Vatican asks Indian archbishop to resign over liturgical dispute

 

An archbishop of Eastern Rite Syro-Malabar Church has resigned following the Vatican’s directions after he was accused of defying the Church’s supreme synod in the decades-long liturgical dispute.

Archbishop Antony Kariyil, the vicar of the major archbishop of Ernakulam-Angamaly archdiocese in southern Kerala state expressed willingness to resign on July 26, six days after he was summoned to the Vatican nunciature in New Delhi.

The nuncio issued a letter asking him to immediately tender his resignation, said archdiocesan officials from the eastern rite Syro-Malabar Church.

Archbishop Kariyil initially refused as no valid reason was cited for his resignation. He handed over a letter to the nuncio seeking to apprise Pope Francis about the developments, officials added.

The resignation comes after Archbishop Leopoldo Girelli, the nuncio to India, arrived at the Archbishop’s House on July 26 and held a discussion with Archbishop Kariyil.

The church issued no official statement about the resignation but a source told UCA News that "it is just a formality" that the synod accepts the resignation and makes alternative administrative arrangements.  

The archbishop stepped down despite a section of laity and priests rallying in his support.

As the news spread, a section of the archdiocesan priests held an emergency meeting at the Archbishop’s House and passed a resolution recording their opposition to the Vatican emissary forcefully demanding the resignation of Archbishop Kariyil.

“The Archeparchy showed tremendous unity, Christian witness and progress during the tenure of Mar Kariyil compared to the past many years. He is a true pastor who knows the hearts and minds of his flock,” the resolution by the priests stated.

Archbishop Kariyil, it said, was a bishop who was fully committed to Jesus, the Word of God and the Roman Pontiff and never violated any canon or civil laws.

“Any attempt to jeopardize his bishopric will prove detrimental to Catholic communion and harmony,” they warned.

The resolution further noted that though Archbishop Kariyil hesitated to divulge anything about the latest move by the Vatican nunciature, it is known that some groups favoring Cardinal George Alencherry have sought his immediate resignation.

“This move, if ever it is true, is totally unjust, inhuman, unchristian, and illegal,” the priests said while opposing any move to reinstate Cardinal Alencherry as the Archbishop of Ernakulam.

“We do not want a corrupt prelate to lead us; nor do we want to be his vicars in the parishes.” the priests said. “We solemnly declare that we cannot accept any other administrators or vicars of the Major Archbishop to rule over us at this moment supplanting Mar Antony Kariyil.”

They further appealed to the Vatican to be “synodal in the approach to the priests and laity” and “find a solution to the present impasse through fraternal dialogue in the Catholic spirit” instead of demanding the forced resignation of Archbishop Kariyil.

Archbishop Kariyial was appointed vicar of the Major Archbishop for the Ernakulam-Angamaly in August 2019 after Archbishop Alencherry was removed due to his alleged involvement in Church land deals pending in court.

Archbishop Kariyil was appointed with the consent of Cardinal Alencherry but they fell apart after the former refused to accept the Syro-Malabar synod’s decision to implement a policy of uniformity in the celebration of mass in the Church.

For more than four decades the Church was divided in celebrating the Mass. One group wanted to celebrate Mass by turning to the altar in an effort to restore their ancient liturgy, while another group, led by the Ernakulam-Angamaly archdiocese, opposed it.

The synod in 1999 ruled that the priest “will face the congregation until the Eucharistic prayer, and then again from communion to the end of the Mass. From Eucharistic prayers until communion, the priest will face the altar.”

The synod's formula, seen as a compromise was adopted in August 2021 but faced strong opposition from the Ernakulam-Angamaly, the second largest catholic diocese in India.

The priests and laity launched a hunger strike causing Archbishop Kariyil to grant the archdiocese dispensation from following the synod mass. The protesting groups want to continue with the traditional Mass in which the priest faces the congregation throughout.

The Ernakulam-Angamaly archdiocese accounts for close to one-tenth of the approximately five million Syro-Malabar Catholics.

Synodal journey must not descend into 'them and us' process warns Archbishop

 

The head of the Irish Church has said the synodal synthesis document, which is due to be published next month, will reveal many challenges for the handing on of faith in Ireland.

In his homily at the annual Mass and investiture of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem in St Patrick’s College Chapel, Maynooth, Archbishop Eamon Martin stressed the need for communion amid concerns over a polarisation of views emerging over the synod.

“Concerns have already been expressed in Ireland, and around the world, that the synodal discussions could damage, rather than create, communion in the Church,” he told the assembled Knights and Dames. 

He said it was “vitally important” to work together in Ireland to ensure that the ongoing synodal journey avoids divisiveness and polarisation of views, or degenerates into a “them and us” adversarial process which “loses sight of our shared belonging within the Church of Christ”.

According to the Primate of All Ireland, the synodal synthesis will acknowledge the impact of a major decline in the practice of the faith, and in vocations to priesthood, to the religious life and to sacramental marriage. 

Many of the thousands of people who took part in the consultations over the past nine months called for greater transparency, participation in decision-making and accountability within parish and diocesan church structures. 

“We have heard about the importance of renewing our connection with the energy and gifts of our young people and of finding fresh models of responsibility and leadership which will especially recognise and facilitate the role of women, as well as men.”

The listening process also identified the need to reach out to those who have left the Church and, in some cases, feel excluded, forgotten or ignored. 

Underlining that this is not a time to “hunker down and try to wall off the vineyard of the Lord from the challenges of the world around us”, Archbishop Martin said the next chapter in the life of the Church in Ireland will be different to the last, and the Church may find itself increasingly marginalised in public debate.

But it must remain a Church that is outward looking, confident and prophetic. “We must become a Church which serves, a Church which is more about mission than maintenance, more about movements than monuments,” he said.

Separately, the Association of Catholic Priests (ACP) has expressed its full support for the Irish bishops’ adoption of the Synodal Pathway as the way forward for the Catholic Church in Ireland.  

Archbishop O’Reilly publishes Pastoral Letter on renewal and the future of Church life in Cashel & Emly

 

Dear Friends,

We have recently celebrated a number of important Feasts in the Church – Pentecost, Holy Trinity and Corpus Christi.  The readings at Mass for these feasts told us of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the early Christian communities.  Now we, the disciples of our time journeying under the guidance of the same Holy Spirit, are planning and organising the pastoral life of our diocese.  Planning to ensure that we and future generations will always celebrate these feasts in the life of the Church with joy and thanksgiving on into the future.

Since the lifting of the pandemic restrictions, parishioners are returning to regular Church life, in particular, the Sunday Eucharist, which is the centre of parish worship.  The Sunday Eucharist is, and always will be, the main focus for our parish life.

The Diocesan plan, Seeds of Hope, was launched in September 2021, on the Feast of Saint Ailbe, in Holy Cross Abbey.  Many of you will recall that before we launched Seeds of Hope we had several years of listening and gathering to share our experience of Church life in the here and now while also sharing our hopes and dreams for the Church in our diocese.

I am writing this letter to highlight the present reality regarding the number of priests ministering in the Archdiocese today.  Currently, we are blessed with 68 diocesan priests ministering in the diocese including associate priests, they are also assisted by other priests living in the diocese.  It is clear that this staffing level will not continue.  As with the other dioceses in Ireland we are moving into a new way of being Church in our country.  This new way will in fact, open new possibilities of participation for members of our faith communities.

It is standard practice in the Church worldwide that when a priest reaches seventy-five years of age that he requests to step aside from full time ministry.  A significant number of priests will be over seventy-five years of age in the coming years – over the next five years a further sixteen priests will reach the age of 75 and, at that time, there will also be a maximum of 35 priests under the age of seventy-five.  The current average age of priests in the diocese is 67 years.  It is a matter of importance to me, and to you, that all our priests, whatever their age, are valued and cared for.

Presently, the diocese has one candidate for the priesthood in the major seminary.  I ask you to continue to pray for an increase of vocations to the priesthood and religious life in our diocese and for the Church in Ireland.

Faced with this reality I must tell you that change is coming soon in how we organise parish life in the Archdiocese.  These changes will concern all parishes and the way in which pastoral ministry is undertaken in the future.  Future organisation will call for the formation of different pastoral units – encompassing several parishes functioning together to serve the pastoral needs of their communities.  The organisation of these units will involve priests and lay people working together in a spirit of co-responsibility.  The formation of Parish Pastoral Teams in parishes, now underway, is central to the implementation of our plans for the future.

One important aspect of this development will be the rearranging of Mass times, in particular Sunday Mass times.  In the new arrangements the celebration of Masses will be organised in coordination with other parishes. 

I am sure as a people of faith, we will face these challenges with hope and courage under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, searching out together God’s plan for us in our Archdiocese as missionary disciples of the Risen Lord.  It will call from each and all of us an openness to change as we face and plan our Church life for the future.

Hand-in-hand with the reorganisation of our parishes, the Archdiocese has begun the process of training pastoral workers – women and men who will be an important part of the pastoral life of the diocese in the future – encouraging parishioners with different gifts to place them at the service of the parish communities to which they will be attached.

The model of Church that we have known is being replaced by a new reality.  In future, it will be essential to have lay people more involved and engaged with their priests and with one another in building witnessing communities of faith.

I invite you over the coming weeks to engage in the discussions about future pastoral units in our diocese, together, we pray to the Holy Spirit to guide us on our journey of discernment.

It is planned that the Archdiocese will inaugurate these new pastoral units at the beginning of Advent 2022.

We ask Mary our mother to journey with us as she journeyed with the first disciples.  May the God of Our Lord Jesus Christ keep all of us and our families safe in these challenging times as we continue to proclaim the Good News of hope and salvation to our world.

Yours sincerely,

+ Kieran O’Reilly

Archbishop of Cashel & Emly

Diocesan Appointments 2022 : Archdiocese of Cashel & Emly

                                 

Please see below details announced by Archbishop Kieran O’Reilly SMA, Archbishop of Cashel and Emly, regarding the 2022 clerical changes and appointments for the Archdiocese of Cashel and Emly:

• Very Rev Cannon Conor Ryan PP, VF, Hospital & Herbertstown, to be AP Hospital & Herbertstown
• Rev Father Sean Fennelly, Chaplain, Saint John the Baptist Community School, Hospital, to be PP Hospital & Herbertstown
• Rev Father Thomas Dunne CC, Boherlahan & Dualla, to be PP Murroe & Boher.

Commenting on the clerical appointments for 2022, Archbishop O’Reilly said, “These appointments will take effect from Saturday, 3 September next. On behalf of the Archdiocese, I wish to express my deep gratitude to all affected by these appointments and wish them God’s blessing, good health and fulfilment in their ministries. I am also very grateful to the people of the Archdiocese who have supported our priests and their ministry in so many important ways over the last twelve months. This has been a particularly challenging period for all of us.”

Jubilarians

Archbishop O’Reilly offered his congratulations to the following priests who celebrate their 50^th anniversary to priestly ordination this year:

• Father Micheal Hickey PP, Bansha & Kilmoyler
• Father Patrick O’Gorman AP, Kilcommon, Hollyford & Rearcross
• Father Thomas O.Breen PP, Ballylanders
• Father Joseph Egan PP, Boherlahan & Dualla
• Father John O’Neill PP, Galbally & Lisvernane
• Father Richard Kelly PP, Kilbehenny & Anglesboro

Archbishop O’Reilly also offered his congratulations to Father Francis McCarthy CC, Athy, Co Kildare, who celebrates his 25^th anniversary of priestly ordination.

CW Investigates : Operation Ainmhian (2)

When is a victim not a victim? 

I know this is a shocking question and not meant for one moment to denigrate or belittle the terrible effects that abuse of any kind has on victims.

Theirs is a pain and suffering that is immeasurable and so tragic. 

A true victim of abuse of any kind should be listened to, believed, nurtured, and helped in every way possible to get over the terrible nightmare of the evil perpetrated by others.

However, the opening question remains. 

When is a victim not actually a victim? 

It is a sad reality in our world that there are those who for one reason or another, paint themselves as victims and because of this feel that they can behave in any manner they wish. This of course, is not to say that these people are not victims. 

Perhaps they are, but surely a difficulty arises when actions do not match words. 

What this means is, can you claim to be a victim and then day after day, publicly attempt to embarrass, demean, belittle, and destroy someone you claim has been the cause of your emotional distress? 

Can you claim to be a victim and then publicly promise that this humiliation will continue unless your demands are met? 

Can you claim to be a victim and then go a long distance to your alleged abuser’s hometown and frequent shops there, in the full knowledge that you may well meet your alleged abuser there? 

These are interesting and valid questions and are pertinent to a recent Clerical Whispers Investigates blog which detailed that we were following a story in Ireland wherein a priest had been accused of several acts of misbehaviour, including the pursuit, and targeting of an allegedly vulnerable woman.

We have various people working on this case and will continue to pursue what is emerging as an ever more interesting truth, as more and more evidence comes to light. 

In the very near future, we will be able to reveal fuller details but for now we posit these questions.

Pope Francis authorised bugging of London-based broker over property deal, leaked documents claim

 

The Pope secretly allowed investigators to bug a telephone belonging to a London-based financial broker charged with defrauding the Holy See, a report has revealed.

Documents leaked from the Vatican allegedly demonstrate that Pope Francis gave the go-ahead to investigators to tap phones, intercept emails and even make arrests without first asking British judges for approval.

According to The Sunday Times - which reports that it has seen the documents - the Vatican's Office of the Promoter of Justice targeted millionaire Raffaele Mincione, an Italian fund manager and consultant at the centre of a Vatican corruption trial.

Mincione is one of ten defendants - including other high-rolling London financiers and church employees - that Vatican prosecutors allege were engaged in various crimes such as embezzlement, fraud, money laundering and corruption.

The former right-hand man to Pope Francis Angelo Becci is the highest-profile defendant in what has been dubbed as 'the trial of the century'.

All the defendants involved in the trial have denied any wrongdoing.

Responding to The Sunday Times, a spokesman for the Vatican said: 'The legitimacy of the investigations and the correspondence of the Vatican judiciary system to the principles of fair trial has been recognised by various foreign courts.' 

Since becoming pope in 2013, Francis has vowed to clean up the Church's finances, dogged for decades by scandal.

After a 2019 raid on the offices of the Secretariat - the Vatican's most important department charged with general affairs and diplomacy - Francis stripped the body of oversight of its own funds, handing that responsibility to others.

A 487-page indictment released in July last year shed light on hefty bank transfers, text messages between collaborators from seized cellphones - even bags of money changing hands and secret meetings in luxury hotels.

The complex case alleged by prosecutors paints a picture of dubious, risky investments involving millions of dollars of Vatican money, little or no oversight, and double-dealing by outside consultants and insiders trusted with the financial interests of the Secretariat.

The primary defendants are 'actors in a rotten predatory and lucrative system, sometimes made possible thanks to limited, but very incisive, complicity and internal connivance,' prosecutors have said previously. 

The scandal is particularly embarrassing because funds used for risky ventures, including a disastrous 350-million-euro (£300million) investment in a 17,000-sq metre London property in the upmarket neighbourhood of Chelsea, came from the Peter's Pence, an annual fund for the pope's charities.

The current case dates from 2013, when the Secretariat borrowed more than $200 million (£145million), mainly from Credit Suisse, to invest in a Luxembourg fund managed by Mincione. 

Half was intended for stock market purchases and the rest for part of the London building. 

According to The Sunday Times - which reports that it has seen the documents - the Vatican's Office of the Promoter of Justice targeted millionaire Raffaele Mincione (pictured, centre, in London in 2017), an Italian fund manager and consultant who is as the centre of a Vatican corruption trial

Mincione, prosecutors allege, used the money to invest in high-risk ventures over which the Church had no control. By 2018, the Secretariat had already lost millions and tried to pull out of the deal.

But another London-based financier, Gianluigi Torzi, brought in to broker the purchase of the rest of the building and cut ties with Mincione, instead joining forces with him, say prosecutors. 

Torzi arranged for the Holy See to give Mincione £40million to buy out the financier's share of the London property, but allegedly inserted a clause into the deal that gave himself control of the building through voting rights. 

Torzi is accused of demanding 15 million euros to relinquish control. 

Mincione and Torzi were helped, prosecutors claim, by Enrico Crasso, a former financial consultant to the Secretariat, and employee Fabrizio Tirabassi, both of whom face charges including fraud. 

Also implicated are two former top officials within the Vatican's financial regulator, including its ex-president, Swiss lawyer Rene Bruelhart, whom prosecutors say did not do enough to protect the Secretariat's interests. 

During seven hours of questioning, Mincione said the case was 'the first time I find myself in this kind of situation'. He said in his 35-year-career, he has never recieved a fine, or a complaint from 'the banks that regulate our business'.

The Sunday Times revelations came ahead Pope Francis' visit to a former residential school in Canada on Monday, where he is expected to make a historic personal apology to Indigenous survivors of abuse committed over decades at the Catholic-run institutions.

Vatican slams German reformers, warns of potential for schism

 

The Vatican on Thursday issued a terse statement on the progressive German Catholic movement known as the "Synodal Path."  

The statement warned German reformers they had no authority to instruct bishops on moral or doctrinal matters.

Moreover, the Holy See made clear that it views the Synodal Path's calls for addressing homosexuality, celibacy, and women in the Church as divisive and warned those calls could cause a fracture.

Members of the Synodal Path, a group made up of equal numbers of German bishops and lay Catholics, meet regularly. In February, they called on the Catholic Church to allow priests to marry, women to become deacons, and same-sex couples to receive the Church's blessing.

The Vatican, or Holy See, said the Synodal Path, "does not have the faculty to oblige bishops and the faithful to assume new forms of governance and new approaches to doctrine and morals."

To do so, read the statement, "would represent a wound to ecclesial communion and a threat to the unity of the Church."

German reformers responded to Vatican statement with 'astonishment' 

Speaking on behalf of the Synodal Path, Chairman of the German Bishops' Conference Georg Bätzig and President of the Central Committee of German Catholics (ZdK) Irme Stetter-Karp, said they were "astonished" at the "poor form" the Vatican had shown by releasing such a statement to the public without putting a name to it.

Both Bätzig and Stetter-Karp vowed there would be no "German deviation" but said it is their "responsibility to clearly point out where change is needed." The two say the problems they are addressing are not unique to Germany, but common to dioceses all over the world.

Bätzig and Stetter-Karp voiced "bemused regret" over the fact that no direct communication with the Vatican had yet taken place. 

On Saturday, the German Catholic women's movement Maria 2.0 (Mary 2.0) said church leaders should not fear confrontation with the Vatican.

Theologian Maria Mesrian, who represents the group, told Deutschlandfunk Radio that the bishops will have to "decide whether they want a living church in Germany or whether they would rather lead a dead institution."

Mesrian said the Vatican is all about "power and the unity of the omnipresent church."

Hundreds of thousands leave Catholic Church over lack of reform

The German group, formed in the wake of woefully mishandled clergy sexual abuse scandals, also calls for ordinary Catholics to have more of a say in how the Church operates. The Vatican again warned that if national Churches chose to pursue their own paths they would, "weaken, rot and die."

In 2021, 360,000 Catholics formally left the German Church— which has 22 million members in the country and rakes in €6.45 billion ($6.58 billion) in church taxes every year — in protest at corruption and abuse

Although progressive European and US Catholics would likely be willing to support progressive issues, such as blessing same-sex relationships and ordaining women, Rome would risk backlash with fast-growing South American and African congregations.

In 2019, Pope Francis warned German bishops against the temptation to change for the sake of appeasing certain groups or ideas. Observers speculate that the reforms could leave the Catholic Church open to a splintering, similar to the one which befell the Anglican and Protestant Churches after they introduced similar changes.

According to the Vatican statement, any changes to teaching on morals or doctrine must be taken up by the Church's own synodal path. The Holy See said preliminary consultations are already being held globally in preparation for a meeting of bishops next year in Rome.

The next gathering of the German Synodal Path is scheduled to convene on September 8-10. 

Why the Vatican has intervened again on the German synod

 

The Vatican’s move to rein in the German synodal pathway is highly unusual but reflects the growing concern in Rome about what has been happening in Germany. It also shows that a lid can no longer be kept on the internal tensions that the synodal reforms have unleashed. 

The German synodal path has been forging ahead with discussions on the hot-button issues in the Church including the use of power, women’s ministry, the role of the priest and sexual teaching. In each of these areas, the synodal path is pushing for major changes and, from 8-10 September, is due to meet for its fourth assembly. Unsurprisingly, the German's synodal path has met a lot of resistance.

Here are three observations about the Vatican’s latest move. 

First, the statement on Germany was released from “the Holy See” without being signed by a Vatican department or individual. Normally, it would be expected that the Synod office, or the departments for doctrine or bishops, would have been the ones to make an intervention of this kind as the German discussions would fall under their remit. We saw this when the Vatican’s doctrine office intervened to ban the blessings of same-sex couples, a move widely interpreted as an attempt to prevent the German church moving down this path.

The latest intervention seeks to articulate the “general position” of the Church’s central government with regards to the German synodal path and therefore increases the pressure on Germany to change track. The anonymous statement could also be the result of efforts by some in Rome for a formal, or institutional, warning by the Holy See to the German synod. The push for this kind of intervention comes despite Pope Francis’ 2019 letter to the German synod, which offered support to the process but urged them not to go it alone. Although the Pope is not cited in the latest statement, it would not have been released without his approval. 

Second, this statement suggests that Rome feels Germany has not been listening to concerns expressed about the synodal pathway and believes firmer action is necessary. The fear is that Germany is trying to “go it alone” by running ahead with reforms which need to be agreed at a universal level.

For Francis, the synod process needs to be genuinely open to the movement of the Holy Spirit, which is discerned through the voices of the People of God. The results cannot be predetermined. It is noticeable, therefore, that the Vatican statement starts with the line “in order to safeguard the freedom of the People of God”, something which reflects the Pope’s worry that the German synodal path has become disconnected from the people in the pews.

“The problem arises when the synodal path comes from the intellectual, theological elites and is much influenced by external pressures. There are some dioceses where the synodal way is being developed with the faithful, with the people, slowly,” he told a group of Jesuit editors recently. 

In other words, the fear is that the German synodal path has been driven by particular groups who have a pre-planned agenda for reform and could be succumbing to the temptation of lay clericalism. 

The criticisms made of the synodal path by Cardinal Walter Kasper are also an important factor. The German prelate is sometimes described as the “Pope’s theologian” and was closely involved in the family synods, which opened the way for divorced and remarried Catholics to receive communion. Cardinal Kasper is far from being a hardliner, and his views on the German synod will have been taken into account by Francis.

Third, the statement from the Vatican comes as bishops’ conferences are sending in reports following their listening processes which are part of the global synod. Reports suggest that a number of local churches are raising some of the questions addressed by the German church, particularly regarding the role of women and the greater inclusion of the laity in decision-making. The latest move on Germany could be read as an attempt to draw a red line around the global synod process, 15 months before the 2023 summit in the Vatican.

“It would not be lawful to initiate in the dioceses, prior to an agreed understanding at the level of the universal Church, new official structures or doctrines, which would constitute a violation of ecclesial communion and a threat to the unity of the Church,” the statement says. 

The danger with this paragraph is that it could be read as an attempt to shut down discussions at the local level because, in the end, Rome will make all the decisions. This does not suggest an attitude of dialogue between the Holy See and the local churches but top-down decision-making. 

There is also a problem with Rome pushing the anti-German synod line too far, given that the Pope opened the global synod and asked everyone to contribute to the most ambitious consultation process ever embarked on. The genie is already out of the bottle.  

Nevertheless, the latest Vatican statement might do something to assuage the concerns of the synod doubters (a number of them priests) who don’t want to engage with the process because they think it is all about “changing doctrine”.  Francis has repeatedly insisted that synodality is fundamentally a spiritual process of listening and discerning the will of the Holy Spirit. It means that any reforms can only flow from this spiritual journey and is challenging those at opposite ends of the church’s spectrum of views. 

All of this is a turbulent and messy process. The German synodal organisers have responded to the Vatican statement by repeating that they are not seeking to “follow a special German path”. Those involved in the German process have repeatedly stressed they have no intention of harming unity only want to put forward proposals that can enrich the entire Church. But there was also irritation with the latest Vatican missive, which they said “is not a good example of communication within the Church if statements are published which are not signed by name." Neither must it be forgotten that the German synodal path is a response to the devastating sexual abuse scandals and an attempt to tackle the institutional and systemic causes that led to the abuse and its mishandling by church authorities.  

The plates are flying in disagreement, and we are likely to see more, not less of this over the following months. Francis is unlikely to be too worried. Crises present opportunities, and new paths for the Church can be found out of the tensions. Buckle up for the ride.

Bishop of Limerick says Ireland cannot depend on other countries to provide healthcare

The healthcare system cannot rely on other countries to solve the hospital waiting list crisis, the bishop of Limerick has said as he launched a €210m plan to expand St John’s Hospital.

It was revealed last week that a new Spanish hospital will treat at least 1,500 Irish patients per year, who are stuck on long public waiting lists here.

The hospital, in Alicante, is a part of a healthcare agreement whereby patients are treated under the EU Cross Border Directive, with the HSE reimbursing people for the price of treatment abroad.

Launching a significant expansion plan for St John’s Hospital in Limerick, Bishop Brendan Leahy, chairman of the hospital’s board, said: “The future generations are calling us here today to do what we can to ensure that they won’t have to travel to Galway or Cork, or indeed Spain, to receive scheduled surgery.”

Bishop Leahy said it makes absolute sense to address shortcomings in the existing hospital services so people can get treated near their homes: 

We have the capacity on the site to do this in a region that clearly needs key solutions like this to help address pressures on the system.

Management at St John’s Hospital has unveiled a five-year expansion strategy, including a 150-bed on-site extension.

The proposed development will increase St John’s bed capacity from 89 to 200 and aims to deliver an additional 31,390 bed days per annum in the Limerick region.

A total of 667 additional jobs, via direct and indirect employment, are expected to be created, including 52 frontline clinician and support roles at St Johns, which currently employs 350 people.

The plan was developed by the UL Hospitals Group in consultation with local GPs.

“The proposal addresses the necessary capacity requirement to tackle public waiting lists by accommodating a very significant proportion of the scheduled care work in the region, and it provides solutions to the critical needs associated with the public waiting lists,” said a statement from the management.

Full-time emergency departments at St John’s Hospital, Ennis Hospital, Co Clare, and Nenagh Hospital, Co Tipperary, were downgraded in the last 15 years, with University Hospital Limerick coming under increased pressure from patient overcrowding.

Last month, the UL Hospitals Group said it accepted the findings of a damning report by Hiqa, which found that the “over-crowded and under-staffed emergency department posed a significant risk” to patients.

Diocesan Appointments 2022 : Archdiocese of Dublin (1)

Springfield/Jobstown/Brookfield

Rev. William O’Shaughnessy appointed Moderator of the Grouping of Springfield, Jobstown & Brookfield.

Very Rev. Colin Rothery appointed C.C. to the Grouping of Springfield, Jobstown & Brookfield and to undertake further studies.

Rev. Michael Shortall appointed T.A. to the Grouping of Springfield, Jobstown & Brookfield.

Wicklow, Kilbride and Barndarrig

Very Rev. Donal Roche, V.G. appointed P.P. of the Parishes of Wicklow, Kilbride and Barndarrig.

Meath Street

Very Rev. Eugene Taaffe appointed P.P. Meath Street in addition to P.P. James’s Street.

Porterstown

Very Rev. Michael Carey appointed Adm. Porterstown in addition to P.P. Blanchardstown.

Very Rev. Paul Ward to retire as Adm. Porterstown and appointed T.A. Porterstown.

Ballally

Rev. James Caffrey appointed Co-P.P. Balally.

Harold’s Cross

Very Rev. William King appointed P.C. pro-tem Harold’s Cross.
Roundwood

Very Rev. Owen Lynch (retired) appointed T.A. to the Grouping of Bray Parishes

 

PERMANENT DEACONS

Deacon Noel Ryan appointed Diocesan Director of Diaconal Formation in addition to Dundrum, Ballinteer & Meadowbrook.

St Mary’s Pro-Cathedral

Deacon Tom Groves appointed to St Mary’s Pro-Cathedral and Assistant Diocesan Director of Diaconal Formation.

[Very Rev. John Gilligan to remain as Diocesan Director of the Permanent Diaconate.]

Springfield, Jobstown & Brookfield

Deacon Victor Okafor appointed to the Grouping of Springfield, Jobstown & Brookfield.

Clondalkin/Bawnogue/Deansrath/Neilstown/ Rowlagh and Quarryvale

 
Deacon Derek Leonard appointed to the Clondalkin/Bawnogue/Deansrath/Neilstown/Rowlagh and Quarryvale Grouping of Parishes.

PARISH PASTORAL WORKERS

Christopher Okereke appointed PPW Finglas/Finglas West/Rivermount.
Saule Cameron appointed PPW Clondalkin/Bawnogue/Deansrath/Neilstown/ Rowlagh and Quarryvale Grouping of Parishes.

Christina Malone appointed PPW Springfield, Brookfield and Jobstown Grouping of Parishes.

Natalie Doherty seconded to the Office for Mission and Ministry for catechetical development work within the Office.

SABBATICAL LEAVE

Springfield, Jobstown & Brookfield

Very Rev. Pat McKinley Moderator of the Grouping Springfield, Jobstown & Brookfield granted sabbatical leave.

Kilbarrack/Foxfield

Rev. Finbarr Neylon C.C Kilbarrack/Foxfield granted sabbatical leave.

Harold’s Cross

Very Rev. Alex Conlan, P.P. granted sabbatical leave.

All appointments came into effect on the weekend of the 09/10 July, unless already indicated.

Diocesan Appointments 2022 : Archdiocese of Dublin (2)

Cabra and Cabra West

Very Rev. Paul Thornton appointed P.P. Cabra & Cabra West and Episcopal Vicar withresponsibility for the Deaneries of Howth, Fingal South East & Fingal South West.

Rev. Joe Keegan recently ordained appointed C.C. Cabra & Cabra West.

Brackenstown

Very Rev. Richard Sheehy appointed Co-P.P. Brackenstown and Episcopal Vicar with responsibility for the Deaneries of Blanchardstown, Fingal North & Maynooth.

Ballygall/ Ballymun Road/Drumcondra /Glasnevin/ Iona Road Grouping of parishes

Very Rev. Joe Ryan appointed Moderator of the Grouping of Ballygall, Ballymun Road

 
Drumcondra, Glasnevin and Iona Road, Glasnevin

Very Rev. Kieran Dunne appointed C.C. Glasnevin.

 
Foxrock & Newtownpark Ave.

Very Rev. Gerry Kane appointed P.P. Foxrock & Newtownpark Ave.
Very Rev. Dermot Leycock to retire as P.P. Newtownpark Ave.

Booterstown

Rt Rev. Ciarán O’Carroll, V.G. appointed P.P. Booterstown in addition to P.P. Donnybrook.

Donnycarney

Very Rev. Michael O’Grady appointed P.P. Donnycarney.

East Wall

Very Rev. John Ennis appointed P.P. East Wall

Navan Road

Very Rev. Liam Ó Cuív appointed P.P. Navan Road.

Killester

Very Rev. Joe Whelan appointed Adm. Killester.

Clontarf (St John’s) /Clontarf (St Anthony’s)/Dollymount

Very Rev. John O’Brien appointed Moderator of the Clontarf Grouping of Parishes – St John’s,
 

St Anthony’s & Dollymount and Co-PP Clontarf (St John’s).

Very Rev. Peter Byrne appointed T.A. St Anthony’s & St John’s Clontarf and Dollymount

Very Rev. Richard Shannon appointed T.A. Dollymount.

Finglas/Finglas West/Rivermount

Very Rev. Richard Hyland appointed P.P. Finglas West & Rivermount in addition to P.P. Finglas.

Very Rev. Martin Hogan appointed C.C. Finglas, Finglas West & Rivermount.

Very Rev. Éamann Cahill retires as Adm. Finglas West and appointed T.A. Finglas, Finglas West & Rivermount.

Kilcullen

Very Rev. Gary Darby appointed P.P. Kilcullen.

Very Rev. Niall Mackey retires as Adm. Kilcullen and appointed T.A. to the Grouping of Bray Parishes.

Kilmore West

Very Rev. Joe Jones appointed Moderator Kilmore West in addition to Bonnybrook.

Very Rev. Padraig O’Sullivan appointed Co-P.P. Kilmore West.

Clondalkin

Very Rev. Brian McKitterick appointed Co-P.P. Clondalkin Grouping of Parishes

 

Avoca

Very Rev. Michael Murphy appointed Co-P.P. Avoca.

Kilnamanagh/Castleview

Rev. Frank Drescher appointed Adm. Kilnamanagh & Castleview.

Malahide/Yellow Walls/Kinsealy/Portmarnock

Very Rev. Martin Noone appointed Moderator of the Grouping of Malahide, Yellow Walls,Kinsealy & Portmarnock.

 
Very Rev. Kevin Doherty appointed Co-P.P. Malahide.

Ballymun St. Pappins

Very Rev. Kevin Moore appointed C.C. Ballymun St Pappin’s.

Dún Laoghaire/Glastule

Very Rev. Ciarán Enright appointed C.C. Dún Laoghaire & Glastule and resident in Monkstown.

Lucan

Very Rev Philip Curran appointed P.P. Lucan & Esker.

 
Rev. Ubaldo Muhindo appointed C.C. Lucan, Esker, Doddsboro & Adamstown.

Very Rev. John Hassett appointed C.C. Esker & Doddsboro & Adamstown.

Lucan South

Very Rev. Aidan Kieran appointed P.P. Lucan South.

Castledermot

Very Rev. Tom Kennedy appointed P.P. Castledermot.

 

All appointments came into effect on the weekend of the 09/10 July, unless already

indicated.