This article is from page 4 of the 2012-10-02 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 4 JPG
THE Diocese of Killaloe yesterday moved to dampen speculation that the Bishop Kieran O’Reilly is being lined up to replace Seán Brady as the Primate of All Ireland. Bishop O’Reilly will attend a special synod or meeting of top-ranking bishops in Rome this Sunday, in the place of Cardinal Brady. This is the first synod not attended by Cardinal Brady in his time as Primate of All Ireland and it has been seen by some as an indication that he soon intends to step down. Cardinal Brady has faced a number of calls for his resignation over the last 12 months and, while Bishop O’Reilly is one of the newest bish- ops in Ireland, it is thought in some circles that he would be the ideal candidate for the position – should it become available. Spokesperson for the Killaloe Diocese, Fr Brendan Quinlivan said yesterday that while his elevation is “not beyond the bounds of possibility” it is more likely that he is being asked to attend because of his missionary experience. “While it is true that Cardinal Brady would have attended all of these meetings in the past, I’m not sure we can draw too much from that. “The theme of this meeting is the new evangelisation of the faithful and I think Bishop O’Reilly’s experience in the missions makes him a perfect candidate to attend,” said Fr Quinlivan. “He is very happy in Killaloe. He has really thrown himself into the role and has been travelling the diocese, meeting and getting to know all the clergy here and getting into the work of the diocese. That said, it is not beyond the bounds of possibility.” Bishop O’Reilly will be joined in Rome on Sunday by Archbishop Diarmuid Martin who, as Cardinal Brady’s number two, also attends all of the synods. Archbishop Martin is considered by some to be too radical – given his previously stated opinions in support of gay priests – to be acceptable to the powers that be at the Vatican.