Bishop of Killaloe Willie Walsh has questioned the right of women to be ordained - challenging the papal ban.

Bishop Walsh - who'll celebrate 50 years as a bishop this year - expressed sadness at the Church's exclusion of homosexuals and divorcees.

He also challenged a lesser Vatican rule which refuses the Eucharist to Protestants.

Bishop Walsh was addressing the Association of European Journalists in Dublin last night where he said Ireland's Catholic bishops 'owe a debt of gratitude to journalists for investigating and exposing' the abuse scandals highlighted in the Ryan report.