 Catholic Church in Ireland | |
|---|---|
| Irish: An Eaglais Chaitliceach in Éirinn | |
| Type | National polity |
| Classification | Catholic |
| Orientation | Latin |
| Scripture | Bible |
| Theology | Catholic theology |
| Governance | Episcopal |
| Pope | Francis |
| Primate of All Ireland | Eamon Martin |
| Primate of Ireland | Dermot Farrell |
| Apostolic Nuncio | Luis Mariano Montemayor[1] |
| Region | Ireland |
| Language | Irish (historically), English, Latin (liturgical) |
| Headquarters | Ara Coeli, Armagh, Northern Ireland |
| Founder | St. Patrick |
| Origin | Claims continuity with Celtic Christianity c. 430. Roman diocesan structure introduced c. 1111 at Synod of Ráth Breasail. Gaelic Ireland |
| Separations | Church of Ireland (1536) |
| Members | 3,515,861 (2022) |
| Official website | Irish Bishops' Conference |
| Part of a series on |
| Celtic Christianity |
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| Portal Christianity |
The Catholic Church in Ireland (Irish: An Eaglais Chaitliceach in Éireann, Ulster Scots: Catholic Kirk in Airlann) or Irish Catholic Church, is part of the worldwide Catholic Church in communion with the Holy See. With 3.5 million members (in the Republic of Ireland), it is the largest Christian church in Ireland. In the Republic of Ireland's 2022 census, 69% of the population identified as Roman Catholic.[2] By contrast, 41% of people in Northern Ireland identified as Catholic at the 2011 census; it is expected that this proportion will increase in the coming years.[3] The Archbishop of Armagh, as the Primate of All Ireland, has ceremonial precedence in the church. The church is administered on an all-Ireland basis. The Irish Catholic Bishops' Conference is a consultative body for ordinaries in Ireland.
Christianity has existed in Ireland since the 5th century and arrived from Roman Britain (most famously associated with Saint Patrick), forming what is today known as Gaelic Christianity. It gradually gained ground and replaced the old pagan traditions. The Catholic Church in Ireland cites its origin to this period and considers Palladius as the first bishop sent to the Gaels by Pope Celestine I. However, during the 12th century a stricter uniformity in the Western Church was enforced, with the diocesan structure introduced with the Synod of Ráth Breasail in 1111 and culminating with the Gregorian Reform which coincided with the Anglo-Norman invasion of Ireland.
After the Tudor conquest of Ireland, the English Crown attempted to import the Protestant Reformation into Ireland. The Catholic Church was outlawed and adherents endured oppression and severe legal penalties for refusing to conform to the religion established by law — the Church of Ireland. By the 16th century, Irish national identity coalesced around Irish Catholicism. For several centuries, the Irish Catholic majority were suppressed. In the 19th century, the church and the British Empire came to a rapprochement. Funding for Maynooth College was agreed as was Catholic emancipation to ward off revolutionary republicanism. Following the Easter Rising of 1916 and the creation of the Irish Free State, the church gained significant social and political influence. During the late 20th century, a number of sexual abuse scandals involving clerics emerged.
- ^ "Rinunce e nomine, 25.02.2023". Vatican Media.
- ^ "Religion - CSO - Central Statistics Office". 26 October 2023. Retrieved 24 October 2024.
- ^ Young, David. "Protestant-Catholic gap narrows as census results revealed". Belfasttelegraph. Retrieved 15 May 2018.