The Pope gives a homily. Pope Francis has recently urged priests to keep their homilies short, suggesting a maximum of ten minutes to ensure their message is clear. Speaking during a General Audience, the pontiff said, “After 8 minutes, preaching gets dispersive and no one understands. Never go over 10 minutes, ever! This is very important.”
In response, three Irish priests shared their thoughts with The Irish Catholic, all expressing support for the Pope’s advice while offering differing insights on the topic.
Fr Benedict McGlinchey OP, based in Co. Louth, agreed, explaining that he follows a similar approach. “I try to follow Newman’s advice to keep it to 7 minutes. Somebody told me Newman said that, but that’s what I do,” he remarked. Fr McGlinchey noted that attention spans are limited and that homilies should be focused on drawing out essential theological ideas with practical applications. “You can’t teach, for example, the doctrine of the Trinity in a homily,” he said, “but you can draw out some essential theological point and try to give it some practical application.”
Fr Eoghan Ó Cadhla, based in Co. Kerry, highlighted the influence of modern technology on people’s expectations. “With the advent of social media, people expect things to be put very quickly,” he noted. Fr Ó Cadhla emphasised that shorter homilies engage better with congregations familiar to brief and focused communication.” I think the congregation would be very much in agreement with Pope Francis,” he said, acknowledging that longer sermons risk losing their audience’s attention.
Fr Paddy Byrne, from Co. Laois, praised the Pope’s “pragmatic teaching” and criticised unprepared sermons. “Homilies are a rich opportunity that’s often deeply spoilt by prolonged, unprepared sermons,” he said. Fr Byrne argued that preparation is key to delivering meaningful, concise messages that connect with parishioners. “To get up and ramble for over 10 minutes can be quite painful to listen to,” he added, noting that most people in the Church would warmly welcome the Pope’s guidance.
While each priest has different reasons for supporting shorter homilies, they all agreed on the importance of the message preached. Whether influenced by attention spans, preparation, or changing societal expectations, they all agreed that short preaching is not only practical but essential for effective evangelisation.