I think the President's speech to the Priests' Association was generally received as rather bland when contrasted with quite radical statements she has made in the past. 

 She has been strong on the rights of women and is known to favour ordination of women if women wish it. She is known to be impatient of weak church leadership and gave good example by receiving the Eucharist in an Anglican church. With this background it was considered that what she said to the Priests' Association was to be seen as gentle encouragement rather than an expression of her best views. But she is constrained of course since all speeches have to be approved by government. As time has gone on she is seen to be getting more and more careful rather than carefree, which is a pity. 

 The present Priests' Association came about as follows: In the sixties and seventies Irish priests came together to form their own association. It managed to gather together a good number of priests and became more or less well organised in different dioceses in Ireland according to the radicalism - or lack of it - of Priests' discourse at the time. When it appeared that the Association was going to survive, and was asking for better relationships between priests and the rest of the church and for just processes within the church for those who had complaints or those against whom there were complaints, the hierarchy founded its own Priests' Association, which is the one existing now and which Mary McAleese addressed. Most priests then who wanted an association joined the hierarchical one and the original one withered. From time to time this association has made some interesting and reformatory statements but never anything radical. So Mary Mc Aleese's speech was tempered by all this. 

Fr. Des Wilson, Springhill Community, Belfast

An Irish President’s scope for comment is extremely limited - especially in  the area of religion. Before becoming President of Ireland, Mary McAleese was  very active in Dublin BASIC (Brothers and Sisters in Christ), which  campaigns for the ordination of women in the Catholic Church. 

She continues to be a member of the group and keeps herself informed of our  progress, through our Newsletter and close friendship with the founder, Soline  Vatinel. 

Two years ago, she received our Core Group at her official residence, Áras  an Uachtaráin and was pleased to accept a copy of Bohdan  Piasecki’s "Last Supper". This extraordinary painting depicts the Last Supper as  a Jewish family gathering, with women and children taking part - rather than an  exclusive event confined to twelve Renaissance males. 

Where Mary McAleese stands in a personal capacity is not in doubt: she wants  a radical shake-up of church structures and spirituality, to be achieved by  opening all ministries to women. However, as President, she has to be  circumspect.

The agenda devised by the organisers of this conference - with eyes wide  shut, lest they rock any further the leaking raft of the Irish hierarchy  betrays the extent to which the Irish church lags behind the rest of the  thinking world, the Vatican alone excepted. Thirty-five years on from the Second  Vatican Council, the "laity" are still an object of curiosity and "youth"  remains unchartered territory.

BASIC held a protest outside the gates of the conference. One poster asked:  Can the Church/Discover with faith/ Recognise with joy/ Foster with  diligence/ Women’s vocations/ To ordination? And another: Women Deacons  & Priests/ With God nothing is impossible. Mary McAleese had not been  informed by us in advance and waved happily to our members on the way in.  Several times during her speech, she referred to the protest outside    remarks,  of course, which do not appear in the official text.

An initial reading of that official text is like wading through blancmange.  Only those delegates with ears to hear would have experienced any discomfort.  Between the lines, however, a radically different message emerges: I know what  you are going through. But have courage: it is a time of Kairos, not  Chaos, of God-given opportunity. There is spiritual famine out there -  which only a ministry of men and women working together can address. Your choice  is stark: to preside over a mausoleum - or bring about a new, vibrant church in  the spirit of Vatican 2.

Personally, I would have preferred something more "in your face"; but a  president must remain a president. Whether she should have accepted the  invitation in the first place, is of course, another matter.

Joseph Sheehy, Springhill Community, Belfast
 
 

Mary McAleese has gained enormous support and respect, and she has said what most people would say if they had her  courage. The Church is very powerful here and people won't risk speaking out. It certainly has not done Mary any harm. We are absolutely delighted with her as President. People say that she is a great role model for women.

Martina Carroll, Dublin