Ireland's Catholic bishops are thought likely to announce today whether they plan to introduce lay deacons to assist with church liturgies. Their autumn meeting has been taking place at St Patrick's College Maynooth this week and will continue through today.
The matter of the lay deaconate has been under discussion by the bishops for well over a year and has been prompted both by falling vocations and a desire to cultivate greater lay involvement in the church. Lay deacons are comparatively commonplace in the Catholic Church in other countries.
The deacons, who according to canon law may only be men, will be able to perform most functions associated with the priesthood apart from celebrating the Eucharist and hearing confession.
Single men who become deacons, after an anticipated three-year training period, will have to take a vow of celibacy, though it is also being considered whether married men could become deacons.
Other matters believed to be on the bishops' agenda this week include a proposed abortion referendum. They may also respond to the Church of Ireland bishops' request for clarification of the recent Dominus Iesus document and its implications for ecumenical relations in Ireland.
The document, which described other religions as seriously deficient and said the truth of Christianity subsisted in the Catholic church, has angered many reformed churches, particularly members of the Anglican Church.
It has been strongly defended by the Archbishop of Dublin, Dr Desmond Connell, who is a member of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, which prepared Dominus Iesus.
It is thought probable the Irish bishops will refer the Church of Ireland Bishops' request to the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith in Rome.
