Not long ago, Ireland was considered one of the most devout
nations in the world. Catholicism was synonymous with the Irish
identity, and for most of the 20th century, the Catholic Church
in Ireland was an immovable, unparalleled force in Irish
society. The institution had its hand in education, in hospitals
and in private life. But in the latter part of the century,
Ireland shifted its course. At the hands of the "Celtic Tiger" —
Ireland’s 1995 economic boom — the country moved toward a modern
European republic, and away from a monotheistic state. In the
1970s, more than 90 percent of Irish Catholics said they
regularly attended Mass. That number is now just under one
third. Why have Irish Catholics lost their reverence for the
once almighty Roman Catholic Church? A slew of factors come into
play, but the slow erosion of faith is due mostly to damning
revelations of clergy sex abuse scandals and the church's
intolerance in the face of changing social mores. Women's rights
and gay marriage are chief among the