The Church of Ireland Archdeacon of Dublin, the Venerable Gordon Linney, has said the church continues to be out of touch with the modern world.
Speaking at the installation of the new Dean of Christ Church Cathedral, the Very Rev Desmond Harman, Archdeacon Linney also said that Christian communities should do more to promote a positive relationship with and understanding of Islamic peoples.
Dean Harman, a Clerical Honorary Secretariy of the General Synod, was appointed last January to replace Dean John Paterson, who retired on health grounds. Archdeacon Linney told the congregation at Christ Church last night that "we live in an increasingly missionary situation and unfortunately we have a speech problem."
"We make assumptions about people's beliefs and operate like builders putting the finishing touches to the penthouse on the 40th floor not realising that the ground floors are missing. People simply do not have the basics. We need to communicate in a contemporary theological language that connects with people where they are."
He also highlighted the importance of the church reaching out and engaging with wider society, as Christ Church Cathedral had done in recent years, by entering "into a new and growing ecumenical role".
"This Cathedral welcomes tens of thousands of visitors every year - a rich diversity of people. Many are Christian, but others come from other great faith traditions such as Judaism and Islam.
"It is particularly important in today's tense world that we should reach out in friendship and with respect to Islamic peoples and discourage views that are ill-informed and divisive."
The Archdeacon said that "we need the grace and the humility to recognise the integrity of other faith experiences".
He also expressed his warmest good wishes to Cardinal Desmond Connell on his retirement as Archbishop of Dublin.
"I thank him personally for the kindness and courtesy he has always extended to me." He also assured Archbishop Diarmuid Martin, who was in the congregation last night, "of our prayers and good wishes as he takes on new and great responsibilities".