Desmond Connell
Encyclopedia
Desmond Connell is a cardinal
in the Roman Catholic Church
. He is a former Archbishop of Dublin
and Primate of Ireland
. He was born in Dublin.
Connell is one of a number of senior clergy to have been heavily criticized for inaction and for making misleading statements in connection with clerical sex abuse in Dublin.
and the Jesuit Fathers' second level school, Belvedere College
, Desmond Connell studied for the priesthood at Holy Cross College, Clonliffe. He studied Arts at University College Dublin
(UCD) and graduated with a BA
in 1946; he was awarded an MA
the following year. Between 1947 and 1951, he studied theology at St Patrick's College
, Maynooth
. This led to the award of a Bachelor of Divinity
degree.
on 19 May 1951 and continued his studies at the Pontifical University of Leuven
, Belgium, where he was awarded a doctorate in Philosophy
in 1953.
He then returned to Ireland, and took up a teaching post at the Department of Metaphysics in University College Dublin
, where he was to enjoy a distinguished career. He was appointed Professor of General Metaphysics in 1972 and in 1983 became the Dean of the Faculty of Philosophy and Sociology. In 1981 he was awarded a D.Litt.
by the National University of Ireland
. The College's Department of Metaphysics was abolished after Connell left it and merged into other departments.
in early 1988. He was consecrated in the Pro-Cathedral, Dublin on 6 March 1988. He was created Cardinal-Priest
by Pope John Paul II
at the Consistory in Rome on 21 February 2001 with the Titulus S. Silvestri in Capite
. Archbishops of Armagh, who hold the higher title of Primate of All Ireland, are more frequently appointed Cardinal than Archbishops of Dublin. The last Archbishop of Dublin to have been a cardinal was Cardinal Edward MacCabe, who was appointed in 1882.
found that Connell had handled the affair "badly" as he was "slow to recognise the seriousness of the situation. It did praise him for making the archdiocesan records available to the authorities in 2002 and for his 1995 actions in giving the authorities the names of 17 priests who had been accused of abuse
, although it said the list was incomplete as complaints were made against at least 28 priests in the Archdiocese. He was criticised for being economical with the truth in his use of the concept of mental reservation to inadequately answer questions truthfully about his knowledge of the abusive activities of priests under his control.
From 1988 Connell had also continued to insure
his archdiocese against liability from complainants, while claiming to the Murphy Commission that the archdiocese was "on a learning curve" in regard to child abuse
. He arranged for compensation payments to be made from a "Stewardship Trust" that was kept secret from the archdiocese's parishioners until 2003.
In 1996 Connell refused to help a victim of Paul McGennis
and did not pass on what he knew about McGennis to her, or to the police. He apologised for this in 2002.
In 2005 the prospect of Connell giving evidence to the Murphy Commission was notable in itself, according to the National Catholic Reporter
: "The 79-year-old cardinal will be rigorously questioned on his handling of complaints when he was archbishop of Dublin from 1998 until his retirement last year. Never before has an Irish prince of the Roman Catholic church found himself hauled before a state inquiry into the management of the country's largest diocese."
. All bishops submit their resignation to the Pope on their 75th birthday. Connell's was accepted shortly after he turned 78.
who participated in the 2005 papal conclave
that selected Pope Benedict XVI
. Desmond Connell is considered quite close to Pope Benedict, both theologically and personally, both having served together on a number of congregations.
Connell had been a supporter of the Holy Office's declaration Dominus Iesus
in 2000, applauding its opposition to relativism.
These include:
There was also one work published in his honour:
Cardinal (Catholicism)
A cardinal is a senior ecclesiastical official, usually an ordained bishop, and ecclesiastical prince of the Catholic Church. They are collectively known as the College of Cardinals, which as a body elects a new pope. The duties of the cardinals include attending the meetings of the College and...
in the Roman Catholic Church
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
. He is a former Archbishop of 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...
and Primate of Ireland
Primate of Ireland
The Primacy of Ireland was historically disputed between the Archbishop of Armagh and the Archbishop of Dublin until finally settled by Pope Innocent VI. Primate is a title of honour denoting ceremonial precedence in the Church, and in the Middle Ages there was an intense rivalry between the two...
. He was born in Dublin.
Connell is one of a number of senior clergy to have been heavily criticized for inaction and for making misleading statements in connection with clerical sex abuse in Dublin.
Early life and education
Educated at St. Peter's National School, PhibsboroPhibsboro
Phibsborough , often formerly shortened to Phibsboro and later Phibsboro , is a district of Dublin in Ireland.-Location:Phibsboro' is located in the Dublin 7 postal district on the Northside of the city. The area is very close to the city centre, about two kilometres from the River Liffey which...
and the Jesuit Fathers' second level school, Belvedere College
Belvedere College
Belvedere College SJ is a private secondary school for boys located on Great Denmark Street, Dublin, Ireland. It is also known as St. Francis Xavier's College....
, Desmond Connell studied for the priesthood at Holy Cross College, Clonliffe. He studied Arts at University College Dublin
University College Dublin
University College Dublin ) - formally known as University College Dublin - National University of Ireland, Dublin is the Republic of Ireland's largest, and Ireland's second largest, university, with over 1,300 faculty and 17,000 students...
(UCD) and graduated with a BA
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
in 1946; he was awarded an MA
Master of Arts (postgraduate)
A Master of Arts from the Latin Magister Artium, is a type of Master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The M.A. is usually contrasted with the M.S. or M.Sc. degrees...
the following year. Between 1947 and 1951, he studied theology at St Patrick's College
St Patrick's College, Maynooth
St Patrick's College, Maynooth is the "National Seminary for Ireland" , and a Pontifical University, located in the village of Maynooth, 15 miles from Dublin, Ireland. The college and seminary are often referred to as Maynooth College. The college was officially established as the Royal College...
, Maynooth
Maynooth
Maynooth is a town in north County Kildare, Ireland. It is home to a branch of the National University of Ireland, a Papal University and Ireland's main Roman Catholic seminary, St. Patrick's College...
. This led to the award of a Bachelor of Divinity
Bachelor of Divinity
In Western universities, a Bachelor of Divinity is usually an undergraduate academic degree awarded for a course taken in the study of divinity or related disciplines, such as theology or, rarely, religious studies....
degree.
Ordination and early work
Desmond Connell was ordained priest by Archbishop John Charles McQuaidJohn Charles McQuaid
John Charles McQuaid, C.S.Sp. was the Catholic Archbishop of Dublin and Primate of Ireland between December 1940 and February 1972.- Early life 1895-1914:...
on 19 May 1951 and continued his studies at the Pontifical University of Leuven
Catholic University of Leuven
The Catholic University of Leuven, or of Louvain, was the largest, oldest and most prominent university in Belgium. The university was founded in 1425 as the University of Leuven by John IV, Duke of Brabant and approved by a Papal bull by Pope Martin V.During France's occupation of Belgium in the...
, Belgium, where he was awarded a doctorate in Philosophy
Doctor of Philosophy
Doctor of Philosophy, abbreviated as Ph.D., PhD, D.Phil., or DPhil , in English-speaking countries, is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities...
in 1953.
He then returned to Ireland, and took up a teaching post at the Department of Metaphysics in University College Dublin
University College Dublin
University College Dublin ) - formally known as University College Dublin - National University of Ireland, Dublin is the Republic of Ireland's largest, and Ireland's second largest, university, with over 1,300 faculty and 17,000 students...
, where he was to enjoy a distinguished career. He was appointed Professor of General Metaphysics in 1972 and in 1983 became the Dean of the Faculty of Philosophy and Sociology. In 1981 he was awarded a D.Litt.
Doctor of Letters
Doctor of Letters is a university academic degree, often a higher doctorate which is frequently awarded as an honorary degree in recognition of outstanding scholarship or other merits.-Commonwealth:...
by the National University of Ireland
National University of Ireland
The National University of Ireland , , is a federal university system of constituent universities, previously called constituent colleges, and recognised colleges set up under the Irish Universities Act, 1908, and significantly amended by the Universities Act, 1997.The constituent universities are...
. The College's Department of Metaphysics was abolished after Connell left it and merged into other departments.
Archbishop of Dublin
Connell was unexpectedly appointed Archbishop of Dublin by the Holy SeeHoly 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...
in early 1988. He was consecrated in the Pro-Cathedral, Dublin on 6 March 1988. He was created Cardinal-Priest
Cardinal (Catholicism)
A cardinal is a senior ecclesiastical official, usually an ordained bishop, and ecclesiastical prince of the Catholic Church. They are collectively known as the College of Cardinals, which as a body elects a new pope. The duties of the cardinals include attending the meetings of the College and...
by Pope John Paul II
Pope John Paul II
Blessed Pope John Paul II , born Karol Józef Wojtyła , reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church and Sovereign of Vatican City from 16 October 1978 until his death on 2 April 2005, at of age. His was the second-longest documented pontificate, which lasted ; only Pope Pius IX ...
at the Consistory in Rome on 21 February 2001 with the Titulus S. Silvestri in Capite
San Silvestro in Capite
The Church of Saint Sylvester in Capite is a Roman Catholic minor basilica and titular church in Rome dedicated to Pope Saint Sylvester I. Built in the 8th century as a shrine for the relics of the saints and martyrs from the Catacombs, the church is the National church of Great Britain.The Latin...
. Archbishops of Armagh, who hold the higher title of Primate of All Ireland, are more frequently appointed Cardinal than Archbishops of Dublin. The last Archbishop of Dublin to have been a cardinal was Cardinal Edward MacCabe, who was appointed in 1882.
Tenure tarnished by clerical sex abuse
It was Connell's failure, when Archbishop of Dublin in 1988-2004, to address adequately the abuse scandals in Dublin that led the Vatican to assign Archbishop Martin as his replacement in the country's largest diocese. The Murphy ReportMurphy 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...
found that Connell had handled the affair "badly" as he was "slow to recognise the seriousness of the situation. It did praise him for making the archdiocesan records available to the authorities in 2002 and for his 1995 actions in giving the authorities the names of 17 priests who had been accused of abuse
Abuse
Abuse is the improper usage or treatment for a bad purpose, often to unfairly or improperly gain benefit. Abuse can come in many forms, such as: physical or verbal maltreatment, injury, sexual assault, violation, rape, unjust practices; wrongful practice or custom; offense; crime, or otherwise...
, although it said the list was incomplete as complaints were made against at least 28 priests in the Archdiocese. He was criticised for being economical with the truth in his use of the concept of mental reservation to inadequately answer questions truthfully about his knowledge of the abusive activities of priests under his control.
From 1988 Connell had also continued to insure
Insurance
In law and economics, insurance is a form of risk management primarily used to hedge against the risk of a contingent, uncertain loss. Insurance is defined as the equitable transfer of the risk of a loss, from one entity to another, in exchange for payment. An insurer is a company selling the...
his archdiocese against liability from complainants, while claiming to the Murphy Commission that the archdiocese was "on a learning curve" in regard to child abuse
Child abuse
Child abuse is the physical, sexual, emotional mistreatment, or neglect of a child. In the United States, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Department of Children And Families define child maltreatment as any act or series of acts of commission or omission by a parent or...
. He arranged for compensation payments to be made from a "Stewardship Trust" that was kept secret from the archdiocese's parishioners until 2003.
In 1996 Connell refused to help a victim of Paul McGennis
Paul McGennis
Paul McGennis, a priest of the Archdiocese of Dublin pleaded guilty in 1997 to two charges of sexually assaulting a girl at Our Lady's Hospital for Sick Children, Crumlin, Dublin when he was chaplain there in 1960...
and did not pass on what he knew about McGennis to her, or to the police. He apologised for this in 2002.
In 2005 the prospect of Connell giving evidence to the Murphy Commission was notable in itself, according to the National Catholic Reporter
National Catholic Reporter
The National Catholic Reporter is the second largest Catholic newspaper in the United States; its circulation reaches ninety-seven countries on six continents. Based in midtown Kansas City, Missouri, NCR was founded by Robert Hoyt in 1964 as an independent newspaper focusing on the Catholic Church...
: "The 79-year-old cardinal will be rigorously questioned on his handling of complaints when he was archbishop of Dublin from 1998 until his retirement last year. Never before has an Irish prince of the Roman Catholic church found himself hauled before a state inquiry into the management of the country's largest diocese."
Retirement as Archbishop
On 26 April 2004, Desmond Connell retired as archbishop, handing the diocese over to the co-adjutor Diarmuid MartinDiarmuid Martin
Diarmuid Martin is the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Dublin and Primate of Ireland. He was born in Dublin.-Early life and education:...
. All bishops submit their resignation to the Pope on their 75th birthday. Connell's was accepted shortly after he turned 78.
Connell and Benedict XVI
Connell was one of the cardinal electorsCardinal electors in Papal conclave, 2005
The following is a list of the 115 cardinal electors in the 2005 papal conclave, arranged by region and, within each region, alphabetically. Two cardinals who were eligible to participate in the conclave, namely Adolfo Suarez Rivera and Jaime Sin, did not attend due to ill health.-Roman...
who participated in the 2005 papal conclave
Papal conclave, 2005
The Papal conclave of 2005 was convened as a result of the death of Pope John Paul II on 2 April 2005. After his death, the cardinals who were in Rome met and set a date for the beginning of the conclave to elect John Paul's successor. The conclave began on 18 April 2005 and ended on the following...
that selected Pope Benedict XVI
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...
. Desmond Connell is considered quite close to Pope Benedict, both theologically and personally, both having served together on a number of congregations.
Connell had been a supporter of the Holy Office's declaration Dominus Iesus
Dominus Iesus
Dominus Iesus is a declaration by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. It was approved in a Plenary meeting of the Congregation, and bears the signature of its then Prefect, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, now Pope Benedict XVI, and of its then Secretary, Archbishop Tarcisio Bertone, now...
in 2000, applauding its opposition to relativism.
Published works
Cardinal Connell has had a number of works published on philosophical or pastoral issues.These include:
- Essays in metaphysics, Four Court Press, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, 1996 ISBN 1-85182-228-3
- Christian integrity: does it matter? : pastoral letter for Lent 1992, Veritas, Dublin, 1992 ISBN 1-85390-205-5
- Christ our life: pastoral letter 1993, Veritas Publications, 1993 ISBN 1-85390-286-1
- Christ our life: pastoral letters, 1988-95, Four Courts Press, Blackrock, Co. Dublin ISBN 1-85182-207-0
There was also one work published in his honour:
- At the heart of the real: philosophical essays in honour of Dr Desmond Connell, Archbishop of Dublin edited by Fran O'Rourke, Irish Academic Press, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, 1992 ISBN 0-7165-2464-3 .
Episcopal motto
His episcopal motto, Secundum Verbum Tuum (According to Thy Word) is taken from Mary's response to God's call at the Annunciation, "Be it done unto me according to thy word." (Luke 1:38.)External links
- Grant of arms of His Eminence Desmond Connell, Archbishop of Dublin
- Desmond Cardinal Connell (Catholic-Hierarchy)
- Report by Commission of Investigation into Catholic Archdiocese of Dublin
- College of Cardinals. Biographical notes. Cardinal Desmond Connell
- Archdiocese of Dublin - 26/11/09 Personal Statement of Cardinal Desmond Connell