Bishops put on alert as Irish Catholics reject key church laws

By Colm Kelpie
Friday April 13 2012

SENIOR church figures were last night trying to come to terms with the stark findings of a report which lays bare massive alienation among huge numbers of Catholics.

The survey, for an 800-strong group of priests, found most Catholics are at odds with the hierarchy over several issues.

The vast majority of those surveyed disagreed with the Vatican's thinking on women clergy, homosexuality and celibacy for priests.

The survey found:

- 87pc believe priests should be allowed to get married.

- 77pc support the ordination of women as priests.

- 72pc believe that married men should be allowed to be ordained.

- 46pc oppose the church's stance on homosexuality.

- 75pc believe that the church's teachings on sexuality are irrelevant to their lives. the rest