties, and whether they might preside at Catholic wedings, Dr Nulty said roles that could be played by lay people needed to be explored.
Different
“I think we have to see where the other possibilities of lay involvement are. Some people are registered solemnisers of civil marriage but that is a slightly different thing,” he said.
Yesterday, Dr Nulty blessed engaged couple Emer Duffy and Killian Casey from Rathfarnham at the Shrine of St Valentine in Whitefriar Street Church in Dublin’s city centre. The couple are set to marry in 2020.
In front of the ancient relics of St Valentine, Dr Nulty highlighted that this year marks the 1,750th anniversary of the death of the Roman saint, and said many couples visit the Dublin shrine.
Speaking to the Irish Independent about Accord’s figures for 2018, the bishop said 16,048 individuals attended marriage preparation courses with the organisation last year.
New research by Maynooth University was also unveiled yesterday. The study was carried out on 3,000 men and women by the university for Accord on the issues and outcomes from counselling by the agency.
Among the issues identified as contributing to relationship problems were mobile technology and social media.
Issues of culture, religion and values were also identified as contributing to relationship difficulties.
“For some couples, their belief systems, the value they place on education, their cultures may be very different. We are going to become much more diverse in Ireland in the future and Accord’s marriage preparation will have to take this issue into greater consideration in the years ahead,” Dr Nulty acknowledged.
The study also showed that women are more likely to rate childcare and home duties as a problem.
Last week, Bishop Larry Duffy explained that due to the lack of priests and the ageing profile of those in ministry, it was becoming increasingly difficult for priests to even find the time to attend the wedding receptions of couples they marry.