Church Needs 'Reality Check' On Gay Marriages

The Archbishop of Dublin has said the Catholic Church needs a "reality check" following Ireland's landslide vote to legalise gay marriage.

Diarmuid Martin also claimed that the referendum's outcome was the result of a "social revolution" which had been brewing nationwide for some time.

Indicating that religious leaders had some soul searching to do following the Yes vote, he told RTE: "I think the Church needs to do a reality check right across the board.

"Have we drifted away completely from young people? Most of those people who voted Yes are products of our Catholic schools for 12 years."

During the candid interview, Mr Martin claimed that getting the Church's message across had become a "big challenge" – not least because its influence in Irish society has dwindled in light of increasing secularism and a series of child abuse scandals.

The archbishop also suggested that the Catholic Church in Ireland was becoming a "safe space for the like-minded", instead of an institution that "reaches out" to all sectors of society – in line with the work of Pope Francis.

According to Mr Martin, some of the Church's religious figures may have appeared to be harsh, unloving and damning of gay people while pushing for a No vote – the very opposite of what they intended.

Although the Pope has spoken out against same-sex marriages, he signified a change in the Vatican's views on homosexuality while answering reporters' questions in 2013.

He had said: "If a person is gay and seeks God and has good will, who am I to judge?"

There has been a sharp decline in attendance at masses in recent decades across Ireland, even though census data shows that 84.2% of the population still identify themselves as Catholic.

Friday's landmark vote could pave the way for other social policy changes to be put to a popular vote – namely abortion, which remains outlawed.

It also remains to be seen whether a similar referendum could take place in Northern Ireland, which is now the only place in the British Isles to not allow same-sex marriages.

Joan Burton, Ireland's Deputy Prime Minister, spoke with passion about the people who will gain most from the upcoming constitutional changes – which could see ceremonies for gay couples take place by the end of the year.

"Most of all, I'll think of the children," she said.

"The children in every town, village and schoolyard who will now grow up knowing their country accepts them – whoever it is they one day grow to be, and whoever it is they one day grow to love."