Concerns have been raised about the mental health of clergy in Ireland, after a senior Catholic priest warned that suicide among priests must be urgently addressed.
Fr Michael Toomey, parish priest of the St Carlo Acutis pastoral area in the Diocese of Waterford and Lismore, says a number of priests have died by suicide in recent years, describing it as a “tragedy” and a call to action.
Speaking ahead of International Men’s Mental Health Week, Fr Toomey said there can be a tendency to place priests on a pedestal and expect them to be constantly strong and unaffected by personal struggles.
He stressed that priests are not “superhuman” and can face the same mental health challenges as anyone else.
Fr Michael Toomey joined us on The Agenda this morning to talk to us some more about this.
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