The Catholic Church has had a great influence on social policy in Ireland which began in the 19th century. They worked from two main headings: educational influence and practical influence. As practical influence was the more important of the two, the Catholic Church developed an extremely important practical role in social services before evolving. Today, this order is reversed. The Church's role as a service provider was deteriorating mainly because declining vocations left the Church without suitable people to take on their role. The reputation of the Catholic Church has also been damaged by reports uncovered of shocking abuse by Catholic clergy of vulnerable people, particularly children, who had been placed in their care. Despite the effects of these scandals, the new ways of influencing the social policy debate are very effective and may well offer a means by which the Church can play an important role in the development of social policy in the future ( Socialjustice.com. 2014). In the 19th century, the survival of the Catholic Church depended in part on its ability to develop a powerful role as a provider of social services. Catholic schools, hospitals, orphanages and other similar services proliferated during the 19th century. Overall, the role of the Catholic Church as a service provider was an extraordinary organizational achievement and exceeded anything provided by any other non-state organization. According to the website Socialjustice.com (2014), another characteristic of the Catholic offer, which has had an impact on social policy, is its overwhelming nature and the lack of intellectual and theoretical basis. Catholic religious community...... middle of document ......Catholic Church authorities were aware of the many cases of abuse, but sought to resolve the many problems they presented by moving the priests from one post to another in the hope that they would interrupt the activities in which they were involved. The bishops' failure to act on adverse reports was inexplicable and represented a completely inappropriate and inadequate response. The role of the Catholic Church as a provider of many services throughout Ireland has helped provide for many families. The Church was involved in the management of many institutions such as schools and hospitals. However, it is today indisputable that the status of what it once held has deteriorated due to the numerous declines in vocations and the numerous cases of abuse revealed in recent years. What was once a strong community has been betrayed by what was once considered the pillar of society..