The cleric set to become the next head of the
Catholic Church in Ireland has pledged to work to heal the wounds of
those who have lost trust in the institution.Eamon Martin delivered a call for renewal in the Church as he was ordained into an interim post ahead of eventually succeeding current Primate of All Ireland, Cardinal Sean Brady.
The Londonderry-born former teacher yesterday became Coadjutor Archbishop of Armagh and will act as an assistant to Cardinal Brady for the foreseeable future.
The 52-year-old takes up his new post after a period of unprecedented turmoil for the church in Ireland, during which its influence has been damaged by clerical child abuse scandals.
At his ordination ceremony in St Patrick's Cathedral in Armagh – during which a letter endorsing his appointment signed by former Pope Benedict was read to the congregation – the new Coadjutor Archbishop reiterated his belief that the time had come to "sing a new song to The Lord".
"Of course, there are some who will not want to listen," he said.
"There are others, too, who have been so hurt and betrayed in the past, that understandably they find themselves unable to trust our message. That is why we must continue, as Pope Benedict XVI exhorted us in his letter, 'to reflect on the wounds inflicted on Christ's body', and persevere in our efforts to bind those wounds and heal them."
Archbishop Martin said he felt a whole mixture of emotions on being chosen to take up the role.
"Excitement, nervousness, a sense of my unworthiness and inadequacy," he said.
The cleric then referred to Pope Francis's call for the church to reach out to people.
"Pope Francis has spoken recently about the need to 'go out of ourselves', beyond our usual comfort zones to the 'edges of our existence'," he said. "It is there, he says, that we meet the poor, the forgotten, the disillusioned.
"And there we must sing
our new song in a way which will speak to the reality of their daily
lives, with all their hurts and burdens and troubles. The only way we
can do that is by singing about God's mercy and love for each one of us
personally.
"That is what the new song is about – it is a
song of love, that God unconditionally loves each one of us, despite
our sinfulness and imperfections, and that the Lamb of God, who suffered
and died to take away the sins of the world, has mercy on us.
"The
singing of the new song is not simply a task for bishops, priests and
religious. It belongs to all God's people. We are all called to holiness
and to mission.
"During this Year of Faith, I pray for a
renewed outpouring of the Holy Spirit in Ireland, enkindling the fire
of God's love in the hearts of all the faithful! My brothers and
sisters, we need you to share in the renewal and new evangelisation that
is at the very heart of the Church's mission.
"Sing the
new song of the Lord with your hearts and your lives, by witnessing to
Christ in your families and workplaces, and in the new mission fields of
media, culture, business and politics."
He added: "Of
course, we must all be sure that it is the Lord's song that we are
singing, and not simply our own composition with a catchy rhythm and
some clever lyrics. And we must sing in harmony with one another as
people, priests, religious and bishops.
"Our new song
must never dilute the strength of Christ's message but must capture
faithfully the timeless truth of the Gospel. And that can only happen if
we live in communion with Christ and with one another."
Cardinal
Brady (73) has led the church in Ireland for more than 16 years as a
series of investigations exposed damning levels of clerical abuse. He
was at the centre of the mishandling of allegations about paedophile
priest Brendan Smyth dating back to 1975.
As a
36-year-old priest and canon law expert, he interviewed two child
victims and – despite being made aware of further allegations – did not
alert the parents of potential victims or police.