Priests' group: Cloyne Report row 'tipping point' for many
A representative of the Catholic Priests Association has said the current spat between the Taoiseach and the Vatican is putting people's faith at risk.
It follows the Vatican's response to the Taoiseach Enda Kenny's criticism of it following the Cloyne Report.
The response took particular issue with the claim by the Taoiseach that the Vatican was trying to undermine investigations into clerical child sex abuse allegations three years ago.
Fr Tony Flannery from the Association of Catholic Priests says the entire situation has "not been helpful".
Fr Flannery said: "It's having a serious affect on people. I was at a meeting of priests some weeks ago who were responding to the Cloyne Report.
"There was a feeling among some of the priests there that maybe this whole thing was the tipping point and that people who up to now had hung in there in the Church and who were actually committed to their faith were now trending to say 'I still want my faith, but I'm just finding it impossible to take the Church at the moment."
