Pope Francis has appointed Bishop of Raphoe Alan McGuckian SJ as the new bishop of the diocese of Down and Connor.
The announcement was made as Northern Ireland prepares for the return of devolved government following the DUP’s decision to end its boycott of power-sharing institutions.
Legislation to restore power-sharing was fast-tracked through the House of Commons yesterday.
Bishop McGuckian, the only Jesuit in the Irish hierarchy, succeeds Bishop Noel Treanor, who was Bishop of Down and Connor between 2008-2022 before he was appointed Apostolic Nuncio to the European Union.
In a statement on Friday, Bishop McGuckian paid tribute to his predecessor, explaining that it was Bishop Treanor who invited him to head up the Living Church office and work at the heart of the Diocese of Down and Connor.
“He placed great trust in me and my team of Paula McKeown and Jim Deeds. Had Bishop Noel not chosen me for that work at that time I would almost certainly not be here today.”
The Co Antrim native said his roots are “entirely” in the Diocese of Down and Connor.
“This is where I come from and I am humbled and privileged that, after all my wanderings, the Bishop of Rome has chosen to send me home.”
He also paid tribute to the people of Raphoe diocese whom he has served since 2017, saying the announcement was “bittersweet” and that it was “a source of pride” to him that Donegal “uniquely had a pro-life majority in the abortion referendum some years ago”.
He said he would reconnect with the priests of Down and Connor, many of whom he knows “very well”.
“I have a great desire that all of us as priests would ‘Renew our hearts’.”
Referring to his Jesuit vow of poverty, he highlighted that there was so much poverty in the communities of Down and Connor, which encompasses 330,000 Catholics across 87 parishes, including Belfast.
Indicating his priorities as bishop, the 70-year-old stated, “It is my intention to be close to the poor. That may be the poor in heart, lonely, isolated – I want us to be a Church that builds communities. There are other poverties too – the workers seeking a just wage, young people without jobs or opportunities and families trying their best to make ends meet. We need to be a Church that is in solidarity with the poor and seeking justice for the poor.”
Meanwhile the Church Leaders Group in Northern Ireland has welcomed the restoration of devolved government.
In a joint statement, the leaders of the Church of Ireland, Catholic Church, Presbyterian and Methodist Churches in Ireland, and the Irish Council of Churches said, “As Church leaders we have consistently called for the UK Government to take all necessary steps to facilitate the restoration of good governance in Northern Ireland and the return of fully functioning and resourced devolved institutions, north-south and east-west bodies.”
They said a re-established executive and assembly are first and important steps towards re-establishing hope and a vision for the future.
However, they stressed that for this to be achieved it will mean focus on the common good.
“It will mean prioritising the needs of the most vulnerable and marginalised of our fellow citizens. And it will mean at times taking the long over-due hard decisions necessary to transform our public services, many of which are close to breaking point.”
Acknowledging that partnership government “will almost always be challenging” they added that at its best it can be much more than the sum of its collective parts.
“It can be the means of delivering together a better and more secure future for all of our fellow citizens, as problems are faced up to and solved, and the new opportunities opening up are grasped.”
They assured the political representatives of Northern Ireland’s political parties of their prayers in the coming days as they “seek to move forward together, acting for the common good and governing for all, they do so with the support and prayers of many in our society, ourselves included”.
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