The Vatican has announced the appointment of Dublin Archbishop, Diarmuid Martin (pic'd here) to be its representative at key talks with the World Council of Churches, the General Secretary being Dr Rev Sam Kobia who will meet with Dr Martin in Dublin tomorrow.This adds to the speculation that Dublin will indeed receive the cardinal's red hat which may happen as soon as this coming June.
As also mentioned here, as early as last December, it may also mean that Dr Martin be called back to Rome or Geneva, having worked in the Curia for 30 years or so as it is.
If that being the situation, it leaves the situation whereby the Archdiocese of Dublin will be requiring a new incumbent and Bishop Eamon Walsh who handled the Ferns Report may well succeed Dr Martin and receive the title of Archbishop as accorded in such a move.
This would be, as oft stated here a poisoned chalice for Dr Walsh as he would then have to deal with the serious fallout of the Archdiocesan Investigation currently ongoing by the Irish State in Child Sex Abuse which is causing some very serious headaches at present.
The experience gained as a barrister by Dr Walsh will certainly come in very useful if so appointed and perhaps he is considering his own position on that particular matter and who could possibly blame him?
Dr Martin will begin in his new posting sooner rather than later and his term will run until 2013, after which he may return to Ireland and still aged 68, may be given the posting of Armagh which would be vacated by Archbishop Seán Brady in 2014, and as Dr Martin would already hold the title of cardinal, it would be a simple matter of installation.
As to whether Archbishop Brady will receive a red hat is up for debate with Il Papa perhaps hesitant in according two holders of such an office for a country the size of Ireland but considering that Dr Martin would not be then normally resident here, who knows how Il Papa will handle this?
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