The Republic of Ireland is officially 92% Roman Catholic. However there had been a massive decline in adherence to Roman Catholicism among Irish catholics. In five years, Mass attendance, already previously in decline, has fallen from 60% to 48%. All but two of its priest-training seminaries have either closed or are expected to close soon. The Church was hit in the 1990s by a series of sexual scandals; from the resignation of one bishop who had fathered a child by a divorced cousin to the notorious case of child sexual abuser Fr. Brendan Smyth. In recent years, another bishop had been forced to resign over his incompetent handling of paedophile priests in his diocese. The second largest religion, the Church of Ireland (Anglican), is itself in decline, with a largely elderly membership. In recent years, it has been forced to close down many of its rural churches, and some even in urban areas. A similar phenomenon is also affecting the very small Jewish Congregation in Ireland. The only religions showing a major growth are Islam and small born again christian faiths associated with Ireland's growing immigrant community.
