2012-06-15 Vatican Radio

As the International Eucharistic Congress in Dublin heads into its final days, the city's Archbishop, Diarmuid Martin speaks to Vatican Radio in an exclusive interview about how the congress can impact on the future of the Irish Church and his impressions of the event.

Listen to the full interview by Emer McCarthy with Archbishop Martin:

Archbishop Martin says his impressions of the Congress so far are very positive: "the impression you get is that the Irish Church is growing in a different direction, a new direction, but a healthy one and I think we're on the right track." At the same time the Archbishop cautions against hopes of a rapid transformation in Ireland as a result of a week-long Eurcharist Congress: "You're not going to change the Church in seven days," he warns.

Archbishop Martin also speaks about the important ecumenical element of the Dublin congress which he himself wanted and stresses the need for greater unity within the Catholic Church in Ireland for a more effective evangelisation: "If the Church itself could overcome many of the petty divisions that are present in the Church in Ireland, I believe it'll be a great witness to others as to what communion means in a society," he says.