The ACP says that it accepts the Creed and that it does not seek to overturn the defined teaching of the Catholic Church but these are questionable claims given its attempts to undermine settled Church teaching on issues like adultery and contraception
Vocations
In June 2014, the issue of vocations was discussed at the Irish Catholic Bishops Conference in Maynooth. The ACP called for the Church to have a plan for vocations. Father Sean McDonagh says that the Church is "facing an implosion in terms of vocations to the priesthood.". In this regard, the ACP advocates the appointment of female deacons. According to Fr.McDonagh:
"It’s fairly clear historically that women have served in the Church, despite every effort to silence their voices since the 4th century."
The ACP also called for men who left the priesthood to marry to be called back to ministry in some form. McDonagh claimed that if the ACP’s recommendations were not acted on, parish churches could be forced to close down.
Communion
The report of the Apostolic visitation to Ireland expressed some concerns about the communio of the Church. The ACP claims "We cherish and we value and we wish to further the unity of all our people, with our fellow clergy, with Religious, with our bishops and with the Successor of Peter."
Censure
Members of the association have been censured by the Roman Curia. The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith placed restrictions on the association's founder, Fr Tony Flannery who is a member of the Redemptorist Congregation. He was advised by Rome to go to a monastery where he might "pray and reflect" on his heterodox views and his role with the association. His monthly column in the congregation's monthly magazine, "Reality", has been discontinued. Restrictions have also been imposed on the magazine itself and its editor, Fr Gerard Moloney. Supporters of the censure cite that the Vatican has "a sacred obligation to investigate any religious whose teaching is contrary to that of the church: to defend those sacred teachings: and to protect the faithful from all taint of error and corruption." Other supporters advocate that those censured by the CDF are free to set up a rival church:
"Those with strong private theories and opinions have plenty of churches to choose from and, if they find none to their liking, they can always set up another.
Since that time, it has emerged that three other priests have also been silenced: Marist priest Fr Seán Fagan, Capuchin priest Fr Owen O'Sullivan and Passionist priest Fr Brian D'Arcy. At a conference organised by the ACP in Dublin's Regency Hotel, Fr Brendan Hoban told the gathering "that clamping down on "wayward" opinions was not the way to deal with issues".
Achievements
Its intervention in the case of Fr Kevin Reynolds, who was libelled in RTÉ's "Prime Time Investigates" programme – Mission to Prey – in May 2011 was instrumental is securing an apology from the broadcaster. In April 2012 it published a survey that it commissioned which revealed that nine out of 10 of the 1,000 interviewed practising Catholics said priests should be allowed to marry, with 77 per cent believing women should be ordained and three-quarters of respondents not seeing Catholic Church teachings on sexuality as relevant to them or to their family. On 30 May 2012, a steering group under the umbrella of the ACP met in All Hallows College, Dublin. The meeting, was attended by about 200 people and resulted in the establishment of a new lay organisation for Irish Catholics with an interim title of the "Association of Catholics in Ireland". The new association committed itself to "the renewal of the Catholic faith in the changed and changing circumstances of the 21st century and to the reform of the institutional church which, at this time, is experiencing conflict, crisis and lack of credibility". In November 2012, at a meeting attended by over 300 people, the objectives of the Association of Catholics in Ireland were formally approved.
