The recent appointments of Monsignor Noel Treanor as the ne
w Roman Catholic Bishop of Down and Connor and Archbishop Giuseppe Leanza as the new Apostolic Nuncio to Ireland come at a time of major challenge and difficulty for the church in Ireland. In the aftermath of recent bad publicity when the former Archbishop of Dublin, Cardinal Desmond Connell, and his successor, Dr Diarmuid Martin, seemed to be at loggerheads over the issue of releasing some 5,000 files to a Government inquiry into clerical sex abuse in the archdiocese, recent figures show that the Catholic Church is facing a crisis over a major shortage of new priests.
It may be that the two issues are connected.
The priestly vocation has its own considerable challenges as well as rewards in today's world, but the increasing secularisation of modern society, as well as the self-inflicted wounds of repeated sex scandals, may be deterring even more young men from choosing to become priests.
Around 160 Catholic priests died in the last year, and only nine were ordained, while 228 nuns died and only two took final vows.
Fr Eamonn Bourke, director of vocations for Dublin, told the Irish Catholic newspaper: "It's impossible to argue with statistics and the situation is very grave."
This is part of the national background against which Msgr Treanor takes up his post as the new bishop in Belfast later this year.
He will succeed Bishop Patrick Walsh who has been in the post for some 17 years, during some of the worst episodes of the Troubles.
However, Msgr Treanor will face new challenges, not least in doing all he can with other churches, politicians and community leaders in helping to stabilise the peace process in Northern Ireland which may not be quite as sturdy as some outside observers believe.
The possible demise of Ian Paisley as First Minister could come quicker than he - or indeed his new political allies - had anticipated.
Significantly, Msgr Treanor is an outside appointment who will be expected to bring a fresh approach to the Northern diocese, which is the second largest in Ireland.
He is a priest from the diocese of Clogher and for the past 19 years he has worked on the European interface between church and public life.
Meanwhile, the Catholic Church in Ireland is preparing to welcome the new Papal Nuncio Archbishop Leanza who is moving from a post in Bulgaria. He is a highly experienced Vatican diplomat who has served in Latin America, Africa, the US and Europe.
Despite such experience, he will take some time to settle in to his new job and to grasp the main social trends and political subtleties of his new post. He may also face the considerable challenges of facilitating a possible visit to Armagh next year of Pope Benedict XVI which will undoubtedly attract opposition from arch-conservative Protestants.
However, one factor which will encourage Archbishop Leanza and Msgr Treanor as they move from greater Europe to this island is the leadership of the Catholic Primate Cardinal Sean Brady, who was elevated deservedly by the Pope last November.
He has shown not only a steady resolve and an appreciable ecumenical presence, but also a willingness to give a clear lead on complex social and political issues. Most recently he also demonstrated a growing authority when his quiet but firm diplomacy helped to end the embarrassing situation involving the senior clergy in Dublin.
No doubt the new Papal Nuncio and the new Bishop of Down and Connor are already pencilling Cardinal Brady's phone number near the top of their list of major contacts, as they face their new challenges in Ireland, north and south.
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