THE Catholic Archbishop of Dublin, Dr Connell, has said the church has no power to introduce changes where the priesthood is concerned.
In a homily delivered at the ProCathedral yesterday, he said: "The Sacrament of Holy Orders pertains to the essential constitution and structure of the church." It was not invented by the church, but as it was "given by Christ, it is prior to every decision the church is entitled to make".
That was why "the church has no power to introduce changes affecting holy orders not authorised by that which the apostles received from Christ and passed on to the church in tradition under the guidance of the Holy Spirit."
The Archbishop appealed to the people of the diocese to be generous in supporting the education of candidates for the priesthood and asked that they pray earnestly for an increase in vocations.
Already, he said, he lacked enough priests "to serve in the parishes, the hospitals, the schools, the prisons of the diocese, and in the agencies founded to promote a flourishing Catholic life."
