Tony Flannery

Pope Francis’ action in not confirming Cardinal Muller as head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, effectively sacking him, is, in my view, probably the most significant action he has taken since he assumed office. Muller is only 69, young by Vatican standards, and under normal circumstances he would have been confirmed in his position for another five years at least.
So, clearly, Francis, by this action, is making it clear that he does not approve of the way Muller was doing his job.

There are many reasons for pessimism about the state of religious faith, and in particular of our Catholic Church, in Ireland today. The obvious ones, the drastic decline in church attendance and in recruits to the priesthood, have been well documented. In the last couple of months the Association of Catholic Priests conducted a series of meetings with priests around the country in order to give them an opportunity to talk freely about themselves and their lives.