Archbishop Diarmuid Martin, pictured here with Pope Francis in 2018 at St Mary’s Pro-Cathedral in Dublin.
The Archbishop of Dublin Diarmuid Martin has said he favours a reduction in the number of dioceses in the Irish Church.
In an interview with The Tablet the Archbishop said: “I think there are good reasons now to rationalise the dioceses. The borders are there from the twelfth century and in some cases they work, and in other cases they don’t work.”
He admitted it is a complex issue, but pointed out that Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, in his 2010 Letter to Irish Catholics, had said it would proceed. “It has been a long time coming. There has been opposition. In n fact, no boundaries have been changed. There may have been a decision to move more slowly.” The Archbishop continued: “If you look between the lines you may see some indications of what way it is going to go but it is still very slow.”
He emphasised that “changing diocesan boundaries and depriving a town of its cathedral is a very sensitive thing” and said any change must be based on facts and an understanding of why the changed was wanted. The population is mobile, he said, and places that were significant in the past might not have the same prominence today while other towns may have developed in their significance.
“One has to look and see where people are, where resources are, what exactly is a diocese and what demographic make-up a diocese needs to try and serve the people of God better.”
The Papal Nuncio to Ireland, Archbishop Jude Okolo, recently told the Irish Catholic newspaper that consultations were taking place across Ireland about reducing the number of dioceses. But Archbishop Martin told The Tablet: “I haven’t seen much consultation taking place.”
A trustee of the National Seminary in Maynooth, Archbishop Martin also spoke about proposals for change at the college, which is celebrating its 225th anniversary, that were drawn up by a working group of the bishops including the Archbishop of Dublin.
Archbishop Martin has been critical of Maynooth in the past and withdrew his students from St Patrick’s College in 2016. Criticising those attracted to Maynooth for its “Downtown Abbey externals”, he said the Co Kildare seminary has come to the end of a chapter and the same could be said for the Irish College in Rome.
“That is not saying that they are finished. They have a rich history. Nobody thinks we are going to go back to a seminary of 500 people. We have to prepare a new chapter and that new chapter will mean that another chapter will be closed. This requires courage and openness,” he said, adding that he anticipated resistance to change.
Report by by Sarah Mac Donald in The Tablet, December 30
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