Two years ago Bishop John Fleming established a ‘Listening Process’ in the Diocese of Killala. The purpose of this was to listen carefully in an open manner to the priests, religious and people of the diocese as it plans for the future.
Bishop Fleming undertook, as Father Brendan Hoban noted in today’s Irish Examiner newspaper, “that whatever suggestions emerged that were within the diocese’s capacity to pursue would be incorporated into diocesan policy”. Bishop Fleming also gave a commitment to forward to the Vatican and to the Irish Catholic Bishops’ Conference the suggestions which would emerge with regard to issues which were not within his remit as bishop to implement; among these is, for example, the issue of the ordination of women.
The headline in today’s Irish Examiner does not reflect the content of Father Hoban’s interview with that paper and is entirely misleading.
ENDS
- Bishop John Fleming is Bishop of Killala. The Diocese of Killala includes portions of counties Mayo and Sligo. It has a Catholic population of 37,865, across 22 parishes. There are 48 churches in the diocese.
- The Listening Process in the Diocese of Killala was launched on 31 January 2018. The objective of the Listening Process is to gather insights from across the diocese so as to inform Church planning for the future.
For media contact: Catholic Communications Office Maynooth: Martin Long +353 (0) 86 172 7678 and Brenda Drumm +353 (0) 87 310 4444.
