PRIESTS are more willing to end celibacy than ordaining women as a way of halting the decline in numbers, according to an Ireland-wide study. According to the Association of Catholic Priests (ACP) the number of clerics in active ministry on the island has dropped by 43 per cent since 1995. There are 2,019 Catholic priests in Ireland compared with 3,550 two decades ago and more than two-thirds are over the age of 55. The average age is now approaching 65. It is feared that Irish Catholic priests could disappear by 2036. According to the Irish Times, the ACP has proposed three str[...]