THE role of women in the Catholic Church in Ireland needs to be increased, members of a priests' association have said.
Members of the Association of Catholic Priests called for the role of women to be enhanced by their appointment as pastors and other key positions in parish ministries.
The association said that while the ordination of women may be prohibited by the church, women involved at all levels should be given greater responsibility.
The matters were discussed yesterday at the AGM of the Association of Catholic Priests in Athlone, Co Westmeath.
RTÉ reported that some members discussed a model used in some diocese in the US where a woman could be the chair of a parish.
Earlier this month, hundreds of bishops met in Rome to debate a proposal to ordain married men in an attempt to address a shortage of priests in the Amazon region.
