Afterward, the archbishop of Dublin, Diarmuid Martin, said the church was growing out of touch with young people and needed a “reality check.”

Cardinal Parolin’s comments were the first by a high-level Vatican official since the referendum. He said the church needed to register that reality “in the sense of reinforcing all its commitment, and make an effort to evangelize.”

Though the church has not changed its view of homosexuality, Pope Francis has been perceived as more open and compassionate on the subject than his recent predecessors, especially after a widely reported comment he made in 2013 concerning the sexual orientation of priests. “If someone is gay and he searches for the Lord and has good will, who am I to judge?” Francis told reporters then, during his first trip abroad as pope.

The pope has opened a two-year synod to discuss issues surrounding the family and better ways to preach to Catholics today. In a recent meeting in Rome, Catholic bishops said it was necessary to welcome gays into the church, though they continued to rule out same-sex marriage.