
The number of people identifying as Roman Catholics dropped by 10% in last year's Census.
A belief the church 'has too much power' is one of the main reasons for a decline in the number of people identifying as Roman Catholic.
That's according to Athlone priest, Father Pierre Pepper, after new figures from the Census have shown a 10% decline compared to 2016.
Three point six million people identified as Roman Catholic on Census day last year, which represents 69% of the population.
But Father Pepper says it's not a surprise, for anyone that has been paying attention: