DUBLIN - The Catholic Church is under attack "partly because of the sins of some of its leaders, but mainly because of its uncompromising teachings" on marriage, said an Australian archbishop.

"Faced with this, the Church can either compromise and face irrelevance, or continue to teach Christ's truth about marriage, life and love, and pray that the world will listen," Archbishop Barry Hickey, retired archbishop of Perth, told pilgrims at the International Eucharistic Congress June 12.

His comments followed those of Canadian Cardinal Marc Oullet who earlier urged Catholics to use the resource of the family to confront the challenges of secularized societies.