| The Most Reverend Diarmuid Martin |
|
|---|---|
| Archbishop of Dublin and Primate of Ireland |
|
| See | Dublin |
| Enthroned | 2004 |
| Predecessor | Desmond Cardinal Connell |
| Ordination | 25 May 1969 (Priest) |
| Consecration | 6 January 1999 (Bishop) |
| Other | Coadjutor Archbishop of Dublin (2003-2004); Apostolic Nuncio in Geneva and Titular Archbishop of Glenndálocha (2001-2003); Titular Bishop of Glenndálocha (1999-2001) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 8 April 1945 Dublin, Ireland |
| Nationality | Irish |
| Denomination | Roman Catholic Church |
Diarmuid Martin (pronounced deer-mid in English) (born 8 April 1945) is the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Dublin and Primate of Ireland. He was born in Dublin.
Early life and education
Diarmuid Martin was raised and educated in Dublin, at the Oblate school in Inchicore, the De La Salle School situated on the Ballyfermot Road in Ballyfermot and Marian College, Ballsbridge. Following that, he went to University College Dublin, where he studied philosophy, and then went to the Dublin Diocese's seminary at Clonliffe, where he studied theology. He was ordained a priest on 25 May 1969 by Archbishop John Charles McQuaid. Following this he pursued further education at the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas (Angelicum) in Rome, though, it appears, without attaining any degrees.
Pastoral Experience
From 1973 to 1974 he was Curate at the Parish of St Brigid in Cabinteely, but actively sought to return to Rome.
Work for the Holy See
In 1976 Diarmuid Martin began to work in the service of the Holy See for the Pontifical Council for the Family. He later worked on the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, being appointed the Under Secretary in 1986 and the Secretary in 1994. On 6 January 1999 he was ordained as Titular Bishop of Glendalough by Pope John Paul II. On 17 January 2001, he was appointed Titular Archbishop of the same diocese. This marked his appointment as the Holy See Permanent Observer in Geneva, at the United Nations Office and Specialised Agencies and at the World Trade Organisation. It was in this capacity that he represented the Holy See at various UN conferences, including the 1994 Cairo conference on birth control. He led the delegations of the Holy See to the Ministerial Conference of the World Trade Organisation (Doha, 2001), the World Conference against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance.
During the 1990s, Diarmuid Martin represented the Holy See at major United Nations International Conferences, spoke about the Church's teachings on social matters at a variety of Bishop Conferences, and was a member of various Vatican Offices, including the Central Committee for the Great Jubilee of the Year 2000. Also, he was involved in discussions between the World Council of Churches and the Catholic Church as well as the World Faiths Development Dialogue. He also represented the views of the Holy See to the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank, where he advocated for debt relief for less developed countries.
Archbishop of Dublin
Diarmuid Martin was appointed Co-Adjutor Archbishop of Dublin on 3 May 2003, and was installed as such on 30 August of that year. On 26 April 2004, following the acceptance of Desmond Cardinal Connell's resignation by Pope John Paul II, Diarmuid Martin automatically succeeded him as Archbishop of Dublin.
| Styles of Diarmuid Martin |
|
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| Reference style | The Most Reverend |
| Spoken style | Your Grace |
| Religious style | Archbishop |
| Posthumous style | not applicable |
Following Summorum Pontificum, the decree of Pope Benedict XVI liberalising the use of the Latin Mass which took effect on 14 September 2007, Archbishop Martin duly established a Latin Mass Chaplaincy in the Dublin City area[1].
Missionary work
In 2007, Archbishop Martin announced that "a Catholic Church representative will visit every household in the Dublin Archdiocese next year. He predicted his evangelisation programme would promote greater co-operation between lay people and priests in the Church's mission and ministry." [2]
Cardinalatial speculation
On 21 February 2006 The Irish Times published a front page article which stated that Martin was due to receive the red hat in the next consistory, suggesting the date for this would be the 25 March the Feast of the Annunciation. However on the 22 February 2006 Pope Benedict XVI announced the names of the 15 new Cardinals to be installed, and it soon became apparent that Diarmuid Martin was not on the list, the result perhaps of the unease which some of his pronouncement engender in conservative circles.
On 17 October 2007 Pope Benedict XVI announced the next batch of names to be elevated to the cardinalate and once again his name was not on the list, Instead the list contained Dr Sean Brady the Archbishop of Armagh. This was a return to tradition where the Primate of All Ireland was a cardinal and not the serving Archbishop of Dublin as was the case with his predecessor.
Civil Unions legislation
In response to Sean Cardinal Brady's comments on the upcoming Civil Partnership Bill, Archbishop Martin said that "We haven't expressed an opinion as an Episcopal Conference (on the Bill)" he said. He continued saying that "I don't think anyone in the conference is against what Cardinal Brady said, but they may have said it in different ways." The Archbishop also said that while the Catholic Church favoured marriage, "it is not against other forms of intimacy".[3].
Speculation of return to Curia
It is also speculated that Martin will be recalled to Rome to head up a Vatican department. It is most likely that this would be the Justice and Peace department, in which he served as secretary. The top job at Justice and Peace becomes vacant in 2008. Despite his many duties in Dublin, Archbishop Martin maintains a punishing schedule of international travel, and this has been seen as an indication of his desire, and indeed suitability, to return to his former career as an international diplomat.
On 4 November 2007 Dr Martin became the third Roman Catholic Archbishop of Dublin to preach in the Anglican (Church of Ireland) Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin, since the 16th century Reformation. Delivering the annual Citizenship Sunday sermon, the Archbishop said that selling drugs was about trafficking with death.
In April 2009, speculation continued that Archbishop Martin would be returning to the Roman Curia. It was reported that Renato Cardinal Martino "head of the Council for Justice and Peace, [will] likely be succeeded by Monsignor Diarmuid Martin, the astute and able Archbishop of Dublin."[4]. It was also reported that "Archbishop Martin is strongly tipped to get the post in diplomatic circles"[5]. On 5 June 2009 Sean Cardinal Brady met with Pope Benedict along with Archbishop Martin in the Apostolic Palace. [1] On 24 October 2009, however, Peter Cardinal Turkson of the Archdiocese of Cape Coast, Ghana was appointed the new president of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace.[6]
50th International Eucharistic Congress
At the end of the 49th International Eucharistic Congress held in Quebec in 2008, in a video message, Pope Benedict annonced that the next International Eucharistic Congress would be held in Dublin in 2012. As this significant event in the life of the Church draws to a conclusion I invite you all to join me in praying for the success of the next International Eucharistic Congress, which will take place in 2012 in the city of Dublin," the Holy Father said. He took the opportunity "to greet warmly the people of Ireland, as they prepare to host this ecclesial gathering."
"I am confident that they, together with all the participants at the next congress, will find it a source of lasting spiritual renewal," he said.
Attending the Congress in Quebec, Sean Cardinal Brady, archbishop of Armagh, and Archbishop Martin of Dublin, welcomed the news.
They said in a statement: "On behalf of the Catholic faithful of Ireland, we are honored and humbled that the Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI, has chosen Dublin to host the 50th International Eucharistic Congress in 2012. In a joint statement Sean Cardinal Brady and Archbisiop Martin said that: "On behalf of the Catholic faithful of Ireland, we are honoured and humbled that the Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI, has chosen Dublin to host the 50th International Eucharistic Congress in 2012. While the theme for the next congress has yet to be finalised, we are deeply conscious that 2012 also marks the 50th anniversary of the opening of the Second Vatican Council."
This is the second time that Dublin will host the congress; the Irish hosted the 31st congress in 1932. "We live in different times now," the prelates said in their statement, "and it is our hope that the 2012 congress will be an opportunity for the Catholic Church in Ireland to both reflect on the centrality of the Eucharist at the heart of our increasingly diverse community, and, to give renewed impetus to the living of faith."
Credibility deficit of Church
Speaking in Dublin at a discussion organised by the Communion and Liberation lay Catholic movement, Archbishop Martin said that when the Church speaks it faces a severe hindrance. He said: "When I was younger, if you did your Leaving Certificate examination through the medium of Irish you got a bonus on your mark - I think it was either a 10 per cent or 15 per cent - just for that fact. Today for the church to make a credible statement on many aspects of public life or simply to talk about faith you start out with the opposite. You start out with a substantial percentage of credibility deficit"
He wondered "how does one really begin to speak about faith? How does one attempt to reach out and lead young people on a journey of faith, when they in many ways have lost trust in a church which many young people find no longer just 'irrelevant' but ... in which many young people say they have very little confidence."[7]
Archbishp Martin continued to speak on this topic when on Holy Thursday 2009, in his homily at the Pro Cathederal he said that the two biggest problems facing young people were the Catholic Church's condemnation of gay couples and the question of suicide. He said that these were causing "a disconnect" which was causing "a dramatic and growing rift" between the Church and the younger generation. Archbishop Martin accepted that this was partly the Church's fault because young people were much more questioning today than previously -- and he urged his priests to offer services in the parish that would be geared more towards their particular concerns. He said that when young people discuss thee issues with him he said that "They see through the superficial answers we give" he added.[8] He added that:"Our young people are generous and idealistic but such generosity and idealism does not seem to find a home in the Church. Where are we offering young people a home in our Church communities? Where are the focal points where we are helping young people to find an interpretation of their generosity, idealism and questioning in the light of the challenge and of the beauty of the message of Jesus Christ?'"[9]
Commission on child sexual abuse
In his homily on Holy Thursday 2009, warned that the depth of the Catholic sex abuse cases "will shock us all". The report from the commission will be published in May, and according to Archbishop Martin it will throw up challenges to the Catholic Church in Ireland it has never experienced before. Martin said: "It is likely that thousands of children or young people across Ireland were abused by priests in the period under investigation and the horror of that abuse was not recognised for what it is. The report will make each of us and the entire church in Dublin a humbler church."[10]. Dr Martin also asked for the "forgiveness of anyone that I may have hurt or left feeling neglected. I know my own failings and limitations and I wish to renew sincerely today my respect and concern for each and every priest of this diocese or working in this diocese".[11]
On May 25, 2009, Martin stated in the Irish Times (partially quoting a correspondent),
"'there is always a price to pay for not responding'. The church will have to pay that price in terms of its credibility. The first thing the church has to do is to move out of any mode of denial. Where the church is involved in social care it should be in the vanguard. That is different to a situation in which the church proclaims that it is in the vanguard.... in a very short time another report on the sexual abuse of children will be published, this time about how such abuse was managed in the Archdiocese of Dublin of which I am archbishop."[12]
Ordinations and Commissioning of Lay Pastoral Workers in Dublin Diocese
On Saturday 27 June 2009, three men were ordained priests – two for the Archdiocese of Dublin and one for the Capuchin Province of Korea, at a ceremony in St. Mary’s Pro-Cathedral in Dublin. And for the first time in Dublin, a unique part of the ceremony saw 13 parish pastoral workers commissioned into their new roles in parishes throughout the Archdiocese.
The new priests and parish pastoral workers take up their roles as the Diocese began its Year of Evangelisation - a time of renewal of faith and the call to proclaim the Gospel. The aim of the Year of Evangelisation is to support, animate and develop Evangelisation initiatives throughout parishes in the diocese. This includes supporting parish Sacramental programmes and initiatives such as the Do this in Memory Holy Communion Programme and You Will be My Witnesses Confirmation programme and joint initiatives with the Church of Ireland.
The men ordained were Aloysius Zuribo, from Orlu in the state of Imo in Nigeria, Colin Rothery from Kilmacud in Dublin and Stephen Kim (OFM Capuchin) from Korea, who is currently in the Capuchin Friary, Raheny.
The parish pastoral workers – women and men – come from a variety of backgrounds, are theology graduates and have just completed a year long formation course in Mater Dei Institute. The group includes a number of former teachers, a barman, a homemaker, a technician and students. Their central role will be to support priests and communities in educating people in their faith in, supporting and developing parish initiatives around prayer and the sacraments.
Addressing the Parish Pastoral Workers, Archbishop Martin said that “The Archdiocese of Dublin renews itself today with the commissioning of 13 new Parish Pastoral Workers who will bring their talents and charisms as lay men and women into our parishes and help animate our communities, especially around the Word of God. Saint Augustine reminds all of us that without being first a hearer of the word in our own hearts, we will only be empty preachers of the word to others. I urge you to witness to the word through the example of your lives and through the personal holiness which your mission calls for.”
Red Mass, 2009 comments
At the formal opening of the 2009 law term on 5 October in St Michan's church, Archbishop Martin warned that ongoing prosperity could not on its own bring the harmony which society requires. Addressing a congregation including Supreme Court judge Mrs Justice Susan Denham, Law Reform Commission president Catherine McGuinness and High Court judge Mr Justice Declan Budd.
Urging the congregation of judges, lawyers and diplomats to work to strengthen the fabric of society and make it more caring, he said self-indulgence could lead to corruption, total disregard for the rights of others, a breakdown of community and violence. Violence, he added, was “a continual threat to the harmony of society” in Ireland today, was “profoundly anti-democratic” and attempted to “limit the effectiveness of community through a climate of fear”. Archbishop Martin said that “those whose mission it is to advance legislation which promotes harmony and equality and those whose mission it is to apply such laws and administer justice”. “Yours is a task of the spirit: to ensure that true communication in the fullest sense between people is not inhibited by the raw power of the self-interest of the few” Dr Martin added. [2]
Murphy Report
On 26 November 2009, the Murphy Report into abuse carried out by priests and covered up to varying degrees by the four bishops of the diocese, namely, John Charles McQuaid, Dermot Ryan, Kevin McNamara, and Desmond Cardinal Connell. The report, which took three years to complete, said the archdiocese had an “obsessive concern with secrecy and the avoidance of scandal” and had “little or no concern for the welfare of the abused child”. [3] The report also noted how Church authorities used the concept of “mental reservation”, which allowed clergy to mislead people without being guilty, in the church’s eyes, of lying. The report also stated that there were some courageous priests who brought complaints to the attention of their superiors. But in general there was a “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy.
The investigating commission identified 320 abused people between 1975 and 2004, and 120 from May 2004. Cardinal Connell, the only living archbishop of the four mentioned in the report, expressed his “bitter regret that failures on my part contributed to the suffering of victims in any form.”
At the press conference which was held on the day the report was relased, Archbishop Martin said "As Archbishop of a Diocese for which I have pastoral responsibility, of my own native diocese, of the diocese for which I was ordained a priest, of a Diocese which I love and hope to serve to the best of my ability, what can I say when I have to share with you the revolting story of the sexual assault and rape of so many young children and teenagers by priests of the Archdiocese or who ministered in the diocese? No words of apology will ever be sufficient"
The archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland, Sean Cardinal Brady also said he was deeply ashamed and saddened by the findings.
Bishop of Limerick Dr Donal Murray, a former auxiliary bishop of the Dublin diocese who is strongly criticised in the report, said he regretted his actions but did not intend to resign.
In a letter to the priests and laity read out at all Masses on Sunday 29 November Archbishop Martin wrote that "The damage done to children abused by priests can never be undone. As Archbishop of Dublin and as Diarmuid Martin I offer to each and every survivor, my apology, my sorrow and my shame for what happened to them. I am aware however that no words of apology will ever be sufficient. " [4]
Archbishop Martin said on 1 December that he was writing to the bishop of Limerick, Donal Murray, and all other auxiliary bishops who served in Dublin and who are named in the Dublin diocesan report. [5]
Dr Martin said he was “not satisfied” with some of their responses so far. He pointed out that those bishops named in the report, but no longer serving in the Dublin archdiocese, could not tailor their responses to people in their current dioceses.What they did and did not do failed people in Dublin and they owe them a response, he said. [6]
Earlier yesterday, responding to a question from The Irish Times as to whether they believed Bishop Murray should resign, Ireland’s three other Catholic archbishops (Michael Neary of Tuam, Dermot Clifford of Cashel and Cardinal Brady of Armagh) said he “has asked for the guidance of his priests and people as to whether his continuance as bishop would be a help or a hindrance to the diocese and he has stated that he will respond accordingly”. [7]
On 11 December Archbishop Martin and Cardinal Brady met with Pope Benedict XVI to discuss the Murphy Report. Pope Benedict was accompanied by a delegation of Curial including, among others, the Cardinal Secretary of State, Tarcisio Cardinal Bertone, the prefect for the Congregation for Bishops, Giovanni Battista Cardinal Re, the prefect for the Congregation For the Doctrine of the Faith, William Cardinal Levada, the prefect for the Congregation of the Clergy, Claudio Cardinal Hummes and the prefect of the Congregation of Consecrated Life (Religious Orders) Franc Cardinal Rodé. [8] The papal nuncio in Ireland, Archbishop Giuseppe Leanza, is also due to attend. [9]
It is understood that, they described as significant and very satisfactory, their meeting with Pope Benedict. Cardinal Brady said he and Archbishop Martin had had a “good meeting” with the pope and the other Vatican representatives and he drew attention to the strong language of the Vatican statement which described Pope Benedict as “deeply disturbed and distressed” by the contents of the Murphy commission report. The pope, according to the statement, also “shares the outrage, betrayal and shame felt by so many of the faithful in Ireland”.
Asked if yesterday’s meeting and the ensuing Vatican statement would go some way to answering criticism about the perceived silence of the Holy See in the wake of the publication of the report, Archbishop Martin said: "What appeared to us today is that maybe things were not said but certainly people were reflecting on matters." [10] Meanwhile Archbishop Martin confirmed that he had written to Bishop Dermot O’Mahony, one of the bishops much mentioned in the report.
After the meeting Pope Benedict released this statement: Today the Holy Father held a meeting with senior Irish bishops and high-ranking members of the Roman Curia. He listened to their concerns and discussed with them the traumatic events that were presented in the Irish Commission of Investigation’s Report into the Catholic Archdiocese of Dublin. After careful study of the report, the Holy Father was deeply disturbed and distressed by its contents. He wishes once more to express his profound regret at the actions of some members of the clergy who have betrayed their solemn promises to God, as well as the trust placed in them by the victims and their families, and by society at large. [11]
Survivors of child abuse and their representatives reacted with little enthusiasm to Pope Benedict XVI’s statement. Marie Collins, who was abused in 1960 by a priest when she was a patient at Our Lady’s Hospital for Sick Children in Crumlin, said: “I can’t say I was disappointed because I didn’t have any high hopes.” Acknowledging the sincerity of the pope’s call for prayers for those abused and their families, and possible initiatives where reorganisation of the Irish Church was concerned, she pointed out the statement “doesn’t deal with the past. No one has taken responsibility for what went on in Dublin. There is no accountability.” [12]
As part of their winter meeting in Maynooth, the Irish Bishops Conference issued a statement which said that: We are deeply shocked by the scale and depravity of abuse as described in the report. We are shamed by the extent to which child sexual abuse was covered up in the Archdiocese of Dublin and recognise that this indicates a culture that was widespread in the church. [13]
Family
His brother, Seamus Martin, was a journalist with The Irish Times newspaper.
References
- ^ http://www.newliturgicalmovement.org/2007/09/irish-archbishop-sets-up-traditionalist.html
- ^ http://www.independent.ie/national-news/archbishop-sends-out-his-missionaries-across-city-1324123.html
- ^ http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2008/1126/1227486583451.html
- ^ http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/europe/article6134843.ece
- ^ http://www.herald.ie/national-news/city-news/diarmuid-martin-tipped-for-post-as-popes-top-advisor-1717150.html
- ^ http://212.77.1.245/news_services/bulletin/news/24543.php?index=24543&po_date=24.10.2009&lang=en Vatican News Bullettin, 24 Oct. 2009
- ^ http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2009/0110/1231515468152.html
- ^ http://www.independent.ie/national-news/rift-growing-between-youths-and-the-church-1705279.html
- ^ http://www.dublindiocese.ie/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1504&Itemid=372
- ^ http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/apr/10/child-abuse-catholic-church-ireland
- ^ http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2009/0409/1224244282233.html
- ^ http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/opinion/2009/0525/1224247324722.html
External links
See also: Roman Catholic Church sex abuse scandal
| Catholic Church titles | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Jan Pieter Schotte |
Secretary of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace 1994– 17 January 2001 |
Succeeded by Giampaolo Crepaldi |
| Diplomatic posts | ||
| Preceded by Giuseppe Bertello |
Permanent Observer of Holy See to the United Nations in Geneva 17 January 2001 – 3 March 2003 |
Succeeded by Silvano Maria Tomasi |
| Religious titles | ||
| Preceded by Desmond Cardinal Connell |
Archbishop of Dublin 26 April 2004–present |
Incumbent |
| Order of precedence in Northern Ireland | ||
| Preceded by The Most Revd Alan Harper OBE Archbishop of Armagh (Church of Ireland) |
Gentlemen Roman Catholic Archbishop of Dublin |
Succeeded by John Neill Archbishop of Dublin (Church of Ireland) |
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