Disgusted by waves of scandal, Ireland’s Catholics are boycotting Mass and turning their backs on the church
Publication
The Week
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Ireland used to be easily the most Catholic country in the world. The church's connection to the island nation dates to St. Patrick's conversion in the 5th century, and the modern Irish state is explicitly bound up with the church. In 1984, nearly 90 percent of Irish Catholics went to Mass every week. But by 2011, only 18 percent did. It's a massive cultural shift.