The Pope’s envoy to Ireland, Papal Nuncio Archbishop Charles Brown, has said the Catholic Church’s teachings on the subject are clear, there will never be any possibility of the ordination of women.

Earlier this year a poll carried out by the Association of Catholic Priests (ACP) showed that nine out of ten Irish Catholics would approve of women and married priests in the Catholic Church.

Brown, a New York native, said that Pope John Paul II had spoke at length on the subject in 1994. He said the Catholic Church was “simply unable to do that.”

Brown said it was not a question of choice within the Catholic Church, it was about being “obedient and faithful to the continual tradition of the Catholic faith.”

Speaking to the Irish Independent,Brownsaid, “The Catholic faithexists in part because of the tradition of the faith and that tradition on that point is totally clear, completely clear.

“The Holy Father has spoken on that and I don't think as a result we're going to have women priests.”

Brown said faith in the Irish Catholic Churchis very much still alive and was a “great sign of hope.”

He said, “There are certainly challenges that the Irish Church is facing but having said that, if one goes out to the parishes and speaks to the people and the priests, one gets quite a different impression than one gets if simply watching television or reading newspapers.”

Read more: Nine out of ten Irish Catholics believe priests should be allowed to marry