The Bishop of Kildare and Leighlin is the Ordinary

Ordinary

In those hierarchically organised churches of Western Christianity which have an ecclesiastical law system, an ordinary is an officer of the church who by reason of office has ordinary power to execute the church's laws...

 of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Kildare and Leighlin

Roman Catholic Diocese of Kildare and Leighlin

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Kildare and Leighlin is a Roman Catholic diocese in eastern Ireland. It is one of six suffragan dioceses in the ecclesiastical province of Dublin and is subject to the Archdiocese of Dublin...

, one of the suffragan dioceses of the Archdiocese of Dublin

Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Dublin

The Metropolitan Archdiocese of Dublin, , is a Roman Catholic archdiocese in eastern Ireland centred around the republic's capital city – Dublin. The see of Dublin was raised to the status of a Metropolitan Province by the Synod of Kells in 1152. Its jurisdiction includes much of the Province of...

. The episcopal

Episcopal polity

Episcopal polity is a form of church governance that is hierarchical in structure with the chief authority over a local Christian church resting in a bishop...

 title takes its name from the towns of Kildare

Kildare

-External links:*******...

 and Old Leighlin

Old Leighlin

Old Leighlin is a small town in County Carlow, Ireland, 3.5 km west of Leighlinbridge. The site was at one time one of the foremost monastic houses in Leinster, with 1500 monks in residence...

 in the province

Provinces of Ireland

Ireland has historically been divided into four provinces: Leinster, Ulster, Munster and Connacht. The Irish word for this territorial division, cúige, literally meaning "fifth part", indicates that there were once five; the fifth province, Meath, was incorporated into Leinster, with parts going to...

 of Leinster

Leinster

Leinster is one of the Provinces of Ireland situated in the east of Ireland. It comprises the ancient Kingdoms of Mide, Osraige and Leinster. Following the Norman invasion of Ireland, the historic fifths of Leinster and Mide gradually merged, mainly due to the impact of the Pale, which straddled...

, Ireland

Republic of Ireland

Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...

.

The see is currently sede vacante

Sede vacante

Sede vacante is an expression, used in the Canon Law of the Catholic Church, that refers to the vacancy of the episcopal see of a particular church...

. The most recent incumbent

Incumbent

The incumbent, in politics, is the existing holder of a political office. This term is usually used in reference to elections, in which races can often be defined as being between an incumbent and non-incumbent. For example, in the 2004 United States presidential election, George W...

 was the Most Reverend James Moriarty who was appointed by the Holy See

Holy See

The Holy See is the episcopal jurisdiction of the Catholic Church in Rome, in which its Bishop is commonly known as the Pope. It is the preeminent episcopal see of the Catholic Church, forming the central government of the Church. As such, diplomatically, and in other spheres the Holy See acts and...

 on 4 June 2002 and installed at the Cathedral Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Carlow

Carlow

Carlow is the county town of County Carlow in Ireland. It is situated in the south-east of Ireland, 84 km from Dublin. County Carlow is the second smallest county in Ireland by area, however Carlow Town is the 14th largest urban area in Ireland by population according to the 2006 census. The...

 on 31 August 2002. Following the publication of the Murphy Report

Murphy Report

The Murphy Report is the brief name of the report of an investigation conducted by government of Ireland into the Sexual abuse scandal in the Catholic archdiocese of Dublin...

, Bishop Moriarty offered his resignation to the Pope

Pope Benedict XVI

Benedict XVI is the 265th and current Pope, by virtue of his office of Bishop of Rome, the Sovereign of the Vatican City State and the leader of the Catholic Church as well as the other 22 sui iuris Eastern Catholic Churches in full communion with the Holy See...

 on 23 December 2009, who accepted it on 22 April 2010.

List of Bishops of Kildare and Leighlin

Bishops of Kildare and Leighlin
From	Until	Incumbent	Notes
1694	c.1707	John Dempsey	Appointed Bishop of Kildare Bishop of Kildare The Bishop of Kildare was an episcopal title which took its name after the town of Kildare in County Kildare, Ireland. The title is no longer in use by any of the main Christian churches having been united with other bishoprics. In the Roman Catholic Church, the title has been merged with that of...  on 8 February 1694, and appointed Bishop of Kildare and Leighlin on 29 November 1694 when the two dioceses were united; died circa 1707
c.1707	1715	See vacant
1715	1724	Edward Murphy	Appointed Bishop of Kildare on 11 September 1715 and received a second brief for Kildare and Leighlin on 20 March 1716; consecrated 18 December 1715; translated to Dublin Archbishop of Dublin (Roman Catholic) The Archbishop of Dublin is the title of the senior cleric who presides over the Archdiocese of Dublin. The Church of Ireland has a similar role, heading the United Dioceses of Dublin and Glendalough. In both cases, the Archbishop is also Primate of Ireland...  1 September 1724
1724	1733	Bernard Dunne	Appointed 16 December 1724; died before 4 September 1733
1733	1737	Stephen Dowdall	Appointed 22 December 1733; died before May 1737
1737	1751	James Gallagher	Translated from Raphoe Bishop of Raphoe The Bishop of Raphoe is an episcopal title which takes its name after the town of Raphoe in County Donegal, Ireland. In the Roman Catholic Church it remains a separate title, but in the Church of Ireland it has been united with another bishopric.-History:...  18 May 1737; died in May 1751
1752	1787	James Keefe James Keefe Dr. James Keefe the founder of St. Patrick's, Carlow College, was Bishop of Kildare and Leighlin for over 35 years . He lived most of his time at Tullow, Co...	Appointed 19 January 1752; died 18 September 1787
1787	1814	Daniel Delany Daniel Delany Daniel Delany was the Bishop of Kildare and Leighlin. He was born on the first of two sons into a farming family in January 1747...	Appointed coadjutor bishop Coadjutor bishop A coadjutor bishop is a bishop in the Roman Catholic or Anglican churches who is designated to assist the diocesan bishop in the administration of the diocese, almost as co-bishop of the diocese...  13 May and consecrated 31 August 1783; succeeded 18 September 1787; died 9 July 1814
1814		(Arthur Murphy)	Appointed 29 September 1814, but was not accepted
1815	1819	Michael Corcoran	Appointed 12 or 20 March 1815 and consecrated 21 September 1815; died 22 or 23 February 1819
1819	1834	James Doyle James Warren Doyle Bishop James Doyle was a Roman Catholic Bishop of Kildare and Leighlin in Ireland, who used the signature “JKL”, an acronym from “James Kildare and Leighlin.” A campaigner for Catholic Emancipation up to 1829, he was also an educator, church organiser and the builder of Carlow cathedral.-Early... , O.E.S.A.	Appointed 8 August and consecrated 14 November 1819; died 15 June 1834
1834	1837	Edward Nolan	Appointed 31 August and consecrated 28 October 1834; died 14 October 1837
1838	1855	Francis Haly	Appointed 10 January and consecrated 25 March 1838; died 19 August 1855
1856	1888	James Walshe	Appointed 14 or 18 February 1856 and consecrated 30 March 1856; died 5 March 1888
1888	1896	James Lynch James Lynch (Bishop of Kildare and Leighlin) The Most Reverend James Lynch, C.M. was an Irish clergyman who held a number of high offices in the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland and Ireland.... , C.M.	Formerly coadjutor vicar apostolic of the Western District of Scotland Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Glasgow The Archdiocese of Glasgow is a diocese of the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland. Glasgow first became an archbishopric in 1492, eventually securing the dioceses of Galloway, Argyll and the Isles as suffragans....  (1866-1869); appointed coadjutor bishop 13 or 15 April 1869; succeeded 5 March 1888; died 19 December 1896
1897	1926	Patrick Foley	Appointed coadjutor bishop 18 March and consecrated 31 May 1896; succeeded 19 December 1897; died 24 July 1926
1927	1936	Matthew Cullen	Appointed 25 March and consecrated 5 June 1927; died 2 January 1936
1936	1967	Thomas Keogh	Appointed 8 August and consecrated 18 October 1936; retired 25 September 1967; died 22 May 1969
1967	1987	Patrick Lennon	Appointed auxiliary bishop Auxiliary bishop An auxiliary bishop, in the Roman Catholic Church, is an additional bishop assigned to a diocese because the diocesan bishop is unable to perform his functions, the diocese is so extensive that it requires more than one bishop to administer, or the diocese is attached to a royal or imperial office...  of Kildare and Leighlin 14 May and consecrated 3 May 1966; appointed bishop 25 September 1967; resigned 10 December 1987; died 12 January 1990
1987	2002	Laurence Ryan	Appointed coadjutor bishop 17 July and ordained bishop 9 September 1984; succeeded 10 December 1987; resigned 4 June 2002; died 13 October 2003
2002	2010	James Moriarty	Formerly an auxiliary bishop Auxiliary bishop An auxiliary bishop, in the Roman Catholic Church, is an additional bishop assigned to a diocese because the diocesan bishop is unable to perform his functions, the diocese is so extensive that it requires more than one bishop to administer, or the diocese is attached to a royal or imperial office...  of Dublin Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Dublin The Metropolitan Archdiocese of Dublin, , is a Roman Catholic archdiocese in eastern Ireland centred around the republic's capital city – Dublin. The see of Dublin was raised to the status of a Metropolitan Province by the Synod of Kells in 1152. Its jurisdiction includes much of the Province of...  (1991-2002); appointed Bishop of Kildare and Leighlin on 4 June and installed on 31 August 2002; he offered his resignation to the Pope Pope Benedict XVI Benedict XVI is the 265th and current Pope, by virtue of his office of Bishop of Rome, the Sovereign of the Vatican City State and the leader of the Catholic Church as well as the other 22 sui iuris Eastern Catholic Churches in full communion with the Holy See... on 23 December 2009, which was accepted by the Holy See on 22 April 2010.
2010	Present	See vacant