Pope Francis has appointed Bishop Noel Treanor of Down and Connor as apostolic nuncio to the European Union, a recognition of his longstanding work with Commission of the Bishops’ Conferences of the European Union.
Bishop Treanor, who is from Monaghan, has represented the Irish Bishops as a member of the Commission of the Bishops’ Conferences of the European Union (Comece) since 2009. Comece regularly collaborates with the apostolic nunciature to the EU and the Vatican Secretariat of State.
The announcement comes as EU member states grapple with mounting challenges posed by the war in Ukraine, political and financial instability in the wake of the conflict, concerns about refugees, a slow recovery from the pandemic, and significant social change.
Northern Ireland voted to remain within the EU in the UK’s Brexit referendum.
In a statement, Bishop Treanor said: “Diplomacy plays a key role in facilitating peace, understanding and goodwill among peoples and nations”.
Welcoming the appointment, the president of Comece, Cardinal Jean-Claude Hollerich SJ said: “Bishop Treanor is a paramount figure for the Church in the European Union. He accompanied the European integration process in an extraordinary manner.”
Congratulating Bishop Treanor on his appointment, the president of the Irish Bishops’ Conference, Archbishop Eamon Martin, said he was taking up the new appointment “at a critical time in Europe”.
The new nuncio to the EU takes up his role in January. He has a profound knowledge of the functioning of the European institutions due to his experience as Secretary General of Comece from 1993 until 2008, when he was appointed by Pope Benedict XVI as Bishop of Down and Connor.
He acted as delegate of the Irish episcopate to Comece between 2009-2022. At the March 2018 plenary meeting of Comece he was elected one of its vice-presidents and since October 2018 he has served as president of Justice and Peace Europe.
The Diocese of Down and Connor, which the 71-year-old has overseen for the past fourteen years, is the second largest in the Irish Church after Dublin. He will continue to govern it until a successor is appointed.
Paying tribute to his time in Down and Connor, Dr Treanor said he had “enjoyed the friendship of Church leaders, clergy and parishioners of other Christian churches and representatives of other world faiths. Their commitment to the ongoing work of encounter and dialogue has made such a significant contribution to the pathway of conflict resolution and peace in Northern Ireland.”
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