Diarmuid Martin
Encyclopedia
Diarmuid Martin is the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Dublin
and Primate of Ireland
. He was born in Dublin.
school in Inchicore
, the De La Salle School situated on the Ballyfermot Road in Ballyfermot
and Marian College
, Ballsbridge
. Following that, he went to University College Dublin
, where he studied philosophy, and then went to the Dublin Diocese's seminary at Clonliffe, where he studied theology. He was ordained a priest on 25 May 1969 by Archbishop
John Charles McQuaid
. Following this he pursued further education at the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas (Angelicum) in Rome, though, it appears, without attaining any degrees.
, but actively sought to return to Rome.
for the Pontifical Council for the Family
. He later worked on the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace
, being appointed the Under Secretary in 1986 and the Secretary in 1994. On 6 January 1999 he was ordained as Titular Bishop of Glendalough
by Pope John Paul II
. On 17 January 2001, he was appointed Titular Archbishop
of the same diocese. This marked his appointment as the Holy See Permanent Observer in Geneva
, at the United Nations Office and Specialised Agencies and at the World Trade Organisation. It was in this capacity that he represented the Holy See at various UN conferences, including the International Conference on Population and Development
. He led the delegations of the Holy See to the Ministerial Conference of the World Trade Organisation (Doha, 2001), the World Conference against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance.
During the 1990s, Diarmuid Martin represented the Holy See at major United Nations
International Conferences, spoke about the Church's teachings on social matters at a variety of Bishop Conferences, and was a member of various Vatican Offices, including the Central Committee for the Great Jubilee
of the Year 2000. Also, he was involved in discussions between the World Council of Churches
and the Catholic Church as well as the World Faiths Development Dialogue. He also represented the views of the Holy See to the International Monetary Fund
and the World Bank
, where he advocated for debt relief
for less developed countries.
to Cardinal Connell on 3 May 2003, and was installed as such on 30 August of that year. On 26 April 2004, following the acceptance of Cardinal Connell's resignation by Pope John Paul II
, Martin automatically succeeded him as Archbishop of Dublin.
Following Summorum Pontificum
, the decree of Pope Benedict XVI
liberalising the use of the Latin Mass, which took effect on 14 September 2007, Martin duly established a Latin Mass Chaplaincy in the Dublin City area.
. The archbishop's remarks followed the Congregation for Catholic Education
's publishing of a document in November that would ban gay men, even if they were celibate, from training for the priesthood. "You have to say that horrendous damage was done to people," said Martin. "Then you need to take steps to ensure this will never happen again." But, he noted, "you cannot identify homosexuality with paedophilia". He said that paedophilia is "not the result of homosexuality, nor is it a result of celibacy"
published a front page article which stated that Martin was due to receive the red hat in the next consistory
, suggesting the date for this would be the 25 March the Feast of the Annunciation
. However, on the next day Pope Benedict XVI
announced the names of the 15 new cardinals
to be created, who did not include Martin.
On 17 October 2007, Pope Benedict XVI
announced the next batch of names to be elevated to the cardinalate and once again Martin's name was not on the list, which instead contained that of Seán Brady
, the Archbishop of Armagh. This was in accordance with a tradition whereby the Primate of All Ireland is more frequently chosen as a cardinal than the Archbishop of Dublin, who holds the title of Primate of Ireland
.
In April 2009, a British newspaper considered Cardinal Renato Martino, head of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace
, "likely to be succeeded by Monsignor Diarmuid Martin, the astute and able Archbishop of Dublin", and a Dublin news service also reported that "Archbishop Martin is strongly tipped to get the post in diplomatic circles". However, on 24 October of that year the appointment went to Cardinal Peter Turkson, then Archbishop of Cape Coast, Ghana
.
(on the Bill). I don't think anyone in the conference is against what Cardinal Brady said, but they may have said it in different ways." He also said that while the Catholic Church favoured marriage, "it is not against other forms of intimacy".
Dr Martin told the Irish Independent in 2004 that "I recognise that there are many different kinds of caring relationships and these often create dependencies for those involved. The State may feel in justice that the rights of people in these relationships need to be protected." He emphasised he was not thinking mainly of homosexual relationships, but rather of caring, dependent relationships in general. At the same time, he said, he did not exclude homosexual relationships. Dr Martin said: "I have a wide range of relationships in mind. I do not exclude gay relationships but my main concern is with all caring relationships where dependencies have come into being."
) Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin
, since the 16th century Reformation
. Delivering the annual Citizenship Sunday sermon, he said that selling drugs was about trafficking with death.
in 2008, in a video message, Pope Benedict XVI
announced that the next International Eucharistic Congress would be held in Dublin in 2012: "As this significant event in the life of the Church draws to a conclusion I invite you all to join me in praying for the success of the next International Eucharistic Congress, which will take place in 2012 in the city of Dublin."He took the opportunity "to greet warmly the people of Ireland, as they prepare to host this ecclesial gathering" and added: "I am confident that they, together with all the participants at the next congress, will find it a source of lasting spiritual renewal."
Cardinal Brady and Archbishop Martin, who attended the Congress in Quebec, welcomed the decision, stating: "On behalf of the Catholic faithful of Ireland, we are honoured and humbled that the Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI, has chosen Dublin to host the 50th International Eucharistic Congress in 2012. While the theme for the next congress has yet to be finalised, we are deeply conscious that 2012 also marks the 50th anniversary of the opening of the Second Vatican Council
."
This is the second time that Dublin will host the congress, the first being the 31st congress in 1932. "We live in different times now", the prelates said in their statement, "and it is our hope that the 2012 congress will be an opportunity for the Catholic Church in Ireland
to both reflect on the centrality of the Eucharist
at the heart of our increasingly diverse community, and, to give renewed impetus to the living of faith.
On 11 November 2010 Pope Benedict met Archbishop Martin and members of the organising committee of the 50th Eucharistic Congress as well as participants in the plenary assembly of the Pontifical Committee for International Eucharistic Congresses
in the Sala Clementina of the Apostolic Palace
. Pope Benedict expressed the hope that the preparations in Ireland for the Eucharistic Congress would help with the renewal of the Irish church. “Your assembly has paid great attention to this event, which is also part of the modernisation programme of the church in Ireland. The theme recalls the centrality of the Eucharistic mystery for the growth of the life of faith and every authentic process of church renewal” he said.
lay Catholic movement, Martin said that, when the Church speaks, it faces a severe hindrance: "When I was younger, if you did your Leaving Certificate
examination through the medium of Irish
you got a bonus on your mark - I think it was either a 10 per cent or 15 per cent - just for that fact. Today for the church to make a credible statement on many aspects of public life or simply to talk about faith you start out with the opposite. You start out with a substantial percentage of credibility deficit." He wondered: "How does one really begin to speak about faith? How does one attempt to reach out and lead young people on a journey of faith, when they in many ways have lost trust in a church which many young people find no longer just 'irrelevant' but ... in which many young people say they have very little confidence".
Martin again spoke on this topic when, in his homily at the pro-cathedral on Holy Thursday 2009, he said that the two biggest problems facing young people were the Catholic Church's condemnation of gay couples
and the question of suicide
. He said that these were causing "a disconnect" which was causing "a dramatic and growing rift" between the Church and the younger generation. He accepted that this was partly the Church's fault because young people were much more questioning today than previously - and he urged his priests to offer services in the parish that would be geared more towards their particular concerns. He said that young people "see through the superficial answers we give". He added:"Our young people are generous and idealistic but such generosity and idealism does not seem to find a home in the Church. Where are we offering young people a home in our Church communities? Where are the focal points where we are helping young people to find an interpretation of their generosity, idealism and questioning in the light of the challenge and of the beauty of the message of Jesus Christ?"
on Holy Thursday 2009, he also warned that the depth of the Catholic sex abuse cases "will shock us all", throwing up challenges to the Catholic Church in Ireland it has never experienced before. Martin said: "It is likely that thousands of children or young people across Ireland were abused by priests in the period under investigation and the horror of that abuse was not recognised for what it is. The report will make each of us and the entire church in Dublin a humbler church". Martin also asked for the "forgiveness of anyone that I may have hurt or left feeling neglected. I know my own failings and limitations and I wish to renew sincerely today my respect and concern for each and every priest of this diocese or working in this diocese".
On 25 May 2009, Martin stated in the Irish Times (partially quoting a correspondent),
The new priests and parish pastoral workers took up their roles as the diocese began its Year of Evangelisation - a time of renewal of faith and the call to proclaim the Gospel. The aim of the Year of Evangelisation was to support, animate and develop evangelisation initiatives throughout parishes in the diocese. This included supporting parish sacramental programmes and initiatives such as the Do This in Memory Holy Communion programme and the You Will Be My Witnesses Confirmation programme and joint initiatives with the Church of Ireland.
The men ordained were Aloysius Zuribo, from Orlu in the state of Imo in Nigeria, Colin Rothery from Kilmacud in Dublin and Stephen Kim (OFM Capuchin) from Korea, who is currently in the Capuchin Friary, Raheny
.
The parish pastoral workers – women and men – came from a variety of backgrounds, were theology graduates and had just completed a year-long formation course in Mater Dei Institute. They included former teachers, a barman, a homemaker, a technician and students. Their central role would be to support priests and communities in educating people in their faith, supporting and developing parish initiatives around prayer and the sacraments.
Addressing the parish pastoral workers, Martin said that “The Archdiocese of Dublin renews itself today with the commissioning of 13 new Parish Pastoral Workers who will bring their talents and charisms as lay men and women into our parishes and help animate our communities, especially around the Word of God. Saint Augustine reminds all of us that without being first a hearer of the word in our own hearts, we will only be empty preachers of the word to others. I urge you to witness to the word through the example of your lives and through the personal holiness which your mission calls for.”
, Law Reform Commission president Catherine McGuinness
and High Court judge Mr Justice Declan Budd, at the formal opening of the law term in St Michan's church, Martin warned that ongoing prosperity could not on its own bring the harmony which society requires.
Urging the congregation to work to strengthen the fabric of society and make it more caring, he said self-indulgence could lead to corruption, total disregard for the rights of others, a breakdown of community and violence. Violence, he added, was "a continual threat to the harmony of society" in Ireland, was "profoundly anti-democratic" and attempted to "limit the effectiveness of community through a climate of fear". Speaking of "those whose mission it is to advance legislation which promotes harmony and equality and those whose mission it is to apply such laws and administer justice", he said: "Yours is a task of the spirit: to ensure that true communication in the fullest sense between people is not inhibited by the raw power of the self-interest of the few".
into abuse carried out by priests and covered up to varying degrees by the four preceding Archbishops of Dublin, namely, John Charles McQuaid
, Dermot Ryan, Kevin McNamara
, and Desmond Connell
, was published. The report, which took three years to complete, said the archdiocese had an "obsessive concern with secrecy and the avoidance of scandal" and had "little or no concern for the welfare of the abused child".
The report also noted how Church authorities used the concept of "mental reservation", which allowed clergy to mislead people without being guilty, in the church’s eyes, of lying. The report also stated that there were some courageous priests who brought complaints to the attention of their superiors. But in general there was a "don’t ask, don’t tell" policy.
The investigating commission identified 320 individuals who complained of abuse between 1975 and 2004, and noted that 130 complaints had been made since May 2004. Cardinal Connell, the only living archbishop of the four mentioned in the report, expressed his "bitter regret that failures on my part contributed to the suffering of victims in any form".
At a press conference held on the day the report was released, Martin said: "As Archbishop of a Diocese for which I have pastoral responsibility, of my own native diocese, of the diocese for which I was ordained a priest, of a Diocese which I love and hope to serve to the best of my ability, what can I say when I have to share with you the revolting story of the sexual assault and rape of so many young children and teenagers by priests of the Archdiocese or who ministered in the diocese? No words of apology will ever be sufficient."
In a letter to the priests and laity read out at all Masses on Sunday 29 November 2009, Martin wrote that "The damage done to children abused by priests can never be undone. As Archbishop of Dublin and as Diarmuid Martin I offer to each and every survivor, my apology, my sorrow and my shame for what happened to them. I am aware however that no words of apology will ever be sufficient".
Martin said on 1 December 2009 that he was writing to Bishop of Limerick
Donal Murray
, a former auxiliary bishop
of the Dublin diocese who was strongly criticised in the report but who, while saying he regretted his actions, did not immediately resign from his Limerick post, and to all other auxiliary bishops who served in Dublin and who were named in the report. He said he was “not satisfied” with some of their responses so far. He pointed out that those bishops named in the report, but no longer serving in the Dublin archdiocese, could not tailor their responses to people in their current dioceses. What they did and did not do failed people in Dublin and they owe them a response, he said.
On 11 December Archbishop Martin and Cardinal Brady met with Pope Benedict XVI
to discuss the Murphy Report. Pope Benedict was accompanied by a group of Curial
officials including the Cardinal Secretary of State
and the Cardinal Prefects of the Congregation for Bishops
, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith
, the Congregation for the Clergy
and the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life
. The Apostolic Nuncio to Ireland
, Archbishop Giuseppe Leanza
, also attended.
After the historic two-day meeting between the Irish bishops and Pope Benedict, there was a certain dismay in the Vatican at the widespread negative Irish media reaction.Speaking of what he called a “dialogue between deaf parties”, one commentator said neither the Holy See nor Irish public and media opinion had fully understood the other. What seemed a very useful, groundbreaking meeting to one, looked like a total waste of time to the other. Vatican insiders argue that a meeting like that held this week could never produce obvious, tangible results. This meeting was much more about listening and understanding. Issues such as the resignations of bishops and arranging a “symbolic gesture” meeting between abuse survivors and Pope Benedict were simply never on the agenda.
After the meeting, the Holy See's Press Office released a statement that included the following: "Today the Holy Father held a meeting with senior Irish bishops and high-ranking members of the Roman Curia. He listened to their concerns and discussed with them the traumatic events that were presented in the Irish Commission of Investigation's Report into the Catholic Archdiocese of Dublin. After careful study of the report, the Holy Father was deeply disturbed and distressed by its contents. He wishes once more to express his profound regret at the actions of some members of the clergy who have betrayed their solemn promises to God, as well as the trust placed in them by the victims and their families, and by society at large. ... The Holy See takes very seriously the central issues raised by the Report, including questions concerning the governance of local Church leaders with ultimate responsibility for the pastoral care of children. The Holy Father intends to address a Pastoral Letter to the faithful of Ireland in which he will clearly indicate the initiatives that are to be taken in response to the situation.
Asked if the meeting and the ensuing Vatican statement would go some way to answering criticism about the perceived silence of the Holy See in the wake of the publication of the report, Martin said: "What appeared to us today is that maybe things were not said but certainly people were reflecting on matters".
Some survivors of child abuse and their representatives reacted negatively to the Holy See's statement. Marie Collins, who was abused in 1960 by a priest when she was a patient at Our Lady’s Hospital for Sick Children in Crumlin, said: "I can’t say I was disappointed because I didn’t have any high hopes."Acknowledging the sincerity of the pope’s call for prayers for those abused and their families, and possible initiatives where reorganisation of the Irish Church
was concerned, she pointed out the statement "doesn’t deal with the past. No one has taken responsibility for what went on in Dublin. There is no accountability".
Bishops Eamonn Oliver Walsh
and Ray Field offered an apology to child-abuse victims, as they tendered their resignations during Christmas Midnight Mass on 24 December 2009. This came in addition to the resignation of two other bishops, Donal Murray of Limerick and James Moriarty of Kildare, following the publication of the Murphy Report.
In a joint statement Walsh and Field said they hoped their proffered resignations "may help to bring the peace and reconciliation of Jesus Christ to the victims (and) survivors of child sexual abuse. We again apologise to them". Martin had called for his two auxiliary bishops to quit, but both initially refused. In his Christmas sermon, Martin said the church for too long placed its self-interest above the rights of its parishioners, particularly innocent children. He said they, as well as the dedicated majority of priests, had been betrayed by their leaders. "It has been a painful year," he told worshippers at St Mary's Pro-Cathedral
in Dublin. "But the church today may well be a better and safer place than was the church of 25 years ago – when all looked well, but where deep shadows were kept buried." On 11 August 2010, however, it was revealed that Pope Benedict had not accepted the resignations of Bishops Walsh and Field. "Following the presentation of their resignations to Pope Benedict, it has been decided that Bishop Eamonn Walsh and Bishop Raymond Field will remain as auxiliary bishops," Archbishop Martin said in a letter to priests of the diocese
Prior to offering their resignations, Walsh had been a bishop for 19 years and ran the diocese of Ferns for four years after Brendan Comiskey
resigned as a bishop over his cover-ups of abuse. Field had served for 12 years in Dublin and was president of the hierarchy's Commission for Justice and Social Affairs.
Of the five serving bishops who were mentioned in the Murphy report, only one, the Bishop of Galway, Martin Drennan
, decided not to offer his resignation. In a radio poll 93% of local people in Galway said that they supported his decision. Likewise, Galway West TD
Frank Fahey
declared that Drennan should not resign.
Martin came in for criticism among other high ranking clergy for calling for the resignations. In the Connaught Tribune newspaper, Father Tony Flannery was critical of how Martin communicated with his own auxiliary bishops: "These bishops are not recalcitrant teenagers; they are intelligent and mature men, so it was pathetic of Diarmuid Martin to use the media to communicate with them".
In January 2010, the Archbishop expressed surprise at claims made in the previous month by Bishop of Galway Martin Drennan
that he had attacked Drennan's integrity. It followed a call by Martin, following publication of the Murphy report, for all current and former Auxiliary Bishops of Dublin to be accountable for their actions on child protection issues. In a radio interview, after the Archbishop made his comments, Drennan said: "I don't know if Martin intended it or not but it has put a question mark over my integrity, yes. Now that I've responded to him and given him the evidence he needs he might want to reflect on that and see what response he should make to it." Speaking to the media in Maynooth on 22 January, as a day-long extraordinary meeting of the Irish Episcopal Conference concluded which had also been attended by Drennan, Martin said: “I'm surprised that anybody would say that, by asking people to be accountable, to stand up and explain themselves, that was an attack on anyone's integrity.” He said he had received lots of correspondence supporting him for saying people should be accountable, which did not mean heads should roll, he said.
Auxiliary Bishop Emeritus of Dublin Dermot O’Mahony strongly criticised Martin, claiming that he had failed to support priests in the Dublin diocese following publication of the Murphy report. “The archbishop did nothing to counteract the statement of the Murphy report, widely circulated in the media, that the majority of clergy knew and did nothing. Indeed, I feel he made matters worse by giving an example of a parish that could be clearly identifiable to the priests of the diocese,” wrote O’Mahony in letters sent to Martin and the Council of Priests
. He added: “To suggest our approach failed to take cognisance of the safety of children is inaccurate and unjust. The acceptance by media and current diocese policy that a cover-up took place must be challenged,”, and took the unusual step of circulating his own correspondence with Martin to the Council of Priests.
In a letter to Martin on 30 December, Bishop O’Mahony wrote that he had been shocked at the tone of a previous letter he had received from Martin, which had addressed the Murphy report. A spokeswoman for Martin told The Irish Times that this letter to O’Mahony, which was dated 2 December 2009, had been sent following detailed conversation between them. It was sent three days after a meeting of the diocesan council which discussed the Murphy report.
A meeting of priests heard demands that Martin be confronted over his handling of the fallout from the Murphy report on clerical child sex abuse. It also heard claims that the archbishop had become “a source of division” among priests and bishops. About 25 Dublin priests attended the meeting on 18 January 2010. The minutes state that the majority of priests in attendance were middle-aged and all got a chance to speak. The meeting was specially convened to discuss the Murphy report. “Anger, frustration and a sense of helplessness [were] expressed at the lack of compassion shown by the diocese in recent months, particularly towards the auxiliary bishops,” the minutes report. The minutes go on to say that priests were “dumbfounded” by Martin’s letter to former auxiliary bishop O' Mahony. “To say his good name had been tarnished was untrue, cruel and insulting”.
Archbishop Martin in August 2010 said that bishops have “a long history of a lack of unity”, according to an English translation of the address he delivered in Italian at Rimini.
In the same interview Martin was asked if he had been recently silenced by the church. He replied: "No, I haven't been asked to stop talking. I gave four major interviews in the last four weeks to Irish and international television." Asked if he had been ostracised by other members of the church, he said: "I do things in my own way, which may not please everybody, but in no way was I ostracised. I have to maintain also my own independence of thought."
of Tuam, along with Cardinal Brady, Archbishops Diarmuid Martin of Dublin and Dermot Clifford of Cashel and Emly met for high-level talks with heads of Vatican congregations over the apostolic visitation
of Irish dioceses in the wake of the Murphy and Ryan reports. While in Rome, the Irish churchmen came face to face with a team of investigators appointed by Pope Benedict to examine the four Irish archdioceses and "some other as yet unspecified dioceses".
They included Cormac Murphy-O'Connor, the Cardinal-Archbishop Emeritus of Westminster
, who inspected Cardinal Brady's archdiocese of Armagh
, and Sean O'Malley, Cardinal Archbishop of Boston, who inspected the Dublin diocese
. Toronto's Archbishop Thomas Christopher Collins
to investigate Cashel, while Ottawa's Archbishop Terrence Prendergast
will look at the west of Ireland archdiocese of Tuam. An investigation of the state of Irish seminaries will be conducted by Archbishop Timothy Dolan
of New York
. The investigators, known as apostolic visitors, will report their findings directly to Pope Benedict XVI
.
During the service Archbishop Martin said "I can express my sorrow, my sense of the wrong that was done to you. I think of how you were not heard or not believed and not comforted and supported. I can ask myself how did this happen in the Church of Jesus Christ where as we heard in the Gospel children are presented to us as signs of the kingdom
. How did we not see you in your suffering and abandonment?" he contiuned saying "Someone once reminded me of the difference between on the one hand apologising or saying sorry and on the other hand asking forgiveness. I can bump into someone on the street and say “Sorry”. It can be meaningful or just an empty formula. When I say sorry I am in charge. When I ask forgiveness however I am no longer in charge, I am in the hands of the others. Only you can forgive me; only God can forgive me. I, as Archbishop of Dublin and as Diarmuid Martin, stand here in this silence and I ask forgiveness of God and I ask for the first steps of forgiveness from of all the survivors of abuse."
. Speaking in Dublin he said the pace of change in Irish religious culture was such that “the longer the delay in advancing the fruits of the apostolic visitation
, the greater the danger of false expectations, and the greater the encouragement to those who prefer immobilism to reform, and the greater the threat to the effectiveness of this immense gift of the Holy Father to the Irish Church”. He was “impatient to learn about the path that the apostolic visitation will set out for renewal for the Irish Church so that our renewal will move forward decisively. At the same time, I am also becoming increasingly impatient at the slowness in the process, which began over a year ago. This is not a criticism of the Holy Father. It is an appeal to his collaborators.” Archbishop Martin was speaking at All Hallows College, Dublin, to delegates from almost 70 countries attending a conference held in anticipation of the 2012 Eucharistic Congress. His “greatest concern” was “the rift which is growing between the church and young people”.
that his department “will shortly be providing an initial list of about 10 urban areas that can be used to test the concept of reducing the number of Catholic schools”. Martin also said that solutions would have to be found to respect the rights of teachers “who do not wish to be involved in religious education”. He welcomed the fact that “the Minister has indicated that there will be consultations with parents, teachers and local communities”.
Fr Michael Drumm, executive chairman of the Catholic Schools Partnership, also welcomed “the prospect of greater diversity of school provision” as indicated by the Minister yesterday. However, he queried the Minister’s “mention of an eventual reduction of Catholic provision in demographically stable urban areas to 60 per cent”.
In his address to the Catholic Primary Schools Management Association in Dublin, Minister O'Keefe said that “the issue of the Catholic Church divesting itself of certain schools was originally explicitly raised by Archbishop Diarmuid Martin and it has also found expression in the work of the Bishops’ Conference and through its engagement with my department.” He said that the archbishop’s “public identification of this reality” was “a timely and important contribution not just to the future of Catholic schools but to the future of the primary sector generally,” he said.
“In overall terms, I know it has been acknowledged that the Catholic primary sector, which currently represents over 90 per cent of overall provision, may ultimately fall to between 50 per cent and 60 per cent of overall provision and that this percentage of overall provision will still be enough to allow the church fulfil its expressed commitment to meet the needs of parents who wish their children to have a Catholic education.”
In March 2011 Minister for Education Ruairí Quinn
has set up an expert group to decide how up to half of all primary schools will be moved away from Catholic Church patronage. The forum will be chaired by Prof John Coolahan, professor emeritus at NUI Maynooth, and will meet for the first time in May 2011. They will advise the Minister on how best it can be ensured that the education system provides a sufficiently diverse number and range of primary schools catering for all religions and none and the practicalities of how transfer of patronage should operate for individual primary schools in communities where it is appropriate and necessary.
was published. Archbishop Martin said on reading his report that his "first emotion that came to me was anger". Archbishop Martin has warned that further investigations of clerical child sex abuse in dioceses will not get to the truth if people in the Catholic Church
are not prepared to tell the truth. Senior church figures who were not prepared to be honest would only be “discovered” through an “invasive” audit of child protection practices in their dioceses, he said. He said the Vatican
, in responding to the findings of last week’s report on child abuse cases in the Cloyne diocese
, should reiterate its support for the Irish church in applying existing “norms”, or rules, on child protection. The Vatican should also support the reporting of cases to the State authorities and the carrying out of audits to show exactly where the situation was in relation to child protection. He acknowledged that people could feel deceived by the church, he said the norms set down by the present pope in 2001 had been ignored in the Cloyne diocese. “What sort of a cabal
is in there and still refusing to recognise the norms of the church?” he asked. All the other Irish bishops had put these norms into practice, “as far as I know”, he added. Dr Martin said six elderly priests were verbally abused at a colleague’s funeral this week when someone challenged them, claiming they “should be ashamed of themselves”. “Those who felt they were able to play tricks with norms, they have betrayed those good men and so many others in the church who are working today,” he said.
entering into force by Advent
2011. A gradual introduction of the missal will begin at Masses in Ireland from Sunday, 11 September. It is planned that it will be in full use throughout Ireland and the English-speaking Catholic world by the first Sunday of Advent this year, 27 November. In a letter to the priests of the Dublin diocese earlier in August, Dr Martin said that since the current Roman Missal was introduced in 1975, “many additional texts have been made available for use. These include new eucharistic prayers for reconciliation I and II, and for Masses for various needs I to IV, Masses for the Blessed Virgin Mary, Masses for new feasts of saints, and other new material.” Those familiar with translations in other languages had come to realise “that often there were key phrases and rich biblical allusions missing from the English translation” in the current missal, he said. Also, “some theological vocabulary had been lost in the 1975 edition” and the new missal “addresses some of these weaknesses”.Those familiar with translations in other languages had come to realise “that often there were key phrases and rich biblical allusions missing from the English translation” in the current missal, he said. Changes to the wording of the Confiteor, the Gloria and the Creed are included in the new Roman Missal. The phrase “begotten, not made, of one being with the Father”, from the Creed
, has been changed to “begotten, not made, consubstantial with the Father”. The response to “the Lord be with you” has been changed from “and also with you” to “and with your spirit”, while the opening three sentences of the third eucharistic prayer have been replaced with a 72-word sentence.
who, at each moment in the history of the Church, would teach us all things in Jesus name. In that sense I cannot be pessimistic about the future of the Church in Ireland." He continued saying that "The future of the Catholic Church in Ireland
will see a very different Catholic Church in Ireland. I sometimes worry when I hear those with institutional responsibility stress the role of the institution and others then in reaction saying that “we are the Church”. Perhaps on both sides there may be an underlying feeling that “I am the Church”, that the Church must be modelled on my way of thinking or on my position. Renewal is never our own creation. Renewal will only come through returning to the Church which we have received from the Lord."
On Church teaching, Archbishop Martin said that, "There are further challenges to be addressed regarding Church teaching. Within the Church and outside of it discussion focuses around challenges in the area of sexual morality where the Church’s teaching is either not understood or is simply rejected as out of tune with contemporary culture. There is on the other hand very little critical examination of some of the roots of that contemporary culture and its compatibility with the teaching of Jesus. The moral teaching of the Church cannot simply be a blessing for, a toleration of, or an adaptation to the cultural climate of the day."
On the need for greater evangelisation he said that "The use of modern media mechanisms to support the distribution of the Gospel is something important and innovative. In this context, we are very fortunate to have a group of scripture scholars who put their knowledge and personal perception of the scriptures at the service of parishes and bible study groups. This material is accessible to any individual who would wish to avail of it on the website www.yearofevangelisation.ie."
He said that "The Catholic Church in Ireland is coming out of one of its most difficult moments in its history and the light at the end of the tunnel is still a long way off. The Catholic Church in Ireland will have to live with the grief of its past, which can and should never be forgotten or overlooked. There is no simple way of wiping the slate of the past clean, just to ease our feelings. Yet the Catholic Church in Ireland cannot be imprisoned in its past. The work of evangelization must if anything take on a totally new vibrancy."
He closed saying that "Perhaps the future of the Church in Ireland will be one where we truly learn from the arrogance of our past and find anew a fragility which will allow the mercy and the compassion of Jesus to give us a change of heart and allow others through a very different Church to encounter something of that compassion and faith for their lives."
On 20 February 2011, he made what was regarded by abuse survivors as his most explicit apology yet.
At a talk on the future of Irish Catholicism on 22 February 2011 for the Cambridge Group for Irish Studies, Magdalene College, Cambridge
Archbishop Martin said that "there are parishes in Dublin where the presence at Sunday Mass is some 5% of the Catholic population and, in some cases, even below 2%. On any particular Sunday about 18% of the Catholic population in the Archdiocese of Dublin attends Mass. That is considerably lower than in any other part of Ireland." He continued saying "the conformist Ireland of the Archbishop McQuaid
era changed so rapidly and with few tears was read as an indication of a desire for change, but perhaps it was also an indication that the conformism was covering an emptiness and a faith built on a faulty structure to which people no longer really ascribed" and that "The Catholic Church in Ireland will inevitably become more a minority culture. The challenge is to ensure that it is not an irrelevant minority culture." In the context of lay pastoral workers he said "The narrow culture of clericalism has to be eliminated. It did not come out of nowhere and so we have to address its roots from the time of seminary training onwards". He said that of the Church that the "paradoxical thing is that the farther the Church goes in adapting to the culture of the times, the greater is the danger that it will no longer be able to confront the culture of the time", he concluded saying that "I am convinced that one of the principal ways in which the Church can reform itself and bring its message more incisively to society is through developing a renewed biblical apostolate".
, was a left wing journalist
with The Irish Times
newspaper.
Archbishop of Dublin (Roman Catholic)
The Archbishop of Dublin is the title of the senior cleric who presides over the Archdiocese of Dublin. The Church of Ireland has a similar role, heading the United Dioceses of Dublin and Glendalough. In both cases, the Archbishop is also Primate of Ireland...
and Primate of Ireland
Primate of Ireland
The Primacy of Ireland was historically disputed between the Archbishop of Armagh and the Archbishop of Dublin until finally settled by Pope Innocent VI. Primate is a title of honour denoting ceremonial precedence in the Church, and in the Middle Ages there was an intense rivalry between the two...
. He was born in Dublin.
Early life and education
Diarmuid Martin was raised and educated in Dublin, at the OblateOblate (religion)
An oblate in Christian monasticism is a person who is specifically dedicated to God or to God's service. Currently, oblate has two meanings:...
school in Inchicore
Inchicore
-Location and access:Located five kilometres due west of the city centre, Inchicore lies south of the River Liffey, west of Kilmainham, north of Drimnagh and east of Ballyfermot. The majority of Inchicore is in the Dublin 8 postal district...
, the De La Salle School situated on the Ballyfermot Road in Ballyfermot
Ballyfermot
Ballyfermot is a suburb in the city of Dublin.Celebrities such as the famous Furey Brothers and the brilliant Keenan family have all resided in Ballyfermot.Ireland, located 7 kilometres due west from the city centre, and to the south of the Phoenix Park...
and Marian College
Marian College (Dublin)
Marian College is a Marist Catholic secondary school on Lansdowne Road in Ballsbridge, Dublin. The school motto is Optimum Optare - the pursuit of excellence. The school was founded in 1954 and has a student population of 413 boys and 12 girls...
, Ballsbridge
Ballsbridge
Ballsbridge is a suburb of Dublin, Ireland, named for the bridge spanning the River Dodder on the south side of the city. The sign on the bridge still proclaims it as "Ball's Bridge" in recognition of the fact that the original bridge in this location was built and owned by a Mr...
. Following that, he went to University College Dublin
University College Dublin
University College Dublin ) - formally known as University College Dublin - National University of Ireland, Dublin is the Republic of Ireland's largest, and Ireland's second largest, university, with over 1,300 faculty and 17,000 students...
, where he studied philosophy, and then went to the Dublin Diocese's seminary at Clonliffe, where he studied theology. He was ordained a priest on 25 May 1969 by Archbishop
Archbishop
An archbishop is a bishop of higher rank, but not of higher sacramental order above that of the three orders of deacon, priest , and bishop...
John Charles McQuaid
John Charles McQuaid
John Charles McQuaid, C.S.Sp. was the Catholic Archbishop of Dublin and Primate of Ireland between December 1940 and February 1972.- Early life 1895-1914:...
. Following this he pursued further education at the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas (Angelicum) in Rome, though, it appears, without attaining any degrees.
Pastoral Experience
From 1973 to 1974 he was Curate at the Parish of St Brigid in CabinteelyCabinteely
Cabinteely is a south-eastern suburb of Dublin in Ireland, in the administrative county of Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown.-History:There is a prehistoric burial tomb known as Brennanstown Portal Tomb, Glendruid cromlech/dolmen, or The Druids’ Altar near Cabinteely....
, but actively sought to return to Rome.
Work for the Holy See
In 1976, Martin began to work in the service of the Holy SeeHoly See
The Holy See is the episcopal jurisdiction of the Catholic Church in Rome, in which its Bishop is commonly known as the Pope. It is the preeminent episcopal see of the Catholic Church, forming the central government of the Church. As such, diplomatically, and in other spheres the Holy See acts and...
for the Pontifical Council for the Family
Pontifical Council for the Family
The Pontifical Council for the Family is part of the Curia of the Roman Catholic Church. It was established by Pope John Paul II on 9 May 1981 with his motu proprio Familia a Deo Instituta, replacing the Committee for the Family that Pope Paul VI had established in 1973...
. He later worked on the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace
Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace
The Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace is a part of the Roman Curia dedicated to "action-oriented studies" for the international promotion of justice, peace, and human rights from the perspective of the Roman Catholic Church...
, being appointed the Under Secretary in 1986 and the Secretary in 1994. On 6 January 1999 he was ordained as Titular Bishop of Glendalough
Glendalough
Glendalough or Glendaloch is a glacial valley in County Wicklow, Ireland. It is renowned for its Early Medieval monastic settlement founded in the 6th century by St Kevin, a hermit priest, and partly destroyed in 1398 by English troops....
by Pope John Paul II
Pope John Paul II
Blessed Pope John Paul II , born Karol Józef Wojtyła , reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church and Sovereign of Vatican City from 16 October 1978 until his death on 2 April 2005, at of age. His was the second-longest documented pontificate, which lasted ; only Pope Pius IX ...
. On 17 January 2001, he was appointed Titular Archbishop
Archbishop
An archbishop is a bishop of higher rank, but not of higher sacramental order above that of the three orders of deacon, priest , and bishop...
of the same diocese. This marked his appointment as the Holy See Permanent Observer in Geneva
Geneva
Geneva In the national languages of Switzerland the city is known as Genf , Ginevra and Genevra is the second-most-populous city in Switzerland and is the most populous city of Romandie, the French-speaking part of Switzerland...
, at the United Nations Office and Specialised Agencies and at the World Trade Organisation. It was in this capacity that he represented the Holy See at various UN conferences, including the International Conference on Population and Development
International Conference on Population and Development
The United Nations coordinated an International Conference on Population and Development in Cairo, Egypt from 5–13 September 1994. Its resulting Program of Action is the steering document for the United Nations Population Fund ....
. He led the delegations of the Holy See to the Ministerial Conference of the World Trade Organisation (Doha, 2001), the World Conference against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance.
During the 1990s, Diarmuid Martin represented the Holy See at major United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
International Conferences, spoke about the Church's teachings on social matters at a variety of Bishop Conferences, and was a member of various Vatican Offices, including the Central Committee for the Great Jubilee
Great Jubilee
The Great Jubilee in 2000 was a major event in the Roman Catholic Church, held from December 24, 1999 to January 6, 2001. Like other previous Jubilee years, it was a celebration of the mercy of God and forgiveness of sins...
of the Year 2000. Also, he was involved in discussions between the World Council of Churches
World Council of Churches
The World Council of Churches is a worldwide fellowship of 349 global, regional and sub-regional, national and local churches seeking unity, a common witness and Christian service. It is a Christian ecumenical organization that is based in the Ecumenical Centre in Geneva, Switzerland...
and the Catholic Church as well as the World Faiths Development Dialogue. He also represented the views of the Holy See to the International Monetary Fund
International Monetary Fund
The International Monetary Fund is an organization of 187 countries, working to foster global monetary cooperation, secure financial stability, facilitate international trade, promote high employment and sustainable economic growth, and reduce poverty around the world...
and the World Bank
World Bank
The World Bank is an international financial institution that provides loans to developing countries for capital programmes.The World Bank's official goal is the reduction of poverty...
, where he advocated for debt relief
Debt relief
Debt relief is the partial or total forgiveness of debt, or the slowing or stopping of debt growth, owed by individuals, corporations, or nations. From antiquity through the 19th century, it refers to domestic debts, in particular agricultural debts and freeing of debt slaves...
for less developed countries.
Archbishop of Dublin
Martin was appointed Co-AdjutorCoadjutor bishop
A coadjutor bishop is a bishop in the Roman Catholic or Anglican churches who is designated to assist the diocesan bishop in the administration of the diocese, almost as co-bishop of the diocese...
to Cardinal Connell on 3 May 2003, and was installed as such on 30 August of that year. On 26 April 2004, following the acceptance of Cardinal Connell's resignation by Pope John Paul II
Pope John Paul II
Blessed Pope John Paul II , born Karol Józef Wojtyła , reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church and Sovereign of Vatican City from 16 October 1978 until his death on 2 April 2005, at of age. His was the second-longest documented pontificate, which lasted ; only Pope Pius IX ...
, Martin automatically succeeded him as Archbishop of Dublin.
Following Summorum Pontificum
Summorum Pontificum
Summorum Pontificum is an Apostolic Letter of Pope Benedict XVI, issued "motu proprio" . The document specified the rules, for the Latin Rite of the Catholic Church, for celebrating Mass according to the "Missal promulgated by John XXIII in 1962" , and for administering most of the sacraments in...
, the decree of Pope Benedict XVI
Pope Benedict XVI
Benedict XVI is the 265th and current Pope, by virtue of his office of Bishop of Rome, the Sovereign of the Vatican City State and the leader of the Catholic Church as well as the other 22 sui iuris Eastern Catholic Churches in full communion with the Holy See...
liberalising the use of the Latin Mass, which took effect on 14 September 2007, Martin duly established a Latin Mass Chaplaincy in the Dublin City area.
Gay priests
In 2005 Archbishop Martin, said that being gay should not prevent a man becoming a Catholic priest. "You don't write off a candidate for the priesthood simply because he is a gay man," Archbishop Martin is quoted saying in a recent issue of the British Catholic magazine, The TabletThe Tablet
The Tablet is a Catholic international weekly review published in London. Contributors to its pages have included Evelyn Waugh, Graham Greene, Pope Benedict XVI and Pope Paul VI ....
. The archbishop's remarks followed the Congregation for Catholic Education
Congregation for Catholic Education
The Congregation for Catholic Education is the Pontifical congregation of the Roman Curia responsible for: seminaries and houses of formation of...
's publishing of a document in November that would ban gay men, even if they were celibate, from training for the priesthood. "You have to say that horrendous damage was done to people," said Martin. "Then you need to take steps to ensure this will never happen again." But, he noted, "you cannot identify homosexuality with paedophilia". He said that paedophilia is "not the result of homosexuality, nor is it a result of celibacy"
Missionary work
In 2007, Martin announced that "a Catholic Church representative will visit every household in the Dublin Archdiocese next year. He predicted his evangelisation programme would promote greater co-operation between lay people and priests in the Church's mission and ministry".Cardinalatial and curial speculation
On 21 February 2006 The Irish TimesThe Irish Times
The Irish Times is an Irish daily broadsheet newspaper launched on 29 March 1859. The editor is Kevin O'Sullivan who succeeded Geraldine Kennedy in 2011; the deputy editor is Paul O'Neill. The Irish Times is considered to be Ireland's newspaper of record, and is published every day except Sundays...
published a front page article which stated that Martin was due to receive the red hat in the next consistory
Consistory
-Antiquity:Originally, the Latin word consistorium meant simply 'sitting together', just as the Greek synedrion ....
, suggesting the date for this would be the 25 March the Feast of the Annunciation
Annunciation
The Annunciation, also referred to as the Annunciation to the Blessed Virgin Mary or Annunciation of the Lord, is the Christian celebration of the announcement by the angel Gabriel to Virgin Mary, that she would conceive and become the mother of Jesus the Son of God. Gabriel told Mary to name her...
. However, on the next day Pope Benedict XVI
Pope Benedict XVI
Benedict XVI is the 265th and current Pope, by virtue of his office of Bishop of Rome, the Sovereign of the Vatican City State and the leader of the Catholic Church as well as the other 22 sui iuris Eastern Catholic Churches in full communion with the Holy See...
announced the names of the 15 new cardinals
Cardinal (Catholicism)
A cardinal is a senior ecclesiastical official, usually an ordained bishop, and ecclesiastical prince of the Catholic Church. They are collectively known as the College of Cardinals, which as a body elects a new pope. The duties of the cardinals include attending the meetings of the College and...
to be created, who did not include Martin.
On 17 October 2007, Pope Benedict XVI
Pope Benedict XVI
Benedict XVI is the 265th and current Pope, by virtue of his office of Bishop of Rome, the Sovereign of the Vatican City State and the leader of the Catholic Church as well as the other 22 sui iuris Eastern Catholic Churches in full communion with the Holy See...
announced the next batch of names to be elevated to the cardinalate and once again Martin's name was not on the list, which instead contained that of Seán Brady
Seán Brady
Seán Baptist Brady is an Irish cardinal of the Catholic Church. He is the current Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland, and was elevated to the cardinalate in 2007.-Early life and education:...
, the Archbishop of Armagh. This was in accordance with a tradition whereby the Primate of All Ireland is more frequently chosen as a cardinal than the Archbishop of Dublin, who holds the title of Primate of Ireland
Primate of Ireland
The Primacy of Ireland was historically disputed between the Archbishop of Armagh and the Archbishop of Dublin until finally settled by Pope Innocent VI. Primate is a title of honour denoting ceremonial precedence in the Church, and in the Middle Ages there was an intense rivalry between the two...
.
In April 2009, a British newspaper considered Cardinal Renato Martino, head of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace
Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace
The Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace is a part of the Roman Curia dedicated to "action-oriented studies" for the international promotion of justice, peace, and human rights from the perspective of the Roman Catholic Church...
, "likely to be succeeded by Monsignor Diarmuid Martin, the astute and able Archbishop of Dublin", and a Dublin news service also reported that "Archbishop Martin is strongly tipped to get the post in diplomatic circles". However, on 24 October of that year the appointment went to Cardinal Peter Turkson, then Archbishop of Cape Coast, Ghana
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cape Coast
The Catholic Archdiocese of Cape Coast is the Metropolitan See for the ecclesiastical province of Cape Coast in Ghana. The Archdiocese has been generous in supplying priests for underserved areas of the United States; for example, in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Victoria in Texas in the Victoria,...
.
Civil Partnerships legislation
In response to comments by Cardinal Brady on the Civil Partnership Bill, Martin said: "We haven't expressed an opinion as an Episcopal ConferenceEpiscopal Conference
In the Roman Catholic Church, an Episcopal Conference, Conference of Bishops, or National Conference of Bishops is an official assembly of all the bishops of a given territory...
(on the Bill). I don't think anyone in the conference is against what Cardinal Brady said, but they may have said it in different ways." He also said that while the Catholic Church favoured marriage, "it is not against other forms of intimacy".
Dr Martin told the Irish Independent in 2004 that "I recognise that there are many different kinds of caring relationships and these often create dependencies for those involved. The State may feel in justice that the rights of people in these relationships need to be protected." He emphasised he was not thinking mainly of homosexual relationships, but rather of caring, dependent relationships in general. At the same time, he said, he did not exclude homosexual relationships. Dr Martin said: "I have a wide range of relationships in mind. I do not exclude gay relationships but my main concern is with all caring relationships where dependencies have come into being."
Ecumenical activity
On 4 November 2007 Martin became the third Roman Catholic Archbishop of Dublin to preach in the Anglican (Church of IrelandChurch of Ireland
The Church of Ireland is an autonomous province of the Anglican Communion. The church operates in all parts of Ireland and is the second largest religious body on the island after the Roman Catholic Church...
) Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin
Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin
Christ Church Cathedral is the cathedral of the United Dioceses of Dublin and Glendalough and the cathedral of the Ecclesiastical province of the United Provinces of Dublin and Cashel in the Church of Ireland...
, since the 16th century Reformation
English Reformation
The English Reformation was the series of events in 16th-century England by which the Church of England broke away from the authority of the Pope and the Roman Catholic Church....
. Delivering the annual Citizenship Sunday sermon, he said that selling drugs was about trafficking with death.
50th International Eucharistic Congress
At the end of the 49th International Eucharistic Congress held in QuebecQuebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
in 2008, in a video message, Pope Benedict XVI
Pope Benedict XVI
Benedict XVI is the 265th and current Pope, by virtue of his office of Bishop of Rome, the Sovereign of the Vatican City State and the leader of the Catholic Church as well as the other 22 sui iuris Eastern Catholic Churches in full communion with the Holy See...
announced that the next International Eucharistic Congress would be held in Dublin in 2012: "As this significant event in the life of the Church draws to a conclusion I invite you all to join me in praying for the success of the next International Eucharistic Congress, which will take place in 2012 in the city of Dublin."He took the opportunity "to greet warmly the people of Ireland, as they prepare to host this ecclesial gathering" and added: "I am confident that they, together with all the participants at the next congress, will find it a source of lasting spiritual renewal."
Cardinal Brady and Archbishop Martin, who attended the Congress in Quebec, welcomed the decision, stating: "On behalf of the Catholic faithful of Ireland, we are honoured and humbled that the Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI, has chosen Dublin to host the 50th International Eucharistic Congress in 2012. While the theme for the next congress has yet to be finalised, we are deeply conscious that 2012 also marks the 50th anniversary of the opening of the Second Vatican Council
Second Vatican Council
The Second Vatican Council addressed relations between the Roman Catholic Church and the modern world. It was the twenty-first Ecumenical Council of the Catholic Church and the second to be held at St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican. It opened under Pope John XXIII on 11 October 1962 and closed...
."
This is the second time that Dublin will host the congress, the first being the 31st congress in 1932. "We live in different times now", the prelates said in their statement, "and it is our hope that the 2012 congress will be an opportunity for the Catholic Church in Ireland
Roman Catholicism in Ireland
The Catholic Church in Ireland is part of the worldwide Catholic Church, the Christian Church with full communion with the Pope, currently Benedict XVI...
to both reflect on the centrality of the Eucharist
Eucharist
The Eucharist , also called Holy Communion, the Sacrament of the Altar, the Blessed Sacrament, the Lord's Supper, and other names, is a Christian sacrament or ordinance...
at the heart of our increasingly diverse community, and, to give renewed impetus to the living of faith.
On 11 November 2010 Pope Benedict met Archbishop Martin and members of the organising committee of the 50th Eucharistic Congress as well as participants in the plenary assembly of the Pontifical Committee for International Eucharistic Congresses
Pontifical Committee for International Eucharistic Congresses
The Pontifical Committee for International Eucharistic Congresses is part of the Roman Curia of the Roman Catholic Church. The Pontifical Committee was constituted and erected in 1879 by Pope Leo XIII and which received approval of its updated Statutes in 1986 from Pope John Paul II.-Aims:The...
in the Sala Clementina of the Apostolic Palace
Apostolic Palace
The Apostolic Palace is the official residence of the Pope, which is located in Vatican City. It is also known as the Sacred Palace, the Papal Palace and the Palace of the Vatican...
. Pope Benedict expressed the hope that the preparations in Ireland for the Eucharistic Congress would help with the renewal of the Irish church. “Your assembly has paid great attention to this event, which is also part of the modernisation programme of the church in Ireland. The theme recalls the centrality of the Eucharistic mystery for the growth of the life of faith and every authentic process of church renewal” he said.
Credibility deficit of Church
Speaking in Dublin at a discussion organised by the Communion and LiberationCommunion and Liberation
Communion and Liberation, or CL, is a lay ecclesial movement within the Catholic Church.-Overview:CL grew out of the educational and catechetical methods of Msgr. Luigi Giussani, who founded the movement...
lay Catholic movement, Martin said that, when the Church speaks, it faces a severe hindrance: "When I was younger, if you did your Leaving Certificate
Leaving Certificate
The Leaving Certificate Examinations , commonly referred to as the Leaving Cert is the final examination in the Irish secondary school system. It takes a minimum of two years preparation, but an optional Transition Year means that for those students it takes place three years after the Junior...
examination through the medium of Irish
Irish language
Irish , also known as Irish Gaelic, is a Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family, originating in Ireland and historically spoken by the Irish people. Irish is now spoken as a first language by a minority of Irish people, as well as being a second language of a larger proportion of...
you got a bonus on your mark - I think it was either a 10 per cent or 15 per cent - just for that fact. Today for the church to make a credible statement on many aspects of public life or simply to talk about faith you start out with the opposite. You start out with a substantial percentage of credibility deficit." He wondered: "How does one really begin to speak about faith? How does one attempt to reach out and lead young people on a journey of faith, when they in many ways have lost trust in a church which many young people find no longer just 'irrelevant' but ... in which many young people say they have very little confidence".
Martin again spoke on this topic when, in his homily at the pro-cathedral on Holy Thursday 2009, he said that the two biggest problems facing young people were the Catholic Church's condemnation of gay couples
Homosexuality and Roman Catholicism
In Roman Catholicism, homosexual acts are considered contrary to natural law and sinful, while homosexual desires are considered "disordered" but not themselves sinful. The Catholic Church considers human sexual behavior to be sacred, when properly expressed...
and the question of suicide
Suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...
. He said that these were causing "a disconnect" which was causing "a dramatic and growing rift" between the Church and the younger generation. He accepted that this was partly the Church's fault because young people were much more questioning today than previously - and he urged his priests to offer services in the parish that would be geared more towards their particular concerns. He said that young people "see through the superficial answers we give". He added:"Our young people are generous and idealistic but such generosity and idealism does not seem to find a home in the Church. Where are we offering young people a home in our Church communities? Where are the focal points where we are helping young people to find an interpretation of their generosity, idealism and questioning in the light of the challenge and of the beauty of the message of Jesus Christ?"
Commission on child sexual abuse
In his homilyHomily
A homily is a commentary that follows a reading of scripture. In Catholic, Anglican, Lutheran, and Eastern Orthodox Churches, a homily is usually given during Mass at the end of the Liturgy of the Word...
on Holy Thursday 2009, he also warned that the depth of the Catholic sex abuse cases "will shock us all", throwing up challenges to the Catholic Church in Ireland it has never experienced before. Martin said: "It is likely that thousands of children or young people across Ireland were abused by priests in the period under investigation and the horror of that abuse was not recognised for what it is. The report will make each of us and the entire church in Dublin a humbler church". Martin also asked for the "forgiveness of anyone that I may have hurt or left feeling neglected. I know my own failings and limitations and I wish to renew sincerely today my respect and concern for each and every priest of this diocese or working in this diocese".
On 25 May 2009, Martin stated in the Irish Times (partially quoting a correspondent),
"'There is always a price to pay for not responding'. The church will have to pay that price in terms of its credibility. The first thing the church has to do is to move out of any mode of denial. Where the church is involved in social care it should be in the vanguard. That is different to a situation in which the church proclaims that it is in the vanguard.... in a very short time another report on the sexual abuse of children will be published, this time about how such abuse was managed in the Archdiocese of Dublin of which I am archbishop".
Ordinations and commissioning of lay pastoral workers
On Saturday 27 June 2009, three men were ordained priests – two for the Archdiocese of Dublin and one for the Capuchin Province of Korea, at a ceremony in St. Mary’s Pro-Cathedral in Dublin. And for the first time in Dublin, a unique part of the ceremony saw 13 parish pastoral workers commissioned into their new roles in parishes throughout the Archdiocese.The new priests and parish pastoral workers took up their roles as the diocese began its Year of Evangelisation - a time of renewal of faith and the call to proclaim the Gospel. The aim of the Year of Evangelisation was to support, animate and develop evangelisation initiatives throughout parishes in the diocese. This included supporting parish sacramental programmes and initiatives such as the Do This in Memory Holy Communion programme and the You Will Be My Witnesses Confirmation programme and joint initiatives with the Church of Ireland.
The men ordained were Aloysius Zuribo, from Orlu in the state of Imo in Nigeria, Colin Rothery from Kilmacud in Dublin and Stephen Kim (OFM Capuchin) from Korea, who is currently in the Capuchin Friary, Raheny
Raheny
Raheny is a northern suburb of Dublin, the capital city of Ireland. It is an old area, centred around an old village, and is referenced back to 570 AD but after years of light settlement, with a main village and a coastal hamlet, grew rapidly in the 20th century, and is now a mid-density...
.
The parish pastoral workers – women and men – came from a variety of backgrounds, were theology graduates and had just completed a year-long formation course in Mater Dei Institute. They included former teachers, a barman, a homemaker, a technician and students. Their central role would be to support priests and communities in educating people in their faith, supporting and developing parish initiatives around prayer and the sacraments.
Addressing the parish pastoral workers, Martin said that “The Archdiocese of Dublin renews itself today with the commissioning of 13 new Parish Pastoral Workers who will bring their talents and charisms as lay men and women into our parishes and help animate our communities, especially around the Word of God. Saint Augustine reminds all of us that without being first a hearer of the word in our own hearts, we will only be empty preachers of the word to others. I urge you to witness to the word through the example of your lives and through the personal holiness which your mission calls for.”
Red Mass 2009
Addressing on 5 October 2009 a congregation including Supreme Court judge Mrs Justice Susan DenhamSusan Denham
Susan Denham is the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Ireland. She was appointed by the President of Ireland on 25 July 2011...
, Law Reform Commission president Catherine McGuinness
Catherine McGuinness
Catherine McGuinness , is a former President of the Law Reform Commission and a former judge of the Circuit Court 1994-1996 , justice of the High Court 1996-2000 and Supreme Court of Ireland 2000-2006...
and High Court judge Mr Justice Declan Budd, at the formal opening of the law term in St Michan's church, Martin warned that ongoing prosperity could not on its own bring the harmony which society requires.
Urging the congregation to work to strengthen the fabric of society and make it more caring, he said self-indulgence could lead to corruption, total disregard for the rights of others, a breakdown of community and violence. Violence, he added, was "a continual threat to the harmony of society" in Ireland, was "profoundly anti-democratic" and attempted to "limit the effectiveness of community through a climate of fear". Speaking of "those whose mission it is to advance legislation which promotes harmony and equality and those whose mission it is to apply such laws and administer justice", he said: "Yours is a task of the spirit: to ensure that true communication in the fullest sense between people is not inhibited by the raw power of the self-interest of the few".
Murphy Report
On 26 November 2009, the Murphy ReportMurphy Report
The Murphy Report is the brief name of the report of an investigation conducted by government of Ireland into the Sexual abuse scandal in the Catholic archdiocese of Dublin...
into abuse carried out by priests and covered up to varying degrees by the four preceding Archbishops of Dublin, namely, John Charles McQuaid
John Charles McQuaid
John Charles McQuaid, C.S.Sp. was the Catholic Archbishop of Dublin and Primate of Ireland between December 1940 and February 1972.- Early life 1895-1914:...
, Dermot Ryan, Kevin McNamara
Kevin McNamara
Kevin McNamara may refer to:* Kevin McNamara , pro-life campaigner, Archbishop of Dublin and Primate of Ireland in the 1980s* Kevin McNamara , retired British Labour Party Member of Parliament...
, and Desmond Connell
Desmond Connell
Desmond Connell is a cardinal in the Roman Catholic Church. He is a former Archbishop of Dublin and Primate of Ireland. He was born in Dublin....
, was published. The report, which took three years to complete, said the archdiocese had an "obsessive concern with secrecy and the avoidance of scandal" and had "little or no concern for the welfare of the abused child".
The report also noted how Church authorities used the concept of "mental reservation", which allowed clergy to mislead people without being guilty, in the church’s eyes, of lying. The report also stated that there were some courageous priests who brought complaints to the attention of their superiors. But in general there was a "don’t ask, don’t tell" policy.
The investigating commission identified 320 individuals who complained of abuse between 1975 and 2004, and noted that 130 complaints had been made since May 2004. Cardinal Connell, the only living archbishop of the four mentioned in the report, expressed his "bitter regret that failures on my part contributed to the suffering of victims in any form".
At a press conference held on the day the report was released, Martin said: "As Archbishop of a Diocese for which I have pastoral responsibility, of my own native diocese, of the diocese for which I was ordained a priest, of a Diocese which I love and hope to serve to the best of my ability, what can I say when I have to share with you the revolting story of the sexual assault and rape of so many young children and teenagers by priests of the Archdiocese or who ministered in the diocese? No words of apology will ever be sufficient."
In a letter to the priests and laity read out at all Masses on Sunday 29 November 2009, Martin wrote that "The damage done to children abused by priests can never be undone. As Archbishop of Dublin and as Diarmuid Martin I offer to each and every survivor, my apology, my sorrow and my shame for what happened to them. I am aware however that no words of apology will ever be sufficient".
Martin said on 1 December 2009 that he was writing to Bishop of Limerick
Roman Catholic Diocese of Limerick
The Diocese of Limerick is a Roman Catholic diocese in mid-western Ireland. It is one of six suffragan dioceses in the ecclesiastical province of Cashel and is subject to the Archdiocese of Cashel and Emly. The diocese is in the secular province of the same name - Munster...
Donal Murray
Donal Murray
Donal Brendan Murray was the Roman Catholic Bishop of Limerick from 1996 to 2009. He had previously served as an Auxiliary Bishop of the Dublin diocese-Early life and ordination:...
, a former auxiliary bishop
Auxiliary bishop
An auxiliary bishop, in the Roman Catholic Church, is an additional bishop assigned to a diocese because the diocesan bishop is unable to perform his functions, the diocese is so extensive that it requires more than one bishop to administer, or the diocese is attached to a royal or imperial office...
of the Dublin diocese who was strongly criticised in the report but who, while saying he regretted his actions, did not immediately resign from his Limerick post, and to all other auxiliary bishops who served in Dublin and who were named in the report. He said he was “not satisfied” with some of their responses so far. He pointed out that those bishops named in the report, but no longer serving in the Dublin archdiocese, could not tailor their responses to people in their current dioceses. What they did and did not do failed people in Dublin and they owe them a response, he said.
On 11 December Archbishop Martin and Cardinal Brady met with Pope Benedict XVI
Pope Benedict XVI
Benedict XVI is the 265th and current Pope, by virtue of his office of Bishop of Rome, the Sovereign of the Vatican City State and the leader of the Catholic Church as well as the other 22 sui iuris Eastern Catholic Churches in full communion with the Holy See...
to discuss the Murphy Report. Pope Benedict was accompanied by a group of Curial
Roman Curia
The Roman Curia is the administrative apparatus of the Holy See and the central governing body of the entire Catholic Church, together with the Pope...
officials including the Cardinal Secretary of State
Cardinal Secretary of State
The Cardinal Secretary of State—officially Secretary of State of His Holiness The Pope—presides over the Holy See, usually known as the "Vatican", Secretariat of State, which is the oldest and most important dicastery of the Roman Curia...
and the Cardinal Prefects of the Congregation for Bishops
Congregation for Bishops
The Congregation for Bishops is the congregation of the Roman Curia which oversees the selection of new bishops that are not in mission territories or those areas that come under the jurisdiction of the Congregation for the Oriental Churches who deal with the Eastern Catholics, pending papal...
, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith
Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith
The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith , previously known as the Supreme Sacred Congregation of the Roman and Universal Inquisition , and after 1904 called the Supreme...
, the Congregation for the Clergy
Congregation for the Clergy
The Sacred Congregation for the Clergy is the congregation of the Roman Curia responsible for overseeing matters regarding priests and deacons not belonging to religious orders...
and the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life
Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life
The Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life is the congregation of the Roman Curia responsible for everything which concerns institutes of consecrated life and Society of Apostolic Life regarding their government, discipline, studies, goods, rights, and...
. The Apostolic Nuncio to Ireland
Apostolic Nuncio to Ireland
The Holy See, as the central government of the Catholic Church , has full diplomatic ties with Ireland as well as many other countries worldwide. The current Apostolic Nuncio to Ireland is Archbishop-elect Monsignor Charles John Brown...
, Archbishop Giuseppe Leanza
Giuseppe Leanza
Giuseppe Leanza was born in Cesaro, Italy. and ordained on 17 July 1966.-Early life:After being awarded a Doctorate in Canon Law, he entered the diplomatic service of the Holy See in 1972 and served at the pontifical representations in Paraguay, Uganda, the United States and in the section for...
, also attended.
After the historic two-day meeting between the Irish bishops and Pope Benedict, there was a certain dismay in the Vatican at the widespread negative Irish media reaction.Speaking of what he called a “dialogue between deaf parties”, one commentator said neither the Holy See nor Irish public and media opinion had fully understood the other. What seemed a very useful, groundbreaking meeting to one, looked like a total waste of time to the other. Vatican insiders argue that a meeting like that held this week could never produce obvious, tangible results. This meeting was much more about listening and understanding. Issues such as the resignations of bishops and arranging a “symbolic gesture” meeting between abuse survivors and Pope Benedict were simply never on the agenda.
After the meeting, the Holy See's Press Office released a statement that included the following: "Today the Holy Father held a meeting with senior Irish bishops and high-ranking members of the Roman Curia. He listened to their concerns and discussed with them the traumatic events that were presented in the Irish Commission of Investigation's Report into the Catholic Archdiocese of Dublin. After careful study of the report, the Holy Father was deeply disturbed and distressed by its contents. He wishes once more to express his profound regret at the actions of some members of the clergy who have betrayed their solemn promises to God, as well as the trust placed in them by the victims and their families, and by society at large. ... The Holy See takes very seriously the central issues raised by the Report, including questions concerning the governance of local Church leaders with ultimate responsibility for the pastoral care of children. The Holy Father intends to address a Pastoral Letter to the faithful of Ireland in which he will clearly indicate the initiatives that are to be taken in response to the situation.
Asked if the meeting and the ensuing Vatican statement would go some way to answering criticism about the perceived silence of the Holy See in the wake of the publication of the report, Martin said: "What appeared to us today is that maybe things were not said but certainly people were reflecting on matters".
Some survivors of child abuse and their representatives reacted negatively to the Holy See's statement. Marie Collins, who was abused in 1960 by a priest when she was a patient at Our Lady’s Hospital for Sick Children in Crumlin, said: "I can’t say I was disappointed because I didn’t have any high hopes."Acknowledging the sincerity of the pope’s call for prayers for those abused and their families, and possible initiatives where reorganisation of the Irish Church
Roman Catholicism in Ireland
The Catholic Church in Ireland is part of the worldwide Catholic Church, the Christian Church with full communion with the Pope, currently Benedict XVI...
was concerned, she pointed out the statement "doesn’t deal with the past. No one has taken responsibility for what went on in Dublin. There is no accountability".
Bishops Eamonn Oliver Walsh
Eamonn Oliver Walsh
Eamonn Oliver Walsh is an Irish Catholic bishop and is one of the two active Auxiliary Bishops of Dublin, the other being Raymond W. Field....
and Ray Field offered an apology to child-abuse victims, as they tendered their resignations during Christmas Midnight Mass on 24 December 2009. This came in addition to the resignation of two other bishops, Donal Murray of Limerick and James Moriarty of Kildare, following the publication of the Murphy Report.
In a joint statement Walsh and Field said they hoped their proffered resignations "may help to bring the peace and reconciliation of Jesus Christ to the victims (and) survivors of child sexual abuse. We again apologise to them". Martin had called for his two auxiliary bishops to quit, but both initially refused. In his Christmas sermon, Martin said the church for too long placed its self-interest above the rights of its parishioners, particularly innocent children. He said they, as well as the dedicated majority of priests, had been betrayed by their leaders. "It has been a painful year," he told worshippers at St Mary's Pro-Cathedral
St Mary's Pro-Cathedral
St Mary's Church , known also as St Mary's Pro-Cathedral or simply the Pro-Cathedral, is a pro-cathedral and is the episcopal seat of the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Dublin and Primate of Ireland.-Status as "pro-cathedral":...
in Dublin. "But the church today may well be a better and safer place than was the church of 25 years ago – when all looked well, but where deep shadows were kept buried." On 11 August 2010, however, it was revealed that Pope Benedict had not accepted the resignations of Bishops Walsh and Field. "Following the presentation of their resignations to Pope Benedict, it has been decided that Bishop Eamonn Walsh and Bishop Raymond Field will remain as auxiliary bishops," Archbishop Martin said in a letter to priests of the diocese
Prior to offering their resignations, Walsh had been a bishop for 19 years and ran the diocese of Ferns for four years after Brendan Comiskey
Brendan Comiskey
Brendan Comiskey, is the Roman Catholic Bishop Emeritus of the Diocese of Ferns. He was born on 13 August 1935 in Clontibret, County Monaghan, Ireland.He resigned on 1 April 2002, over charges that he had failed to deal adequately with allegations that Fr...
resigned as a bishop over his cover-ups of abuse. Field had served for 12 years in Dublin and was president of the hierarchy's Commission for Justice and Social Affairs.
Of the five serving bishops who were mentioned in the Murphy report, only one, the Bishop of Galway, Martin Drennan
Martin Drennan
Martin Drennan is the Roman Catholic Bishop of the Diocese of Galway and Kilmacduagh and Apostolic Administrator for the Diocese of Kilfenora.-Early life and ordination:He was born in Piltown, County Kilkenny, Ireland...
, decided not to offer his resignation. In a radio poll 93% of local people in Galway said that they supported his decision. Likewise, Galway West TD
Teachta Dála
A Teachta Dála , usually abbreviated as TD in English, is a member of Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Oireachtas . It is the equivalent of terms such as "Member of Parliament" or "deputy" used in other states. The official translation of the term is "Deputy to the Dáil", though a more literal...
Frank Fahey
Frank Fahey
Frank Fahey is a property developer and former Irish Fianna Fáil politician. He was a Teachta Dála for the Galway West constituency.-Life before politics:...
declared that Drennan should not resign.
Martin came in for criticism among other high ranking clergy for calling for the resignations. In the Connaught Tribune newspaper, Father Tony Flannery was critical of how Martin communicated with his own auxiliary bishops: "These bishops are not recalcitrant teenagers; they are intelligent and mature men, so it was pathetic of Diarmuid Martin to use the media to communicate with them".
In January 2010, the Archbishop expressed surprise at claims made in the previous month by Bishop of Galway Martin Drennan
Martin Drennan
Martin Drennan is the Roman Catholic Bishop of the Diocese of Galway and Kilmacduagh and Apostolic Administrator for the Diocese of Kilfenora.-Early life and ordination:He was born in Piltown, County Kilkenny, Ireland...
that he had attacked Drennan's integrity. It followed a call by Martin, following publication of the Murphy report, for all current and former Auxiliary Bishops of Dublin to be accountable for their actions on child protection issues. In a radio interview, after the Archbishop made his comments, Drennan said: "I don't know if Martin intended it or not but it has put a question mark over my integrity, yes. Now that I've responded to him and given him the evidence he needs he might want to reflect on that and see what response he should make to it." Speaking to the media in Maynooth on 22 January, as a day-long extraordinary meeting of the Irish Episcopal Conference concluded which had also been attended by Drennan, Martin said: “I'm surprised that anybody would say that, by asking people to be accountable, to stand up and explain themselves, that was an attack on anyone's integrity.” He said he had received lots of correspondence supporting him for saying people should be accountable, which did not mean heads should roll, he said.
Auxiliary Bishop Emeritus of Dublin Dermot O’Mahony strongly criticised Martin, claiming that he had failed to support priests in the Dublin diocese following publication of the Murphy report. “The archbishop did nothing to counteract the statement of the Murphy report, widely circulated in the media, that the majority of clergy knew and did nothing. Indeed, I feel he made matters worse by giving an example of a parish that could be clearly identifiable to the priests of the diocese,” wrote O’Mahony in letters sent to Martin and the Council of Priests
Presbyteral Council
The Presbyteral Council or Council of Priests is a group of priests chosen to assist the local ordinary in an advisory capacity in the governance of the diocese. Canon 495 of the Code of Canon Law lays down that every diocese must have such a council...
. He added: “To suggest our approach failed to take cognisance of the safety of children is inaccurate and unjust. The acceptance by media and current diocese policy that a cover-up took place must be challenged,”, and took the unusual step of circulating his own correspondence with Martin to the Council of Priests.
In a letter to Martin on 30 December, Bishop O’Mahony wrote that he had been shocked at the tone of a previous letter he had received from Martin, which had addressed the Murphy report. A spokeswoman for Martin told The Irish Times that this letter to O’Mahony, which was dated 2 December 2009, had been sent following detailed conversation between them. It was sent three days after a meeting of the diocesan council which discussed the Murphy report.
A meeting of priests heard demands that Martin be confronted over his handling of the fallout from the Murphy report on clerical child sex abuse. It also heard claims that the archbishop had become “a source of division” among priests and bishops. About 25 Dublin priests attended the meeting on 18 January 2010. The minutes state that the majority of priests in attendance were middle-aged and all got a chance to speak. The meeting was specially convened to discuss the Murphy report. “Anger, frustration and a sense of helplessness [were] expressed at the lack of compassion shown by the diocese in recent months, particularly towards the auxiliary bishops,” the minutes report. The minutes go on to say that priests were “dumbfounded” by Martin’s letter to former auxiliary bishop O' Mahony. “To say his good name had been tarnished was untrue, cruel and insulting”.
Archbishop Martin in August 2010 said that bishops have “a long history of a lack of unity”, according to an English translation of the address he delivered in Italian at Rimini.
Pope's Pastoral Letter to Irish Catholics
Pope Benedict's letter to Irish Catholics was signed on Friday 19 March 2010 and was released on the 20 March The letter follows the publication of the Ryan and Murphy reports into child abuse by Church authorities. After the letter was released Archbishop Diarmuid Martin welcomed the pope's statement, describing it not as a final word but as “a further step in the process of renewal and healing in the Catholic Church in Ireland following the crisis of the sexual abuse of children". Martin said the pope acknowledged the suffering and betrayal experienced by survivors of clerical abuse. “The pope recognises the failures of Church authorities in how they dealt with sinful and criminal acts,” he said.Refusal to call for resignation of Cardinal Brady
In response to a journalist's question following publicity given to Cardinal Brady's role in canonical investigations in 1975 concerning paedophile priest Brendan Smyth, Martin commented: "I never tell people to resign. I never said people should stay. I ask for accountability. Resigning is a personal decision a person has to make on their own. People should be accountable, and render account of what they've done. Resignations are personal decisions." Asked whether it was acceptable that Cardinal Brady did not stop Smyth after the 1975 investigation, he said Smyth "was not stopped by who had the power to stop him", and "somebody should have stopped him".In the same interview Martin was asked if he had been recently silenced by the church. He replied: "No, I haven't been asked to stop talking. I gave four major interviews in the last four weeks to Irish and international television." Asked if he had been ostracised by other members of the church, he said: "I do things in my own way, which may not please everybody, but in no way was I ostracised. I have to maintain also my own independence of thought."
Apostolic visitation
In October 2010, Archbishop Michael NearyMichael Neary
Michael Neary is a retired Irish consultant obstetrician/gynecologist. He gained notoriety when it was discovered that he had performed what was considered an inordinate number of caesarian hysterectomies during his time at Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Drogheda, County Louth...
of Tuam, along with Cardinal Brady, Archbishops Diarmuid Martin of Dublin and Dermot Clifford of Cashel and Emly met for high-level talks with heads of Vatican congregations over the apostolic visitation
Apostolic visitation to Ireland
The Apostolic visitation to Ireland was announced on 20 March 2010 in the pastoral letter written by Pope Benedict XVI to Irish Catholics after the publication of the Ryan and Murphy Reports in 2009...
of Irish dioceses in the wake of the Murphy and Ryan reports. While in Rome, the Irish churchmen came face to face with a team of investigators appointed by Pope Benedict to examine the four Irish archdioceses and "some other as yet unspecified dioceses".
They included Cormac Murphy-O'Connor, the Cardinal-Archbishop Emeritus of Westminster
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Westminster
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Westminster is an archdiocese of the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic Church in England. The archdiocese consists of all the London boroughs north of the River Thames and west of the River Lea, together with the towns southwest of Staines and Sunbury-on-Thames and...
, who inspected Cardinal Brady's archdiocese of Armagh
Archdiocese of Armagh
Archdiocese of Armagh may refer to:* Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Armagh, a senior primatial and metropolitan see of Ireland* Diocese of Armagh , one of four dioceses of the Church of Ireland...
, and Sean O'Malley, Cardinal Archbishop of Boston, who inspected the Dublin diocese
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Dublin
The Metropolitan Archdiocese of Dublin, , is a Roman Catholic archdiocese in eastern Ireland centred around the republic's capital city – Dublin. The see of Dublin was raised to the status of a Metropolitan Province by the Synod of Kells in 1152. Its jurisdiction includes much of the Province of...
. Toronto's Archbishop Thomas Christopher Collins
Thomas Christopher Collins
Thomas Christopher Collins is a Canadian prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He is the tenth and current Archbishop of Toronto, having previously served as Bishop of Saint Paul in Alberta and Archbishop of Edmonton .-Early life and education:Collins was born in Guelph, Ontario, the son of the...
to investigate Cashel, while Ottawa's Archbishop Terrence Prendergast
Terrence Prendergast
Terrence Thomas Prendergast, SJ is Archbishop of Ottawa, Canada. He was formerly Auxiliary Bishop of Toronto and Archbishop of Halifax.-Early life:...
will look at the west of Ireland archdiocese of Tuam. An investigation of the state of Irish seminaries will be conducted by Archbishop Timothy Dolan
Timothy Dolan
Timothy Michael Dolan is an American prelate of the Catholic Church. He is the tenth and current Archbishop of New York, having previously served as Archbishop of Milwaukee and Auxiliary Bishop of St. Louis ....
of New York
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York covers New York, Bronx, and Richmond counties in New York City , as well as Dutchess, Orange, Putnam, Rockland, Sullivan, Ulster, and Westchester counties in New York state. There are 480 parishes...
. The investigators, known as apostolic visitors, will report their findings directly to Pope Benedict XVI
Pope Benedict XVI
Benedict XVI is the 265th and current Pope, by virtue of his office of Bishop of Rome, the Sovereign of the Vatican City State and the leader of the Catholic Church as well as the other 22 sui iuris Eastern Catholic Churches in full communion with the Holy See...
.
2011 Liturgy of Lament
Archbishop Martin on 20 February 2011 said that the Church has a long way to journey in honesty before it merits forgiveness for the abuse of children. Archbishop Martin then made what victims said was the most explicit apology to date for the role of the Church hierarchy in enabling the abuse. Apostolic Visitor Sean Cardinal O'Malley of Boston, who was sent to Ireland by the Vatican to study the response of the Dublin archdiocese to sexual abuse, lay prostrate in front of an empty stone altar at the start of the service. They later invited five women and three male victims of abuse to the altar, where they knelt down and washed their feet. Three of the victims held hands and sobbed as Martin poured water on their feet and Cardinal O'Malley dried them with a towel.During the service Archbishop Martin said "I can express my sorrow, my sense of the wrong that was done to you. I think of how you were not heard or not believed and not comforted and supported. I can ask myself how did this happen in the Church of Jesus Christ where as we heard in the Gospel children are presented to us as signs of the kingdom
Kingdom of God
The Kingdom of God or Kingdom of Heaven is a foundational concept in the Abrahamic religions: Judaism, Christianity and Islam.The term "Kingdom of God" is found in all four canonical gospels and in the Pauline epistles...
. How did we not see you in your suffering and abandonment?" he contiuned saying "Someone once reminded me of the difference between on the one hand apologising or saying sorry and on the other hand asking forgiveness. I can bump into someone on the street and say “Sorry”. It can be meaningful or just an empty formula. When I say sorry I am in charge. When I ask forgiveness however I am no longer in charge, I am in the hands of the others. Only you can forgive me; only God can forgive me. I, as Archbishop of Dublin and as Diarmuid Martin, stand here in this silence and I ask forgiveness of God and I ask for the first steps of forgiveness from of all the survivors of abuse."
Comments on Vatican response to report
In May 2011 Archbishop Martin emphasised he was not criticising Pope Benedict, but was encouraging a sense of urgency on the part of the Pope’s “collaborators” in the Roman CuriaRoman Curia
The Roman Curia is the administrative apparatus of the Holy See and the central governing body of the entire Catholic Church, together with the Pope...
. Speaking in Dublin he said the pace of change in Irish religious culture was such that “the longer the delay in advancing the fruits of the apostolic visitation
Apostolic visitation to Ireland
The Apostolic visitation to Ireland was announced on 20 March 2010 in the pastoral letter written by Pope Benedict XVI to Irish Catholics after the publication of the Ryan and Murphy Reports in 2009...
, the greater the danger of false expectations, and the greater the encouragement to those who prefer immobilism to reform, and the greater the threat to the effectiveness of this immense gift of the Holy Father to the Irish Church”. He was “impatient to learn about the path that the apostolic visitation will set out for renewal for the Irish Church so that our renewal will move forward decisively. At the same time, I am also becoming increasingly impatient at the slowness in the process, which began over a year ago. This is not a criticism of the Holy Father. It is an appeal to his collaborators.” Archbishop Martin was speaking at All Hallows College, Dublin, to delegates from almost 70 countries attending a conference held in anticipation of the 2012 Eucharistic Congress. His “greatest concern” was “the rift which is growing between the church and young people”.
Church role in education
In March 2010, Martin welcomed an announcement by Minister for Education Batt O'KeeffeBatt O'Keeffe
Bartholomew "Batt" O'Keeffe is a former Irish Fianna Fáil politician who served as a Teachta Dála and Senator from 1989 to 2011. He also served as Minister for Education and Science and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Innovation .-Early and personal life:O'Keeffe was born in Cullen, County...
that his department “will shortly be providing an initial list of about 10 urban areas that can be used to test the concept of reducing the number of Catholic schools”. Martin also said that solutions would have to be found to respect the rights of teachers “who do not wish to be involved in religious education”. He welcomed the fact that “the Minister has indicated that there will be consultations with parents, teachers and local communities”.
Fr Michael Drumm, executive chairman of the Catholic Schools Partnership, also welcomed “the prospect of greater diversity of school provision” as indicated by the Minister yesterday. However, he queried the Minister’s “mention of an eventual reduction of Catholic provision in demographically stable urban areas to 60 per cent”.
In his address to the Catholic Primary Schools Management Association in Dublin, Minister O'Keefe said that “the issue of the Catholic Church divesting itself of certain schools was originally explicitly raised by Archbishop Diarmuid Martin and it has also found expression in the work of the Bishops’ Conference and through its engagement with my department.” He said that the archbishop’s “public identification of this reality” was “a timely and important contribution not just to the future of Catholic schools but to the future of the primary sector generally,” he said.
“In overall terms, I know it has been acknowledged that the Catholic primary sector, which currently represents over 90 per cent of overall provision, may ultimately fall to between 50 per cent and 60 per cent of overall provision and that this percentage of overall provision will still be enough to allow the church fulfil its expressed commitment to meet the needs of parents who wish their children to have a Catholic education.”
In March 2011 Minister for Education Ruairí Quinn
Ruairi Quinn
Ruairi Quinn is an Irish Labour Party politician who has been Minister for Education and Skills since March 2011. He is currently a Teachta Dála for the Dublin South East constituency. He was Minister for Finance from 1994 to 1997, and leader of the Labour Party from 1997 to 2002.-Early...
has set up an expert group to decide how up to half of all primary schools will be moved away from Catholic Church patronage. The forum will be chaired by Prof John Coolahan, professor emeritus at NUI Maynooth, and will meet for the first time in May 2011. They will advise the Minister on how best it can be ensured that the education system provides a sufficiently diverse number and range of primary schools catering for all religions and none and the practicalities of how transfer of patronage should operate for individual primary schools in communities where it is appropriate and necessary.
Comments on the Cloyne report
On 13 July 2011 the report in the sexual abuse in the diocese of CloyneSexual abuse scandal in Cloyne diocese
The sexual abuse scandal in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Cloyne is officially elaborated as the "Commission of Investigation, Dublin Archdiocese, Catholic Diocese of Cloyne". It has examined how allegations of sexual abuse of children in the diocese were dealt with by the church and state. The...
was published. Archbishop Martin said on reading his report that his "first emotion that came to me was anger". Archbishop Martin has warned that further investigations of clerical child sex abuse in dioceses will not get to the truth if people in the Catholic Church
Roman Catholicism in Ireland
The Catholic Church in Ireland is part of the worldwide Catholic Church, the Christian Church with full communion with the Pope, currently Benedict XVI...
are not prepared to tell the truth. Senior church figures who were not prepared to be honest would only be “discovered” through an “invasive” audit of child protection practices in their dioceses, he said. He said the Vatican
Roman Curia
The Roman Curia is the administrative apparatus of the Holy See and the central governing body of the entire Catholic Church, together with the Pope...
, in responding to the findings of last week’s report on child abuse cases in the Cloyne diocese
Roman Catholic Diocese of Cloyne
The Diocese of Cloyne is a Roman Catholic diocese in southern Ireland. It is one of six suffragan dioceses in the ecclesiastical province of Cashel and is subject to the Archdiocese of Cashel and Emly. The diocese is in the secular province of the same name - Munster...
, should reiterate its support for the Irish church in applying existing “norms”, or rules, on child protection. The Vatican should also support the reporting of cases to the State authorities and the carrying out of audits to show exactly where the situation was in relation to child protection. He acknowledged that people could feel deceived by the church, he said the norms set down by the present pope in 2001 had been ignored in the Cloyne diocese. “What sort of a cabal
Cabal
A cabal is a group of people united in some close design together, usually to promote their private views and/or interests in a church, state, or other community, often by intrigue...
is in there and still refusing to recognise the norms of the church?” he asked. All the other Irish bishops had put these norms into practice, “as far as I know”, he added. Dr Martin said six elderly priests were verbally abused at a colleague’s funeral this week when someone challenged them, claiming they “should be ashamed of themselves”. “Those who felt they were able to play tricks with norms, they have betrayed those good men and so many others in the church who are working today,” he said.
Third Edition of the Roman Missal
In August 2011 Archbishop Martin defended the new, more accurate English translation of the Roman MissalRoman Missal
The Roman Missal is the liturgical book that contains the texts and rubrics for the celebration of the Mass in the Roman Rite of the Catholic Church.-Situation before the Council of Trent:...
entering into force by Advent
Advent
Advent is a season observed in many Western Christian churches, a time of expectant waiting and preparation for the celebration of the Nativity of Jesus at Christmas. It is the beginning of the Western liturgical year and commences on Advent Sunday, called Levavi...
2011. A gradual introduction of the missal will begin at Masses in Ireland from Sunday, 11 September. It is planned that it will be in full use throughout Ireland and the English-speaking Catholic world by the first Sunday of Advent this year, 27 November. In a letter to the priests of the Dublin diocese earlier in August, Dr Martin said that since the current Roman Missal was introduced in 1975, “many additional texts have been made available for use. These include new eucharistic prayers for reconciliation I and II, and for Masses for various needs I to IV, Masses for the Blessed Virgin Mary, Masses for new feasts of saints, and other new material.” Those familiar with translations in other languages had come to realise “that often there were key phrases and rich biblical allusions missing from the English translation” in the current missal, he said. Also, “some theological vocabulary had been lost in the 1975 edition” and the new missal “addresses some of these weaknesses”.Those familiar with translations in other languages had come to realise “that often there were key phrases and rich biblical allusions missing from the English translation” in the current missal, he said. Changes to the wording of the Confiteor, the Gloria and the Creed are included in the new Roman Missal. The phrase “begotten, not made, of one being with the Father”, from the Creed
Creed
A creed is a statement of belief—usually a statement of faith that describes the beliefs shared by a religious community—and is often recited as part of a religious service. When the statement of faith is longer and polemical, as well as didactic, it is not called a creed but a Confession of faith...
, has been changed to “begotten, not made, consubstantial with the Father”. The response to “the Lord be with you” has been changed from “and also with you” to “and with your spirit”, while the opening three sentences of the third eucharistic prayer have been replaced with a 72-word sentence.
Future of the Church in Ireland
Archbishop Martin said in a speech on the future of the Church on 10 May 2010, that the Gospel reminds "us that the Father would send the SpiritHoly Spirit
Holy Spirit is a term introduced in English translations of the Hebrew Bible, but understood differently in the main Abrahamic religions.While the general concept of a "Spirit" that permeates the cosmos has been used in various religions Holy Spirit is a term introduced in English translations of...
who, at each moment in the history of the Church, would teach us all things in Jesus name. In that sense I cannot be pessimistic about the future of the Church in Ireland." He continued saying that "The future of the Catholic Church in Ireland
Roman Catholicism in Ireland
The Catholic Church in Ireland is part of the worldwide Catholic Church, the Christian Church with full communion with the Pope, currently Benedict XVI...
will see a very different Catholic Church in Ireland. I sometimes worry when I hear those with institutional responsibility stress the role of the institution and others then in reaction saying that “we are the Church”. Perhaps on both sides there may be an underlying feeling that “I am the Church”, that the Church must be modelled on my way of thinking or on my position. Renewal is never our own creation. Renewal will only come through returning to the Church which we have received from the Lord."
On Church teaching, Archbishop Martin said that, "There are further challenges to be addressed regarding Church teaching. Within the Church and outside of it discussion focuses around challenges in the area of sexual morality where the Church’s teaching is either not understood or is simply rejected as out of tune with contemporary culture. There is on the other hand very little critical examination of some of the roots of that contemporary culture and its compatibility with the teaching of Jesus. The moral teaching of the Church cannot simply be a blessing for, a toleration of, or an adaptation to the cultural climate of the day."
On the need for greater evangelisation he said that "The use of modern media mechanisms to support the distribution of the Gospel is something important and innovative. In this context, we are very fortunate to have a group of scripture scholars who put their knowledge and personal perception of the scriptures at the service of parishes and bible study groups. This material is accessible to any individual who would wish to avail of it on the website www.yearofevangelisation.ie."
He said that "The Catholic Church in Ireland is coming out of one of its most difficult moments in its history and the light at the end of the tunnel is still a long way off. The Catholic Church in Ireland will have to live with the grief of its past, which can and should never be forgotten or overlooked. There is no simple way of wiping the slate of the past clean, just to ease our feelings. Yet the Catholic Church in Ireland cannot be imprisoned in its past. The work of evangelization must if anything take on a totally new vibrancy."
He closed saying that "Perhaps the future of the Church in Ireland will be one where we truly learn from the arrogance of our past and find anew a fragility which will allow the mercy and the compassion of Jesus to give us a change of heart and allow others through a very different Church to encounter something of that compassion and faith for their lives."
On 20 February 2011, he made what was regarded by abuse survivors as his most explicit apology yet.
At a talk on the future of Irish Catholicism on 22 February 2011 for the Cambridge Group for Irish Studies, Magdalene College, Cambridge
Magdalene College, Cambridge
Magdalene College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge, England.The college was founded in 1428 as a Benedictine hostel, in time coming to be known as Buckingham College, before being refounded in 1542 as the College of St Mary Magdalene...
Archbishop Martin said that "there are parishes in Dublin where the presence at Sunday Mass is some 5% of the Catholic population and, in some cases, even below 2%. On any particular Sunday about 18% of the Catholic population in the Archdiocese of Dublin attends Mass. That is considerably lower than in any other part of Ireland." He continued saying "the conformist Ireland of the Archbishop McQuaid
John Charles McQuaid
John Charles McQuaid, C.S.Sp. was the Catholic Archbishop of Dublin and Primate of Ireland between December 1940 and February 1972.- Early life 1895-1914:...
era changed so rapidly and with few tears was read as an indication of a desire for change, but perhaps it was also an indication that the conformism was covering an emptiness and a faith built on a faulty structure to which people no longer really ascribed" and that "The Catholic Church in Ireland will inevitably become more a minority culture. The challenge is to ensure that it is not an irrelevant minority culture." In the context of lay pastoral workers he said "The narrow culture of clericalism has to be eliminated. It did not come out of nowhere and so we have to address its roots from the time of seminary training onwards". He said that of the Church that the "paradoxical thing is that the farther the Church goes in adapting to the culture of the times, the greater is the danger that it will no longer be able to confront the culture of the time", he concluded saying that "I am convinced that one of the principal ways in which the Church can reform itself and bring its message more incisively to society is through developing a renewed biblical apostolate".
2011 general election comments
Archbishop Martin in February 2011 called on Christians in Ireland to be vocal about the values they want for "a caring" society. Addressing a church celebration of the World Day of the Sick in Clontarf, Archbishop Martin said: "We stand at an important moment regarding the future of our Irish society." He continued saying "In a climate marked too often only by criticism and mud-slinging, we Christians are called to drive for a sense of common purpose regarding the type of society we wish our political leaders to generate and the values that we would wish to see enshrined in that society," Dr Martin said. Shortly afterwards the Irish Catholic Bishops' Conference released a guide to voters for the general election.Family
The Archbishop's brother, Seamus MartinSeamus Martin
Seamus Martin is the retired international editor of The Irish Times and is the brother and only sibling of Diarmuid Martin the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Dublin....
, was a left wing journalist
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
with The Irish Times
The Irish Times
The Irish Times is an Irish daily broadsheet newspaper launched on 29 March 1859. The editor is Kevin O'Sullivan who succeeded Geraldine Kennedy in 2011; the deputy editor is Paul O'Neill. The Irish Times is considered to be Ireland's newspaper of record, and is published every day except Sundays...
newspaper.