Secularism continues to make great strides in the Western world while the influence of the Catholic Church diminishes step by step.

In Ireland, a “stronghold” of Catholicism, the Church has just suffered a major defeat in the referendum on abortion. Reacting to the stunning news, the Archbishop of Dublin told his parishioners: “The Catholic Church in Ireland is regarded today... as having a marginal role in the formation of Irish culture.”

In another “bastion” of Catholicism further south, the Church in Malta was the loser in the divorce referendum and in its campaign against same-sex civil unions. Attendance at Sunday Mass keeps going down, from 51 per cent in 2005 to 40 per cent last year.

Twenty-six countries all over the world have legalised same-sex marriage, including Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom and the United States. Meanwhile, the Catholic Church in Chile has lost its credibility as a result of the exposure of cover-ups by bishops in the wake of sexual abuse by priests. Over 30 Chilean bishops have resigned over the scandal.

In Australia, Cardinal George Pell, one of the most powerful officials in the Vatican, has been ordered to stand trial on sexual assault charges. This is the latest in a never-ending series of scandals involving the Catholic clergy.