Cardinal Desmond Connell has said we should be indignant that 5,500 people in the Republic are homeless. He has described the increase as alarming.
Connell said the waiting lists for Local Authority housing are so long that many have only a distant possibility of having a home to call their own.
In a separate statement, his successor-in-waiting, Archbishop Diarmuid Martin has told RTÉ News that the Government should try to aggressively push legislation to enable people to live decently in a home of their own.
Martin also said that the Constitution should be changed if the new law is found unconstitutional.
Both prelates were speaking from St Brigid's Food Centre off Holles Street in Dublin. The two religious leaders were there to launch the annual report of Crosscare, the Dublin Diocesan social care agency.
Last year, the agency had to double its night shelter capacity to cope with demand.
