'A possible disaster': Catholic Church reckons with declining interest post-pandemic Growing realisation in church that it was 'not really missed' during lockdown, says Bishop Fri, May 7, 2021, 01:00 Listen now 4:12 Fr Martin Cosgrove saying Mass in an empty Church of the Annunciation Catholic Church in Rathfarnham, Dublin. Photograph: Aidan Crawley/ EPA Your Web Browser may be out of date. If you are using Internet Explorer 9, 10 or 11 our Audio player will not work properly.
In a pastoral reflection on the future of the Catholic Church last month, one of the church’s newest and youngest bishops, Bishop of Clonfert Michael Duignan (50), pondered the challenges that lie ahead.