The first American pope? This cardinal has the best chance of making history in this conclave

It is typically absurd to think of an American as pope. 

But in this conclave, a Chicago-born Augustinian friar who has spent much of his life outside of the United States is worthy of serious consideration.

Cardinal Robert Prevost, 69, heads the influential Vatican Dicastery for Bishops, the office tasked with advising the pope on bishop appointments around the world.

While cardinals have been gathering after the death of Pope Francis, Prevost's star appears to be rising as Cardinal Pietro Parolin's candidacy seems in trouble. Prevost could become the candidate for those seeking a curial insider who is not Parolin, after the Vatican secretary of state's lackluster homily on Sunday raised concerns about a charisma gap.

Some cardinals already had their eye on Prevost because of his global experience. Though he may be American by birth, he has spent only a third of his life in the United States, instead spending much of the rest of it in Europe and Latin America.

He's only been in charge for two years, taking over from Canadian Cardinal Marc Ouellet, who held the post for 15 years and helped leave a conservative imprint on the Catholic hierarchy.

"We are often worried about teaching doctrine, but we risk forgetting that our first duty is to communicate the beauty and joy of knowing Jesus," Prevost, in one of his few interviews, told Vatican News, the news portal of the Holy See.

It was a clear signal that the tides were turning in a new pastoral direction and that an office that once was concerned with using doctrine as a litmus test was rebalancing its priorities in identifying candidates for episcopacy. Like Pope Francis, Prevost was interested in selecting potential bishops who adopted a "pastors first" approach to church leadership. 

Born in Chicago in 1955, Prevost holds degrees from Villanova University in Pennsylvania, Catholic Theological Union in Chicago and the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas in Rome.

In 1985, Prevost joined the Augustinian mission in Peru in 1985, becoming part of the religious order inspired by St. Augustine that seeks to find a balance of "love and learning." Augustinian friars lead semi-monastic lives and are engaged in a range of pursuits, such as education or prison work.

At age 30, Prevost went to work in Peru, serving there until 1999, with a brief stint back in Chicago in 1987 to work as pastor for vocations and director of missions for its Augustinian province.

During his early years in Peru, Prevost wore a number of hats, including teaching in the diocesan seminary, serving as judge in a church court and leading a parish on the outskirts of the city of Trujillo.

In 1999, Prevost was elected the head of the Augustinians' Chicago-based province. And then in 2001, he tapped as prior general of the worldwide order, which he led until 2013. During that time, he was based in Rome but spent most of his time on the road and in the air, visiting the nearly 50 countries where the Augustinian order is present.

In 2014, Francis sent him back into the mission field, naming him bishop of Chiclayo, in northern Peru, where he served until the pope called him to Rome again for full-time service in the Roman Curia in 2023.

Here in Rome, Prevost enjoys a reputation for industriousness, spending as much time working to identify new bishops as he does in dealing with problem cases — such as that of Bishop Joseph Strickland, who was head of the Diocese of Tyler, Texas, until he was removed from his post in 2023.

Prevost brings to the table pastoral experience in the peripheries with expertise in navigating the complexities of the church's central governance — a rare combination for those seeking a potential pope who shares the priorities of Francis with a greater prioritization on governance.

Prevost has been a vocal proponent of Francis' emphasis on synodality, which has emerged the first week of general congregations as an important issue to a significant bloc of cardinals who can vote in the conclave.

In the 2023 Vatican News interview, Prevost connects synodality — efforts to make the church's structures more inclusive and participatory — to addressing the current polarization currently gripping the church.

Another plus on his resume: His background in canon law might provide some comfort to synod skeptics who are concerned that it could pose threats to the church's tradition.

Prevost has another edge: He is a polyglot who speaks English, Spanish, Italian, French and Portuguese and can read Latin and German, giving him abilities to communicate with his fellow cardinals in ways that others cannot.

The language ability, his international travel experience as head of his religious order, and his work in identifying Latin-rite bishops around the world mean that he will be among the best-known candidates going into this conclave.

While fluent in languages, he is not garrulous. When he speaks, he does so with caution and great deliberation. 

A private man with a reserved style, he will not score high on the charm offensive. But his steely determination and clarity might comfort those looking for a leader who knows where he wants to go and how to get there.

Those elements could put him over the top, even if cardinals are reluctant to vote for an American.

Could this be the longest conclave in modern history?

Every Catholic has his or her prediction for the conclave: some predict a new pope in the mould of Pope Francis, others predict a course correction for the Church with the election of a man such as Cardinal Robert Sarah. 

But if the topic of the conclave has been on everyone’s lips, one question of which I’ve heard little discussion so far has been its length: will the cardinals swiftly return a new pope, or will there be a long, hard fight, with many rounds of balloting before one candidate achieves a two-thirds majority of the electors?

Even the betting markets have neglected this question of the conclave’s length: at the time of writing, users of the betting website Polymarket had staked over $10,000,000 on the identity of the next pope, but only $300,000 on the date of his election. 

Yet I believe that the most striking feature of this year’s conclave – the one that historians will remember – could well be that it lasts a very long time.

This is because of a little-remarked quirk that Pope Benedict introduced into the rules of conclaves in 2007. 

It did not become relevant in the one papal conclave held since then, namely the conclave that elected Pope Francis in 2013, but it could well do so in the more contentious election that seems likely this time round, as progressive and traditionalist cardinals fight each other for the future of the Church.

To understand this quirk in the rules, one must go back to the reforms of the conclave promulgated in 1996 by Pope John Paul II with the apostolic constitution Universi Dominici gregis. 

With this document Pope John Paul II made many radical changes to traditional practice. For example, for the first time in centuries, the cardinals were allowed to live outside the Sistine Chapel complex during the conclave (they are now housed in the Domus Sanctae Marthae). 

Moreover, the two traditional alternatives to papal election by ballot (per scrutinium) were abolished: namely spontaneous acclamation (whereby the cardinals all shouted the name of their chosen candidate at once, it was assumed at the inspiration of the Holy Spirit), and compromise (whereby the electors delegated a small committee of cardinals to make the choice for them).

But the reform most relevant to the length of the conclave was a further one, and perhaps the most radical of all. 

If the conclave had failed to elect a pope after 32 rounds of voting (or 33, if one was held on the first day), Pope John Paul II permitted a simple majority of the electors to change the threshold of votes that a man would need to become pope, lowering it from the traditional two-thirds of the electorate to a minimum of 50 per cent plus one.

Although Universi Dominici gregis does not tell us why Pope John Paul created this new rule, it seems likely that he had in mind the sheer workload of the Holy See and the cardinals in the modern world, and the danger that a long conclave might paralyse the Church. 

He was abolishing election by compromise, which had been the cardinals’ traditional means of ending a long and contentious conclave, and so he wanted give them another means of doing so; hence he devised the new procedure whereby the cardinals might lower the electoral threshold.

After John Paul II’s death, however, as the cardinals gathered for the conclave that would elect Pope Benedict XVI, a problem soon became apparent. 

If one faction of cardinals could achieve a simple majority for its candidate, it would need only to continue voting for him until round 32 or 33, and then it could force through a reduction of the electoral threshold to a simple majority, and elect him pope. 

Hence Pope John Paul II had, in effect, reduced the electoral threshold to a simple majority from the very beginning of a conclave – something that he had never meant to do.

Mindful of this problem, in 2007 Pope Benedict issued his own document, De aliquibus mutationibus in normis de electione Romani Pontificis, which modified the procedure to be followed when the cardinals had failed to elect a pope after 32 or 33 rounds. 

From this point on, only the two cardinals who had received the most votes in the previous round would appear on the cardinals’ ballot papers. 

But in accordance with tradition, a successful candidate would still need two thirds of the electors’ votes to become pope.

Pope Benedict’s revised rules are still in force, and will govern this year’s conclave. 

But it is not hard to imagine a situation in which they could cause absolute deadlock. 

Suppose this year’s conclave were to be split in the ratio 3:2 between cardinals who wanted a second pope Francis, and cardinals who wanted an unabashed traditionalist. 

The conclave reaches round 33; the heir to Francis receives 50 per cent of the vote, and the traditionalist comes second with 30 per cent. From this point, only these two men remain on the ballot. 

The cardinals vote again and again, but the traditionalist faction will not elect the heir to Francis; nor will the more progressive cardinals countenance the traditionalist candidate. 

The cardinals no longer have the option of finding an alternative, compromise candidate. 

How, at this point, does the conclave end?

Under the rules currently in force, there is simply no answer, and speculation quickly becomes fantastic. 

Would the Sacred College have to declare itself unable to elect a pope? Might it then have to invite the actual clergy of Rome – the only other body obviously competent to elect a pope – to choose their candidate? What about the cardinals over eighty, scandalously stripped of their voting rights by Pope Paul VI in 1970? 

And besides these speculative questions, there is an even more fascinating one – why did the brilliant mind of Pope Benedict not foresee this problem of irresolvable electoral deadlock?

At this point, we are heading into the realm of fiction. But one thing is for sure: if this conclave goes beyond round thirty-three, then all bets are off.

Cipriani controversy tests cardinals’ resolve on clerical abuse ahead of conclave

As the world’s most exclusive club prepares to elect the new pope, they are in the midst of an immediate test of just how seriously they will take the issue of clerical sexual abuse due to a Peruvian cardinal who is participating in pre-conclave meetings despite abuse allegations against him.

Peruvian Cardinal Juan Luis Cipriani, 81, is not eligible to vote in a conclave due to his age, while in 2019 he was subject to restrictions on his ministry imposed by Pope Francis over allegations lodged a year prior that he had sexually assaulted an adolescent boy.

Those sanctions, which Cipriani accepted and signed off on just before turning 75, apparently barred him from the following: wearing his red cardinal robes and other symbols associated with the cardinalate, returning to Peru without permission, making public declarations, and participating in a future conclave while he was still of age to do so.

Cipriani has repeatedly denied the allegations, which went public in January 2025 when Spanish newspaper El Pais revealed that Cipriani’s ministry had been restricted after an apparent victim complained to the Vatican in 2018, and that another similar complaint was lodged in 2002, but had apparently come to nothing.

These restrictions were confirmed by Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni, who in January said Cipriani in 2019 had “imposed a penal precept with some disciplinary measures” and which, Bruni added, “appear to still be in force.”

These measures, Bruni said, were “related to his public activity, place of residence and use of insignia”, and were “signed and accepted” by Cipriani himself.

Despite these restrictions, Cipriani has repeatedly violated them, traveling to Lima in January to receive a prestigious award from the city’s mayor, Rafael Lopez Aliaga, and issuing several public statements over the past two months denying the allegations against him, while accusing Pope Francis of undue process, and demanding that the Peruvian bishops rectify statements confirming the restrictions on his ministry.

He has also disobeyed the order not to use his cardinal insignia and symbols, showing up in his red cardinal robes to pay respects to Pope Francis on 24 April, while the late pontiff was lying in state, and at a Vespers service for the Pope held 27 April in the Basilica of St. Mary Major, where the body of Pope Francis is buried.

Cipriani has also been seen leaving the Vatican’s Paul VI audience hall, where pre-conclave general congregation meetings are taking place, with the gaggle of other cardinals present.

Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni said the issue of clerical abuse was discussed by cardinals on 28 April as part of a discussion on the many challenges the Church faces.

When asked about Cipriani’s participation, Bruni said that the Vatican constitution governing conclave rules, Universi Dominici Gregis, made it clear that all cardinals without personal impediments such as illness were summoned to participate.

While the document does not include any specific rules barring prelates accused of sexual abuse from participating in a conclave or pre-conclave meetings, it does include provisions allowing cardinals to handle urgent matters as a collective body.

Point six of the constitution says, “should there be a problem which, in the view of the majority of the assembled Cardinals, cannot be postponed until another time, the College of Cardinals may act according to the majority opinion.”

The third paragraph of point seven in the document says: “During the time of the election, more important matters are, if necessary, dealt with by the assembly of the Cardinal electors.”

It thus falls to the cardinal electors, presumably under the leadership of the Dean of the College of Cardinals, Italian Giovanni Battista Re, to determine whether Cipriani ought to continue attending the general congregations.

Asked about Cipriani’s participation again during an April 29 briefing, Bruni did not respond to observations that Cipriani was disobeying orders from Pope Francis, but referred to his January statement in which he confirmed the restrictions on Cipriani’s ministry, and that they were still in effect.

The mushrooming controversy over Cipriani’s participation comes after another question of attendance at the conclave involving Italian Cardinal Angelo Becciu, who was stripped of his rights and duties as a cardinal by Pope Francis in 2020 for alleged financial crimes and found guilty and sanctioned for these crimes by the Vatican’s court in 2023.

Becciu had initially, when general congregations began, argued publicly that he was never banned from participating in a conclave; however, he has withdrawn after reportedly being shown documents signed by the Pope confirming it was his will that Becciu should not participate.

The question that the cardinals now face is what to do, if anything, about Cipriani, given the allegations against him and his blatant disobedience of the restrictions imposed on him by Pope Francis.

The Peruvian bishops earlier this year confirmed the existence of a penal precept against him, presumably incurring sanctions for disobedience, but it is unknown what these sanctions involve, and who might impose them during the sede vacante before a new pope is selected and assumes leadership of the Catholic Church.

Although Cipriani is not an elector, his presence at general congregations has caused alarm among victims and activists who believe his presence is an insult to survivors and that it is also hypocritical given the apparent concern over the clerical abuse scandals among the College of Cardinals.

Multiple victims, experts and advocacy groups have condemned his presence, with advocacy group Bishop Accountability saying on 28 April that Cipriani’s participation “reassures abusive bishops of their colleagues’ continuing support even as it sends a distressing message to abuse victims. It revives the haunting idea that the Church is safer for accused clergy than for children.”

Many observers note that on the whole, while Pope Francis made his share of mistakes over the clerical abuse issue, he ultimately tried to do the right thing, and decisions such as defrocking former cardinal and priest Theodore McCarrick and suppressing the Peru-based Sodalitium Christianae Vitae marked significant progress on this front.

The case of Cipriani marks the first real litmus test since the Francis papacy came to an end as to how the current body of cardinals will respond to the Church’s abuse crisis, and what sort of action can be expected when it comes to high-ranking, influential prelates who face allegations.

It will be especially noteworthy if a cardinal accused of and punished for financial crimes was forced out of the conclave, while a cardinal accused of and punished for sexual crimes against minors is not.

If paragraphs six and seven of Universi Dominici Gregis are applied in this case, the cardinals can collectively make a decision about his participation. Presently, they don’t appear to be doing that.

Rome’s ecclesiastical tailors compete to dress next pope

Expectations are not only heating up in the Vatican this week about who will be the new pope but also regarding who will dress him after white smoke finally emits from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel.

Raniero Mancinelli, 86, has personally handcrafted cassocks for three popes at his now famed shop, Mancinelli Clero, located close to the Vatican in Rome, since 1962, reports The Times.

Though the veteran tailor has dressed three popes during their reigns, he has yet to supply the cassock and cape worn by a new pope when he steps on to the balcony at St Peter’s Basilica after his election.

He is one of the last remaining ecclesiastical tailors in all of Rome and during the course of six decades has crafted handmade liturgical vestments worn by popes, cardinals, bishops and priests around the world. Now he awaits to see if any of his cassocks will be chosen by the next pontiff.

He said he was in the running after good reviews from John Paul II, Benedict XVI and Francis, who all wore Mancinelli’s garments after they were elected. 

But he will only know if his vestments have been picked when he sees the new pope waving from the balcony to the crowds gathered in St Peter’s Square.

He was cutting three capes on Wednesday, 30 April, that he will supply for the moment the new pope enters the small antechamber at the Vatican called the Room of Tears.

“I am doing a small, medium and large,” he said. “And I hope he will pick mine.”

Francis declined to wear the red cape – or mozzetta – he was offered before he stepped onto the balcony in 2013.

Mancinelli’s dressing of popes offers an intriguing and even intimate insight into their ways of thinkings along with the challenges they faced as the papacy – and inevitable aging involved – took its toll.

“Francis wanted simple, practical and cheap clothes,” says Mancinelli, who had to resupply the Argentinian pontiff as he put on weight as a result of health issues and deteriorating mobility.

As Benedict began to stoop in old age, Mancinelli started to shorten his cassocks.

“Pope Benedict dressed more elegantly,” Mancinelli said. “He wanted more expensive and heavier cloth because he suffered [with] the cold, as well as perfectly fitting cassocks.”

Mancinelli still uses an old 6kg iron to get the wrinkles out of cassocks in a tiny workroom. The shop’s shelves are packed with ornate sashes, purple socks and €60 mitres, alongside racks of silver-plated croziers that cost €1,600.

As the 7 May conclave approaches, reports of intrigue and jockeying for position are gathering pace. There are also indications that this conclave, unlike the previous two that each lasted a relatively brief two days, could prove a far longer and harder affair to settle.

Mancinelli may well have to wait longer than he is used to during a conclave, in order to find out if any of his expertly crafted vestments have been chosen.

Remember Bishop Brendan in your prayers

Following the death of Brendan Comiskey, Bishop of Ferns, 1984 to 2002, a statement was issued by the Diocese of Ferns and it reads as follows; “The diocese takes this opportunity to express its sympathies to his extended family, to the members of his religious order and to all those who grieve his passing. 

May he rest in peace.  

“Bishop Comiskey stood down as Bishop of Ferns in 2002. In 2005, the diocese accepted fully the findings of the Inquiry headed by Justice Frank Murphy. The diocese remains mindful of and available to those affected by the egregious wrongdoings that necessitated the Inquiry.”  

There is also another statement that reads; “On behalf of the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary, it is with deep sadness I announce the death of our Brother, Bishop Brendan Comiskey ss.cc., D.D., who died earlier this morning in the Louth County Hospital, Dundalk.

“Bishop Brendan was the last surviving member of nine other siblings. Please remember Bishop Brendan and his family in your prayers.”

Statement of Archbishop Martin on the death of Bishop Emeritus Comiskey RIP

Following the death of Bishop Brendan Comiskey SS CC, Bishop Emeritus of Ferns and former Auxiliary Bishop of Dublin, Archbishop Eamon Martin of Armagh and President of the Irish Catholic Bishops’ Conference has published the following statement:

On behalf of the Bishops’ Conference, I wish to express my sadness at the death of Bishop Brendan Comiskey SS CC, Bishop Emeritus of Ferns, who served for over twenty years as a member of the Bishops Conference, from the time of his appointment as Auxiliary Bishop of Dublin until his resignation as Bishop of Ferns in 2002.  

I offer my sympathies to his devoted extended family members, to Father Michael Ruddy SS CC and all in the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary who have been so attentive to Bishop Brendan in his retirement, and to all those who knew and loved him, including the bishops, priests, religious and faithful in the dioceses of Ferns and Dublin. 

During his time as a member of the Irish Catholic Bishops’ Conference Bishop Comiskey was a dedicated chair of the Commission for Communications and President of the Catholic Communications Institute.  

At a difficult time on the island of Ireland, he sought to build constructive relationships with those in other Christian traditions through his work on the Bishops’ Commission for Ecumenism.  

In addition, Bishop Comiskey, a former teacher and lecturer, served as a member of the Council for Education, and the Commission for Youth.

As one of a number of Bishops who were also members of a religious congregation, Bishop Comiskey brought with him years of experience and understanding of consecrated life.  

In this regard his previous service as Secretary General of the Conference of Religious in Ireland was of great value to discussions at the Bishops Conference table. 

In acknowledging Bishop Comiskey’s many pastoral contributions to his religious congregation, parishes and dioceses, I am deeply conscious that he chose to resign as Bishop of Ferns in April 2002 while recognising his failures in governance, and accepting that his continuation in office would “indeed be an obstacle to healing” for victims and survivors of abuse.  

The safeguarding of children and vulnerable persons, and the prompt reporting of allegations of abuse, is of paramount importance in the Church today and must remain so.  

Bishop Comiskey’s death will rekindle memories of pain and suffering for many and I my thoughts and prayers at this time are also with all those who have been traumatised or let down by the awful sins and crimes and abuse perpetrated by members of the Church, or by the failure to appropriately and adequately follow up concerns that were brought to those in leadership. 

May our loving God have mercy on Bishop Comiskey’s soul, comfort those who mourn him and give strength to all who are impacted by the news of his passing. 

Statement of Archbishop Dermot Farrell on the death of Bishop Emeritus Brendan Comiskey RIP

I am greatly saddened by the news of the death of the Bishop Emeritus of Ferns, Brendan Comiskey, SS CC.  

After his initial theological studies, Bishop Comiskey was ordained a priest for Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary, on 25 June 1961.  

In the following years he undertook postgraduate studies in theology in the Pontifical University of Saint John Lateran, Rome (STL), and the Pontifical University, Maynooth (DD) and later a degree in business management at Trinity College, Dublin (MSc).

He was ordained as Auxiliary Bishop of Dublin and Titular Bishop of Tibili on 20 January 1980, and served in that role until his installation as Bishop of Ferns on 4 April 1984.  

On 1 April 2002, following the broadcast of a BBC documentary on child abuse in the Diocese, he resigned as Bishop of Ferns, saying that the diocesan bishop was to be a “binding force among people and priests within the ministry of the Church.”  

He continued, “I am not the person who can best achieve the aims of unity and reconciliation.  My continuation in office could indeed be an obstacle to healing.”  

His decision necessitated both courage and strength; his words communicated both his humility, and the painful discovery of the reality of abuse, and its long-lasting consequences. It brought him to the realisation that those who shepherd the Lord’s flock were to be more concerned about the survivors, the most vulnerable, than about themselves, their position in society, their reputation, or their status.  

I offer my personal sympathies and prayers to his family, to the members of the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary, priests, religious, friends, and to the many people whose lives he touched throughout his 64 years of priestly and episcopal ministry. We ask the Lord to grant him eternal rest.

I ask that the priests, religious and the faithful of the Archdiocese of Dublin and all those who knew Bishop Comiskey SS CC to join with me in praying for the repose of the soul of this faithful shepherd and a person who followed Christ with all his heart.

Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam dilis.

Statement of Bishop Nash on the death of Bishop Emeritus Brendan Comiskey RIP

Bishop Brendan Comiskey, Emeritus Bishop of Ferns died on Monday, 28 April 2025. Bishop Brendan was a native of Clontibret, Co Monaghan and was a priest of the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary.  

Bishop Brendan was appointed Bishop of Ferns in succession to Bishop Donal Herlihy. He had been Auxiliary Bishop in Dublin since 1979. He resigned as Bishop in April 2002, and returned to live with his Congregation.

During his time as Bishop of Ferns he was a tireless worker and very innovative. Amongst other things he established Christian Media Trust in collaboration with the local heads of the Church of Ireland and the Methodist and Presbyterian Churches.  

This initiative continues today to provide religious material for radio listeners on many issues, and also to provide liturgies from the different denominations through the cooperation of South East Radio. This initiative also reflected Bishop Brendan’s commitment to good ecumenical relations and during the past week, the other Christian Churches have reached out to express their condolences at his passing.

Bishop Comiskey resigned in April 2002 following revelations of sexual abuse of minors in the Diocese of Ferns. He acknowledged that his failure to act in relation to complaints had made his position as Bishop untenable. 

The full extent of the complaints and the failure to act by Diocesan authorities was subsequently revealed in the Ferns Report which was published in October 2005.  

The Diocese, with sorrow for past wrongs, continues to reach out to survivors of abuse by any member of the Church and to assure them of a space to be listened to.

Bishop Comiskey had a treasured place in his own family and was greatly loved as an uncle, brother in law and granduncle.  

We in the Diocese of Ferns extend our sympathies to his family and friends and all who mourn his passing, and hope that their memories of him will bring them consolation in the days ahead.  

For priests who join religious orders as Bishop Brendan did, the Congregation becomes a second family and so we sympathise with his brother priests in the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary, especially those who shared community life with him during the years since 2002, and who will no doubt miss his cheerful and engaging presence.

Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam dílis

Archbishops pay tribute to former bishop Brendan Comiskey as funeral details announced

Archbishop of Dublin Dermot Farrell and Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland Eamon Martin have paid tribute to the disgraced former Bishop of Ferns Brendan Comiskey.

Comiskey, who died yesterday at the age of 89, will be buried on Thursday, May 1, at 1pm in the Church of the Sacred Heart, St Johns Drive, Clondalkin, Dublin.

He died early Monday morning in the Louth County Hospital, Dundalk, predeceased by his parents, two sisters and seven brothers.

Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland Eamon Martin said: "I wish to express my sadness at the death of Bishop Brendan Comiskey SS CC, Bishop Emeritus of Ferns, who served for over twenty years as a member of the Bishops Conference.”

He added: "I am deeply conscious that he chose to resign as Bishop of Ferns in April 2002 while recognising his failures in governance, and accepting that his continuation in office would ‘indeed be an obstacle to healing’ for victims and survivors of abuse.

"The safeguarding of children and vulnerable persons, and the prompt reporting of allegations of abuse, is of paramount importance in the Church today and must remain so.

"Bishop Comiskey’s death will rekindle memories of pain and suffering for many and I my thoughts and prayers at this time are also with all those who have been traumatised or let down by the awful sins and crimes and abuse perpetrated by members of the Church, or by the failure to appropriately and adequately follow up concerns that were brought to those in leadership.”

Archbishop of Dublin Dermot Farrell said Comiskey’s decision to resign as Bishop of Ferns following allegations of child abuse in the Diocese “necessitated both courage and strength”

Archbishop Farrell said: “His words communicated both his humility, and the painful discovery of the reality of abuse, and its long-lasting consequences. It brought him to the realisation that those who shepherd the Lord’s flock were to be more concerned about the survivors, the most vulnerable, than about themselves, their position in society, their reputation, or their status.

"I offer my personal sympathies and prayers to his family, to the members of the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary, priests, religious, friends, and to the many people whose lives he touched throughout his 64 years of priestly and episcopal ministry. We ask the Lord to grant him eternal rest.”

Bishop Brendan Comiskey to be buried on Thursday

Bishop Brendan Comiskey, who resigned following claims he failed to deal properly with child sexual abuse allegations in the diocese of Ferns, is to be laid to rest on Thursday.

Bishop Comiskey, aged 89, died on Sunday in Louth County Hospital, Dundalk.

He stood down from his role on Easter Monday, 2002, after the BBC aired a documentary called Suing the Pope, which revealed more than 100 allegations of abuse by 21 priests over more than three decades.

The documentary alleged Comiskey had failed to protect children from paedophile priests and had participated in the cover-up of allegations of child sexual abuse.

The allegations resulted in an inquiry into child sexual abuse. The Ferns Report, published by the government in 2005, shed more light on a catalogue of abuse going back to the tenure of Comiskey’s predecessor, Donal Herlihy, when he was Bishop.

His Requiem Mass will take place on Thursday at 1pm in the Church of the Sacred Heart, St Johns Drive, Clondalkin, Dublin.

His funeral notice details that the Monaghan native, who was “dearly loved” and will be “sadly missed by his loving and attentive nieces and nephews and their families and extended family.

“Sisters, Brothers and Secular Branch members of the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary; Bishop Ger Nash and the clergy, religious and laity of the diocese of Ferns and the Archdiocese of Dublin and Brendan’s wide circle of friends.”

He was predeceased by his parents Clare (McArdle,) and Patrick J Comiskey, sisters Genevieve and May, brothers Edmond, Joseph, Kevin, Patrick, Maurice, Peter and Sean.

He had been living in the Sacred Hearts Community, Ranelagh, Dublin 6, prior to his death.

Dr Comiskey primarily resigned over claims that he did not report allegations that Fr Sean Fortune had abused a number of children while Dr Comiskey was in control of the Ferns diocese.

Fr Fortune was a serial paedophile with a manipulative personality, and Dr Comiskey admitted he found him difficult to deal with.

Fortune died by suicide while on bail in 1999.

If you have been affected by any of the issues raised in this article, you can freephone the Samaritans 24 hours a day for confidential support at 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.org. In the case of an emergency, or if you or someone you know is at risk of suicide or self-harm, dial 999/112. 

Gardaí investigating criminal damage at parochial house in Co Louth

A garda investigation is under way after a parochial house in Co Louth was subjected to criminal damage during two separate incidents last weekend.

Petrol bombs were thrown at the parochial house in Ravensdale, around 10km north of Dundalk, last Sunday night.

Meanwhile, in the early hours of Saturday morning, the house was defaced with graffiti.

It is understood the message written with the graffiti was "satanic" in nature.

The fire started by the petrol bombs caused damage to the front door and exterior walls of the property.

However, it was extinguished by the emergency services before any damage could be caused to the interior of the property.

Fr Stephen Duffy, who is the Parish Priest for the Lordship Ballymascanlon Parish, was in the property at the time of the incident but was not injured.

Gardaí have confirmed they are investigating the petrol bomb attack.

"Gardaí attended the scene of an incident of criminal damage by fire that occurred at a property in Ravensdale, Co. Louth on Sunday 27th April 2025.

"The incident occurred at approximately 10pm. Gardaí have carried out a technical examination of the scene."

Meanwhile, in a separate statement, they also confirmed they are investigating the incident involving the property being graffitied.

Gardaí have said that investigations into both incidents are continuing, and they have also appealed for any witnesses to come forward.

Gardaí rule out foul play in Donegal church fire

Gardaí have confirmed a fire that destroyed a Catholic church in Co Donegal was not started deliberately.

A fire destroyed Teach Pobail Mhuire in Doirí Beaga in Gaoth Dobhair in the early hours of Easter Monday morning.

In an update this evening, a spokesperson for an Garda Síochána said: "Following initial assessments and a technical examination, foul play has been ruled out at this time."

Five units of the fire brigade and gardaí attended the scene after the fire was first reported at around 4am on Monday, 21 April.

The church was built in 1972 and is one of the biggest in the Raphoe diocese.

Following the fire, Parish Priest An t-Athair Brian Ó Fearraigh said there had been an outpouring of emotion from the community who viewed the church as their "spiritual home".

Sinn Féin TD Pearse Doherty confirmed the building had been completely gutted in the fire.

Mr Doherty said he got married in the church and his father's anniversary mass was due to take place there on the day of the fire.

He said the church had a huge history and said the incident was heartbreaking.

"We will see a rebirth here," he said on RTÉ's Morning Ireland on the morning of the fire.

A concert featuring Daniel O'Donnell, Clannad's Moya Brennan and Altan's Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh was held to raise funds to rebuild the church.

Meanwhile, a GoFundMe campaign has already raised more than €118,000 to help fund the church's reconstruction.

Fr Peter McVerry to step down from Board of Trust, as former HSE director general named as CEO

FATHER PETER MCVERRY is to step down as a member of the homelessness charity he founded in June, while a former HSE director general has been appointed as the new chair.

The homelessness charity was established in 1983 by Fr Peter McVerry.

He stepped down as the Board’s secretary in February but remained on the board.

But in a statement today, the Peter McVerry Trust said that Fr McVerry had informed them of his decision to step down as a member of the Board of Directors at the end of June.

However, the Trust said that Fr McVerry will continue to play a “key central role in the day-to-day work of the organisation”, with an increased focus on advocacy, policy and fundraising.  

Meanwhile, former HSE director general Tony O’Brien has been appointed as the new chair of the Trust, effective from Thursday 1 May.

A spokesperson for the Peter McVerry Trust board said the appointment of O’Brien “represents another important step in the leadership, governance, and organisational reset we are undertaking”.

The spokesperson said O’Brien brings significant experience to the Trust “at a pivotal time”.

“Strong governance structures are essential to ensuring we meet the highest operational and regulatory standards,” said the spokesperson.

Last October, an investigation into the Peter McVerry Trust identified “inappropriate transfers” of funds and failures in board oversight in the management and administration of the charity and its assets.

The investigation found a lack of “adequate and appropriate financial” controls with which the board could exercise control over the affairs of the charity.

It also identified a “failure to adhere to donor intention” in how donated funds were used.

And a month later, a report from the Approved Housing Bodies Regulatory Authority said that the Trust is required to undergo an intensive oversight and monitoring programme as a result of its findings.

Meanwhile, Fr McVerry welcomed O’Brien as the new chair and remarked that he will “greatly support and enhance our work with the most vulnerable homeless people who continue to benefit from our services”.

And commenting on his own decision to step down from the Board, Fr McVerry said that he will be taking on an “increasingly active role in our advocacy, fundraising, and policy work”.

O’Brien meanwhile remarked that the Peter McVerry Trust is “pivotal to the lives of some of the most vulnerable people in society”.

“From my conversations with the board and executive, it was clear that the organisation remains rooted in a deep sense of purpose, compassion, and social responsibility—true to its founding principles,” said O’Brien.

He added: “There is also a clear and honest recognition of past governance shortcomings and a shared understanding of the need to restore trust.

“I believe that, together, we can re-establish regulatory, funder and public confidence.”

Former HSE chief Tony O'Brien appointed Peter McVerry Trust chair

Tony O'Brien is to take up a new role with the Peter McVerry Trust

Former director general of the HSE, Tony O'Brien, has been appointed as chairperson of the Peter McVerry Trust (PMVT).

The founder of the housing and homeless charity, Fr Peter McVerry, has also informed the organisation of his intention to step down from the board at the end of June.

Fr McVerry stepped down from his role as company secretary last February, but had remained on the board.

The charity said that Fr McVerry would however continue to play a key role in the day-to-day running of the organisation.

He will have an "increased focus and emphasis on his work in the areas of advocacy, policy and fundraising," the Trust said.

Mr O'Brien was the HSE's director general from July 2013 until May 2018, but stepped down from his position following the CervicalCheck cancer controversy.

He will replace Deirdre-Ann Barr at the PMVT, who recently stepped down from the position of chair to which she was appointed in September 2020.

There have been a series of concerns about the financial management of the PMVT.

Last October, a statutory investigation by the Charities Regulator into the PMVT found failures relating to management, oversight and administration by the board.

An investigation by the regulator began in October 2023 after it had communications regarding the financial status and solvency of the charity.

In a statement this evening, the PMVT said Mr O'Brien would bring a "wealth of experience" to the role.

A spokesperson for the charity said: "This appointment represents another important step in the leadership, governance, and organisational reset we are undertaking.

"Tony O'Brien brings significant and relevant experience to Peter McVerry Trust at a pivotal time.

"Strong governance structures, supported by effective practices and procedures, are essential to ensuring we meet the highest operational and regulatory standards."

Mr O'Brien said: "From my conversations with the board and executive, it was clear that the organisation remains rooted in a deep sense of purpose, compassion, and social responsibility - true to its founding principles.

"There is also a clear and honest recognition of past governance shortcomings and a shared understanding of the need to restore trust."

St Peter’s Church in Drogheda may be elevated to a basilica

Drogheda's most famous tourist attraction St Peter Church in West Street may soon become a Basilica.

Visitors from all over the globe regularly call into the distinguished church to see the head and shrine of St Oliver Plunkett.

Now the Catholic Primate of All Ireland, and Archbishop of Armagh, Eamon Martin wants to see the historic building elevated to a Basilica

This is a special honour that can only be bestowed upon a famous church by a ruling Pope.

But the Archbishop seems very hopeful and confident it can happen if the people of St Peter's Parish and his fellow Irish Bishops get behind the move.

He also believes making St Peter's a Basilica will transform it into a church for the international community.

In an interview with Ken Murray on LMFM he said; "In Knock we have the Basilica of Our Lady of Knock which is also an international Marian and Eucharistic Shrine. It's more than simply a parish church or a parish place.

"So I would want to be sure in my heart that this is what the people in the parish would like.. And if so, we can always apply for it to Rome, to the Holy See and I would certainly support that. I would imagine we would also have the support from the various Bishops of Ireland.

"In many ways to do such a thing would be to mark a church which is very dear to the people of Ireland and especially to the people in our Archdiocese and in Louth.

"I think it is something that we could apply for. One of the things we would need would be for the people of the parish to be clear that that is what they would like.

'I suppose in some ways there is something beautiful about St Peter's Church is that its also a parish church. It's very much an alive parish congregation who are there.

"A Basilica will bring demands on a place to be open very much nationally and internationally but that's something that certainly you know.

"I've spoken to the Parish Priest about this and it is certainly something I would support."

All year round buses pull up with tourists at St Peter's so they can see the church and St Oliver.

The town around the country and globally is known as much for St Oliver's relic as much as the Battle of the Boyne.

The move to a Basilica would give a much needed boost to the town centre which has been struggling to retain footfall lately.

St Peter RC Church was designed by John O'Neill and William Henry Byrne,built in a French Gothic Style of local limestone ashlar and opened its doors in 1884.

It is renowned for its tall west gable rose window. The church is 222 feet high.

St Oliver Plunkett was hung, drawn and quartered in Tyburn, London in 1681.

His national shrine in St Peter's contains his preserved head, his shoulder blade and other bones as relics along with the cell door of Newgate Prison where he was detained before his execution for his faith.

Funeral details announced for former bishop Brendan Comiskey

The funeral of the former Bishop of Ferns Brendan Comiskey will take place this week.

Comiskey, who died yesterday at the age of 89, will be buried on Thursday, May 1, at 1pm in the Church of the Sacred Heart, St Johns Drive, Clondalkin, Dublin.

The Monaghan native retreated from public life following the publication of the damning Ferns Report which outlined a catalogue of child sex abuse in the diocese over a period of forty years.

Bishop Comiskey passed away early Monday morning in the Louth County Hospital, Dundalk, predeceased by his parents, two sisters and seven brothers.

It emerged that Bishop Comiskey had failed to protect children from paedophile priests and failed to report allegations that Fr Seán Fortune had abused a number of children.

The Ferns report found that Comiskey had "failed to recognise the paramount need to protect children, as a matter of urgency, from potential abusers".

Born in August 1935, Dr Comiskey was originally from Clontibret in Co Monaghan and was ordained a priest in 1961.

He became Bishop of Ferns back in 1984, aged just 49. He would serve in the role for 18 years, through what is widely regarded as one of the darkest periods of the Catholic Church.

Speaking in 2014 about the clerical abuse scandal, he said: “I did my best and it wasn’t good enough and that’s it.”

For clerical sex abuse survivor Colm O’Gorman, the news of Bishop Comiskey’s passing stopped him in his tracks.

"I had to think, ‘how do I feel about it?’” he said. “First of all, I’d say that the death of anybody is a sad moment. I genuinely mean it when I offer my heartfelt condolences to his family, friends and those who loved him.

"Brendan Comiskey has been a private individual for a very long time. In terms of his legacy, I think it’s clearly laid out in the Ferns Report for anyone who wants to read it,” said Mr O’Gorman, who founded the One in Four charity which offers support to women and men who have experienced sexual violence.

"He was, however, one Bishop. It was really clear in the years following the report that Ferns was sadly not unique at all.”

In recent years, Bishop Comiskey had been under the care of the Sisters of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary in Ranelagh in Dublin.

Teenager sentenced to eight years for attempted murder of army chaplain in Galway

A 17-year-old youth has been sentenced to eight years in detention for the attempted murder of an Irish army chaplain last year.

Fr Paul Murphy was stabbed seven times with a hunting knife while attempting to drive into Renmore Barracks in Galway at around 10.35pm on August 15.

The teenager, who cannot be identified because of his age, pleaded guilty to attempted murder earlier this year at the Central Criminal Court in Dublin.

On Tuesday, Mr Justice Paul McDermott sentenced the teenager to 10 years in detention with the final two suspended on condition he engage with deradicalisation and educational programmes.

He said the teenager was intelligent, with no previous convictions, who had “an obsessive personality” and was “drawn into a world” of “extremist views” online.

He warned that young people can become “easy prey” for extreme content online, which had been seen in other court cases.

The boy pleaded guilty to attempted murder earlier this year at the Central Criminal Court in Dublin.

Giving his impact statement in April, Fr Paul Murphy said he forgave his attacker before hugging him.

Fr Murphy was stabbed seven times with a hunting knife at Renmore Barracks in Galway on August 15.

The priest was assaulted by the teenage boy, then aged 16 but now aged 17, while he was attempting to drive into the barracks at around 10.35pm.

He was arrested at the scene after being restrained by members of the Defence Forces.

Fr Murphy, a native of Waterford who lived at the barracks, has been an army chaplain since 2013 and has completed five overseas placements with the Defence Forces in Syria and Lebanon.

More allegations made against paedophile Michael Shine in past ten days than any period in last 15 years

MORE ALLEGATIONS HAVE been made against convicted paedophile surgeon Michael Shine in the past ten days than during any similar period in the last 15 years, according to a leading advocacy group.

Over 371 men have now come forward, alleging that Shine sexually abused them while he worked as a consultant surgeon at Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Drogheda and ran a private clinic in the Co Louth town.

The sharp increase in disclosures to the support and advocacy organisation Dignity4Patients comes after a recent meeting with Taoiseach Micheál Martin to discuss calls for a public inquiry.

The organisation, which supports survivors of sexual abuse in medical settings, told The Journal that it typically receives one new complaint related to Shine every two weeks.

However, in the past ten days alone, five new men have come forward with allegations.

Shine began working as a senior registrar in 1964, quickly rising to consultant in 1968. He remained at the hospital until 1995.

Victims allege that the Medical Missionaries of Mary were aware of the abuse and allowed it to continue for decades.

Hundreds of men claim that they were abused by the former surgeon, now in his nineties, over decades, but in 2025, he is a free man after serving just three years in prison.

In spite of the volume of victims coming forward, only nine of these men have had successful prosecutions in the criminal courts.

Dignity4Patients believes the meeting with the Taoiseach earlier this month has encouraged more victims to speak out, but cautioned that the true scale of the abuse may be far greater than currently known.

Shine, who has faced multiple legal proceedings over the past 20 years, was convicted in 2019 of indecently assaulting several patients under his care.

The pace of new disclosures has been described as “unprecedented,” by Dignity4Patients CEO Adrienne Reilly.

Tomorrow afternoon a group of victims, accompanied by Ms Reilly and Diarmuid Brecknell of Phoenix Law, will meet with the Health Minister Jennifer Carroll MacNeill at the Department of Health to discuss their calls for a Commission of Investigation.

Ms Reilly believes that victims are beginning to gain confidence in the government’s approach to handling the case and as a result it is crucial that tomorrow’s meeting is productive.

Victim says he skipped necessary medical treatment because of fears over Michael Shine

She insisted that there is a legacy of State failures in the handling of the Shine case, which has compounded the victims’ trauma.

The Drogheda hospital was run by the Medical Missionaries of Mary. It is alleged that those in authority did not handle the allegations against Shine properly and failed to intervene and stop the abuse.

In 1997, the hospital was sold by the congregation to the Department of Health and a fund worth £1.4 million was set aside to indemnify the State against allegations of sexual abuse.

“From the minute the hospital was sold and they became aware of the abuse, they should have established a public inquiry,” Ms Reilly said, before adding: “Instead, victims have been on their knees for decades fighting for justice.”

She said that their battle for the truth has been both “degrading and protracted” and has only compounded their trauma.

The group stated that its “ask is clear”. They insist that “the Minister must consider this an issue of significant importance that requires a Commission of Investigation as permissible under the 2004 Act.”

Victims want the Minister to “consult with the Attorney General on the matter and bring a Memorandum to the Cabinet in this regard.”

Italian cardinal convicted of embezzlement will not participate in upcoming conclave

ANGELO BECCIU, AN Italian cardinal convicted of embezzlement and stripped of his privileges by Pope Francis, confirmed today he will not take part in the conclave to elect a new Catholic leader.

In a statement from his lawyer, Becciu said he would abide by the late pontiff’s will, ending days of speculation on whether he would join other cardinal electors in the Sistine Chapel on May 7.

“I have decided to obey, as I have always done, the will of Pope Francis not to enter into conclave,” Becciu said, while continuing to protest his innocence.

The 76-year-old said he decided to take a step back “having at heart the good of the Church” and “to contribute to the communion and serenity of the Conclave”.

The conclave

The conclave to select the next pope will commence next week, on 7 May. 

The highly secretive vote will be held in the Sistine Chapel in The Vatican and follows strict rules and ceremonial procedures.

There are four votes per day – two in the morning and two in the afternoon – until one candidate secures a two-thirds majority. The process could take several days, or potentially longer.

All 252 cardinals were called to Rome following the death of Pope Francis on 21 April but just 135 of the group are under 80 and therefore are eligible to vote. 

Many of them are newly appointed and do not know each other but they have had four meetings in the last week to get better acquainted. 

Archbishop of Dublin Dermot Farrell (who will not vote in the conclave as he is not a cardinal) said he believes the next Pope will be selected on the basis of faith, not politics.

Becciu’s history 

Becciu, a former adviser to Francis who was once considered a papal contender himself, was removed from office and stripped of his cardinal “rights and privileges” in September 2020.

He subsequently went on trial along with nine others in a case focused on a disastrous investment by the Vatican in a luxury building in London.

In 2023, he was sentenced to five years and six months in jail for financial crimes, although he is appealing the conviction.

Becciu, once one of the most powerful figures in the Vatican, had reportedly been pushing to take part in the conclave, despite not being on the official list of electors.

Conclave will be thinking of faith - not politics - when selecting a new pope, Archbishop says

On Monday Cardinal Pietro Parolin, who as secretary of state was Francis’s number two, presented him with two documents signed by the Argentine pontiff which said he could not, according to Italian media.

The letters dated from 2023 and last month, according to the Domani newspaper.

Becciu was the most senior clergyman in the Catholic Church to face a Vatican criminal court.

His very rare punishment came as Francis enacted a series of reforms aimed at cleaning up the Vatican’s notoriously murky finances.

Teenager who stabbed priest to be sentenced for attempted murder

A teenage boy is to be sentenced for repeatedly stabbing an Army chaplain.

The boy pleaded guilty to attempted murder earlier this year at the Central Criminal Court in Dublin.

Giving his impact statement in April, Fr Paul Murphy said he forgave his attacker before hugging him.

Fr Murphy was stabbed seven times with a hunting knife at Renmore Barracks in Galway on August 15th, 2024.

The priest was assaulted by the teenage boy, then aged 16 but now aged 17, while he was attempting to drive into the barracks at around 10.35pm.

The boy cannot be identified because of his age.

He was arrested at the scene after being restrained by members of the Defence Forces.

Fr Murphy, a native of Waterford who lived at the barracks, has been an army chaplain since 2013 and has completed five overseas placements with the Defence Forces in Syria and Lebanon.

Sentencing is due to be handed down by Mr Justice Paul McDermott this afternoon (Tuesday).

Controversy erupts as sanctioned cardinal attends pre-conclave meetings

As cardinals meet in Rome ahead of a conclave to elect the next pope, a Peruvian cardinal accused of sexual abuse and whose ministry was restricted by Pope Francis has joined private meetings with his fellow red-hatters.

Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni said April 28 that during a morning session of pre-conclave general congregations that day, cardinals discussed “issues of relevance for the future of the Church”.

These topics, he said, included “the relationship with the modern world and some challenges that are highlighted, such as evangelisation, relations with other faiths, and the issue of abuse. They spoke about the qualities the new pontiff will have to possess in order to respond to these challenges.”

The discussion on abuse and who will be up to the task of credibly tackling it by the roughly 180 cardinals present, over a 100 of whom are eligible to vote in the conclave, came the day after a cardinal who had been sanctioned by Pope Francis for sexual abuse was seen at a public event with his fellow prelates paying homage to the late pontiff, and after he was seen leaving the hall where the meetings are taking place.

For decades, Peruvian Cardinal Juan Luis Cipriani, 81, was among the most prominent and influential prelates for the Catholic right in Peru and throughout Latin America, especially during his two decades as archbishop of Lima, where he served from 1999-2019.

In January it was revealed publicly in Spanish newspaper El Pais that Cipriani had been accused of sexually abusing an adolescent boy and sanctioned by Pope Francis in 2019, with restrictions on participation in a conclave and on donning cardinal attire.

An individual who chose to remain anonymous claimed that in 1983, between 16-17 years of age, he was sexually assaulted by Cipriani in the confessional and remained silent for years before finally deciding to make a complaint to the pope in 2018.

A previous complaint made against Cipriani to the Vatican in 2002 apparently came to nothing, while the 2018 complaint resulted in Cipriani’s prompt retirement in January 2019, shortly after reaching the mandatory retirement age of 75, and restrictions on his ministry.

These restrictions apparently barred him from wearing his red cardinal robes and other symbols associated with the cardinalate, from returning to Peru without permission, and from participating in a future conclave. He is now 81, over the age limit for cardinals to participate in a conclave.

However, Cipriani is currently in Rome and was seen visiting Pope Francis while lying in state, and at an April 27 Vespers service in the Basilica of St. Mary Major, where Francis is buried, after visiting his tomb.

He was also seen leaving the hall where general congregations are taking place, dressed in his cardinal attire despite having been banned from doing so.

After news of the allegations against Cipriani went public in January, Bruni confirmed the restrictions on Cipriani’s ministry to media, saying that after the accusation was made in 2018, and after the acceptance of his resignation as archbishop of Lima in 2019, “the cardinal was imposed a penal precept with some disciplinary measures”.

These measures, Bruni said, were “related to his public activity, place of residence and use of insignia,” and were “signed and accepted” by Cipriani himself.

Bruni at the time clarified that the restrictions “appear to still be in force”.

Cipriani has repeatedly denied the allegations, calling them “completely false” and saying he never committed any crime, arguing that the alleged victims’ claims were a misunderstanding of his efforts to be pastorally close to the young man after he lost his father.

While acknowledging the restrictions on his ministry, imposed directly by Pope Francis, he also argued that the pope had not followed due process and compared himself to Australian Cardinal George Pell, who was imprisoned after being accused of sexual abuse only to be acquitted later.

In the wake of Cipriani’s denials and the backlash that the allegations against him created, Cardinal Carlos Castillo of Lima, Cipriani’s successor as archbishop of Lima, issued a statement supporting the alleged victim and the pope.

Two months later, on March 28, Cipriani published another statement in which he asked the Peruvian bishops to rectify their communique announcing the restrictions on him, which they said were imposed after “the proof of the facts was ascertained”.

He said there was no formal process with a presenting of proofs or a right to defense, no witnesses, and no judgement. He called the communique defamatory, especially given his status as a cardinal, and said it was the bishops’ responsibility to rectify their mistake.

In an April 7 communique responding to Cipriani’s statement, the Peruvian Episcopal Conference (CEP) said the pope in his decision to impose sanctions on Cipriani in the manner in which he did exercised “pastoral charity” and justice.

They said the restrictions against Cipriani “remain in force” and had been agreed and signed off on by Cipriani himself.

“While Cipriani has every right to affirm his innocence, since guilt is proven in a criminal trial, however, it is no less true that a penal precept exists; for this reason, he should not forget the exquisite pastoral charity of the Holy Father,” the CEP said.

Despite Cipriani’s insistence on a lack of due process, the CEP’s confirmation that a penal precept exists, presumably with additional penalties for failure to comply with the restrictions imposed on his ministry, raise serious questions about his proximity to cardinals ahead of the conclave, especially in light of discussion on abuse.

Bruni during Monday’s press conference did not confirm whether Cipriani was participating in the general congregation meetings, and did not offer indications on whether the sanctions against Cipriani for sexual abuse barred him from participating.

“All cardinals are able to participate” in the general congregations, he said, saying the Vatican constitution outlining the rules of a conclave, Universi Dominici Gregis, is clear in this regard.

In a statement following Monday’s general congregation, victims’ advocacy group Bishop Accountability condemned Cipriani’s presence at the meetings.

“The inclusion of a credibly accused cardinal in this week’s important pre-conclave meetings exposes the disconnect between the Church’s words and actions on abuse,” the statement said, saying Cipriani’s presence “mocks the cardinals’ statement about the supposed importance of the abuse issue”.

His participation “reassures abusive bishops of their colleagues’ continuing support even as it sends a distressing message to abuse victims. It revives the haunting idea that the church is safer for accused clergy than for children,” the organisation said.

Bishop Accountability said that even more concerning than Cipriani’s participation in the pre-conclave discussions is “the dysfunction of the Vatican even when it does the right thing”.

They questioned why Cipriani would be allowed to participate, after having been sanctioned by Pope Francis for sexual abuse, and questioned the logic of referring to Universi Dominici Gregis as a justification.

According to paragraph seven in chapter two of the document, all cardinals are summoned “who are not legitimately impeded”.

“If punishment imposed by the pope himself for a cardinal’s sexual assault of a child doesn’t constitute a ‘legitimate impediment,’ what on earth does?” the organisation asked.

While they applauded the cardinals’ commitment to tackling abuse as a priority in electing the next pope, Bishop Accountability said, “including an alleged abuser in their meetings discredits their words”.

“The cardinals must show that they mean what they say, and that means immediately banning Cipriani…and any other culpable church leader from the rest of their meetings,” they said.

Former bishop Comiskey, who resigned over Ferns Report, dies

Former Bishop of Ferns Brendan Comiskey, who resigned in April 2002 over failing to address allegations of clerical sexual abuse in the diocese, has died aged 89.

The allegations resulted in an inquiry into child sexual abuse known as the Ferns Report.

Dr Comiskey resigned over claims that he did not report allegations that Fr Sean Fortune had abused a number of children while Dr Comiskey was in control of the Ferns diocese.

Fr Fortune was a serial paedophile with a manipulative personality and Dr Comiskey admitted he found him difficult to deal with.

Fortune died by suicide while on bail.

Abuse 'wasn't unique to Ferns' - O'Gorman

One of his victims was the advocate and former Director of Amnesty International Ireland, Colm O'Gorman, who subsequently founded the charity One in Four for victims of abuse.

Mr O'Gorman was one of the first of Fr Fortune's many victims to report the assaults to gardaí.

He said that he hopes that Dr Comiskey will not be "uniquely scapegoated" for "what the Ferns report revealed" following his death.

Mr O'Gorman sent his condolence to Dr Comiskey's "family and friends and all who loved him".

He said that the Ferns report was "clear" and that people can read about the "appalling mismanagement in many ways of clerical child sexual abuse in the diocese of Ferns".

However, he said it is important to acknowledge that this "wasn't unique to Ferns".

"This was a systemic deliberate cover up of the rape and abuse of children perpetrated by the clergy that was directed and mandated by the Vatican," said Mr O'Gorman.

"It’s really important as we look back on that legacy that we don’t see this in terms of Brendan Comiskey having failed to manage cases.

"He didn’t fail to manage cases. He managed them in exactly the way he was required and directed to by the Vatican.

"He’s responsible for that. He’s responsible for his own actions, for his decision to comply with the cover up."

Mr O'Gorman said that the responsibility for the "global cover up" lies with the Vatican.

"There was nothing unique about Ferns. It was frankly, atypical of what we saw and what we have seen revealed in dioceses not just across this country but across the world," he said.

He added that "we have a way to go yet before we have a full and frank acknowledgement of the truth".

Mr O'Gorman said the Vatican "has never acknowledged that the cover-up was global and the cover up was directed, that bishops did as they were mandated and ordered and required to do."

"Truth still matters and we haven't quite gotten there yet," he added.

Born in August 1935, Dr Comiskey was originally from Clontibret in Co Monaghan.

He was ordained a priest of the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary in 1961.

He became Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Dublin in 1979 and was appointed the Bishop of Ferns in April 1984.

The Ferns report found that the former bishop failed to establish sound child protection measures in the diocese.

Disgraced former bishop Brendan Comiskey dies aged 89 – ‘He operated within a system that directed the cover-up’

The disgraced former Bishop of Ferns Brendan Comiskey has died, aged 89.

The Monaghan native retreated from public life following the publication of the damning Ferns Report which outlined a catalogue of child sex abuse in the diocese over a period of forty years.

It emerged that Bishop Comiskey had failed to protect children from paedophile priests and failed to report allegations that Fr Seán Fortune had abused a number of children.

The report found Comiskey’s investigation into the rape of children by his clergy was "an inappropriate and inadequate response". It concluded that he had "failed to recognise the paramount need to protect children, as a matter of urgency, from potential abusers".

Comiskey became Bishop of Ferns back in 1984, aged just 49. He would serve in the role for 18 years, through what is widely regarded as one of the darkest periods of the Catholic Church.

He resigned following the airing of a ground-breaking BBC documentary Suing the Pope, which uncovered over 100 allegations of abuse against 21 priests stretching back as far as 1962.

Speaking to the Irish Independent in 2014 about the clerical abuse scandal, he said: “I did my best and it wasn’t good enough and that’s it.”

In recent years, Bishop Comiskey had been under the care of the Sisters of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary in Ranelagh in Dublin.

For clerical sex abuse survivor Colm O’Gorman, the news of Bishop Comiskey’s passing stopped him in his tracks.

"I had to think, ‘how do I feel about it?’” he said. “First of all, I’d say that the death of anybody is a sad moment. I genuinely mean it when I offer my heartfelt condolences to his family, friends and those who loved him.

"Brendan Comiskey has been a private individual for a very long time. In terms of his legacy, I think it’s clearly laid out in the Ferns Report for anyone who wants to read it,” said Mr O’Gorman, who founded the One in Four charity which offers support to women and men who have experienced sexual violence.

"He was, however, one Bishop. It was really clear in the years following the report that Ferns was sadly not unique at all.”

Outlining his feelings towards Bishop Comiskey, Mr O’Gorman said: “I think people see the individual, the Bishop who behaved badly and orchestrated this cover-up. But the reality of the situation is that Brendan Comiskey and every other Bishop who covered up child sexual abuse and moved priests did so at the direction of the Vatican.

"While he was responsible for his own actions on a personal level on one hand, he complied with the directives from the Vatican in relation to child sexual abuse.

"I don’t think Brendan Comiskey should be scapegoated or held up as the villain. He wasn’t unique. He wasn’t any worse than anyone else who operated within that system that directed the cover-up.

"I was sad to hear that he had died and I would offer my sincere condolences again to his family.”

In his early career, Dr Comiskey was catapulted into senior leadership roles at a young age. He was seen as a leading light of the Irish church, young, handsome, articulate and outspoken. However, his inability to tackle clerical abuse and control notorious abusers such as Fr Fortune was to prove his downfall.

But even before his spectacular resignation, the young bishop was caught up in controversy when Cardinal Cahal Daly was forced to deny that Bishop Comiskey had been held by police in Bangkok Airport after being found drunk and without his passport.

He went to the US for treatment for alcoholism and came back in early 1996 to face down allegations, asserting he “did not consort with prostitutes” while on holiday in Thailand.

Born on 13 August 1935 in Clontibret, Co Monaghan, he was ordained a priest for the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary on 25 June 1961.

He became head of his order in Ireland and the UK when he was just 34. He was appointed Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Dublin in 1979 when he was 45 and shortly afterwards he was appointed to the Diocese of Ferns.

He resigned in 2002 after the broadcast of the BBC documentary.

In his statement announcing his resignation, Dr Comiskey admitted he found Fr Seán Fortune difficult to deal with. The notorious abuser later died by suicide while on bail in March, 1999.

Bishop Éamonn Walsh was installed as Apostolic Administrator in Ferns in 2002 in the wake of Bishop Comiskey’s resignation and he implemented a new child protection policy which resulted in many more historic allegations of child sexual abuse being reported.

An inquiry into clerical sexual abuse in Ferns was set up following the resignation of Bishop Comiskey. The October, 2005, Ferns Report identified over 100 allegations of child sexual abuse between 1962 and 2002 against 21 priests, including Fr Seán Fortune and Fr Jim Grennan.

It strongly criticised the former bishops of Ferns, Donal Herlihy and Brendan Comiskey, for their inability to deal with the allegations of sexual abuse made against a number of priests.

In his resignation statement in 2002, Bishop Comiskey said: “The sexual abuse of children is deeply abhorrent to me. I apologise also to the families of victims and to all others who have been offended or hurt in different ways by the late Fr Seán Fortune.

“In endeavouring to deal with the complexity and conflict which always surrounded Fr Fortune, and already existed prior to my appointment as Bishop of Ferns in May, 1984, I can only assure you that I did my best. Clearly this was not good enough. I found Father Fortune virtually impossible to deal with.

“I confronted him regularly; for a time I removed him from ministry; I sought professional advice in several quarters; I listened to the criticisms and the praise; I tried compassion and I tried firmness; treatment was sought and arranged – and yet I never managed to achieve any level of satisfactory outcome.

“Father Fortune committed very grave wrongs and hurt many people. Despite the difficulties he presented in management terms, I should have adopted a more informed and more concerted approach to any dealings with him, and for this I ask forgiveness.”