Kieran Conry
Encyclopedia
Kieran Thomas Conry is the Roman Catholic Bishop of Arundel and Brighton
.
(Junior Seminary) in North Staffordshire, before moving to the Venerable English College in Rome
to study for the priesthood.
He attended the Pontifical Gregorian University
, gaining the qualifications PhB and STB. He was ordained in 1975 at All Souls Church in Coventry by Archbishop George Patrick Dwyer
of Birmingham
.
in 1984.
as parish priest in Leek
, Staffordshire
. He was appointed Administrator of St. Chad's Cathedral in 1990, just before its 150th anniversary the following year.
From 1988 to 1993, Conry was a member of the National Conference of Priests, and its Vice-Chairman from 1992 to 1993. He was also Chairman of the Birmingham City Centre Churches from 1992 to 1993. From 1993 to 2000, he was involved with training counsellors for Catholic Marriage Care.
From the beginning of 1994 to 2001, Conry was Director of the Catholic Media Office in London, the press office of the Bishop's Conference of England & Wales, and also Editor of Briefing, the Bishop's official journal. In January 2001, he returned to the Birmingham Archdiocese as parish priest of St Austin's, Stafford.
.
He has criticised society's "moral confusion": "we preach a liberal attitude to relationships and allow the media and commercial interests to prey on our young people, so that they are turned into little adults long before their time. Then we shake our heads in dismay and shame when we learn that we have the highest teenage pregnancy in the EU, six times higher than Holland."
In a May 2009 pastoral letter, he urged a more adult approach to the sacrament of reconciliation: "Go to the priest and talk about these things, the way in which your relationship with God might have grown stale. Because sin is ultimately something that damages our relationship with God. It is not just breaking the rules."
In November 2009, he clarified statements in his May pastoral letter, following a complaint to the Holy See
. He stated that, by suggesting Catholics speak to their priests about "the biggest obstacle" in their relationship with God, he was not suggesting an alternative to the traditional practice of confessing sins.
does not suggest significant change because the Tridentine Mass
caters for a small group of people. He added that he had never refused permission when a group of people asked if they could celebrate it in his diocese.
, adding that it would be difficult to get all the different ecclesial communities to agree on a same date.
Bishop Conry stressed that the Catholic Church supported civil partnerships, which confer the same rights to gay couples as marriage, because they give better legal protection to individuals in matters including inheritance. However, he questioned the need to allow homosexual couples to use the term “marriage”.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/8809548/Archbishop-attacks-Camerons-gay-marriage-plan.htm
Diocese of Arundel and Brighton
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Arundel and Brighton is a Latin Rite Roman Catholic diocese in southern England covering the counties of Sussex and Surrey. The diocese was established on 28 May 1965, having previously been a part of the larger Archdiocese of Southwark.-Bishops:There have been four...
.
Early life and ordination
Conry was educated at All Souls Roman Catholic Primary School, Coventry, and Cotton CollegeCotton College
Cotton College was a Roman Catholic boarding school AT in Cotton near Oakamoor, North Staffordshire, England, also known as Saint Wilfrid's College. It closed in 1987 and the site is now derelict....
(Junior Seminary) in North Staffordshire, before moving to the Venerable English College in Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
to study for the priesthood.
He attended the Pontifical Gregorian University
Pontifical Gregorian University
The Pontifical Gregorian University is a pontifical university located in Rome, Italy.Heir of the Roman College founded by Saint Ignatius of Loyola over 460 years ago, the Gregorian University was the first university founded by the Jesuits...
, gaining the qualifications PhB and STB. He was ordained in 1975 at All Souls Church in Coventry by Archbishop George Patrick Dwyer
George Patrick Dwyer
George Patrick Dwyer was Roman Catholic Archbishop of Birmingham from 1965 to 1981.-Life and ministry:...
of Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
.
Professor and monsignor
In 1976, Conry returned to Cotton College to teach English Literature and Religious Education. In 1980 he became the private secretary to the Apostolic Delegate (Pro-Nuncio from 1982), Archbishop Bruno Heim, and then his successor, Archbishop Luigi Barbarito. He was appointed MonsignorMonsignor
Monsignor, pl. monsignori, is the form of address for those members of the clergy of the Catholic Church holding certain ecclesiastical honorific titles. Monsignor is the apocopic form of the Italian monsignore, from the French mon seigneur, meaning "my lord"...
in 1984.
Pastoral work
In 1988, Conry returned to the Archdiocese of BirminghamArchdiocese of Birmingham
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Birmingham is one of the principal Latin-rite Catholic administrative divisions of England and Wales in the hierarchy of the Roman Catholic Church....
as parish priest in Leek
Leek, Staffordshire
Leek is a market town in the county of Staffordshire, England, on the River Churnet. It is an ancient borough and was granted its royal charter in 1214.It is the administrative centre for the Staffordshire Moorlands District Council...
, Staffordshire
Staffordshire
Staffordshire is a landlocked county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. Part of the National Forest lies within its borders...
. He was appointed Administrator of St. Chad's Cathedral in 1990, just before its 150th anniversary the following year.
From 1988 to 1993, Conry was a member of the National Conference of Priests, and its Vice-Chairman from 1992 to 1993. He was also Chairman of the Birmingham City Centre Churches from 1992 to 1993. From 1993 to 2000, he was involved with training counsellors for Catholic Marriage Care.
From the beginning of 1994 to 2001, Conry was Director of the Catholic Media Office in London, the press office of the Bishop's Conference of England & Wales, and also Editor of Briefing, the Bishop's official journal. In January 2001, he returned to the Birmingham Archdiocese as parish priest of St Austin's, Stafford.
Bishop
Conry was announced as fourth bishop of Arundel and Brighton. He was ordained bishop on Saturday, 9 June 2001 at Arundel CathedralArundel Cathedral
The Cathedral Church of Our Lady and St Philip Howard is a Roman Catholic cathedral in Arundel, West Sussex, England. Dedicated in 1873 as the Catholic parish church of Arundel, it was not designated a cathedral until the foundation of the Diocese of Arundel and Brighton in 1965...
.
Views
Bishop Conry issues regular pastoral messages in his diocese.Contemporary society
Bishop Conry has claimed that society has lost its sense of the transcendent and urged Christians to "proclaim the gospel into a void that needs to be filled if we are to find our way again; there is a space in all people that can only be filled by God".Young people
In an interview with a Catholic newspaper, he was reported to have said that it doesn't make much sense to talk about salvation to young people, unless you speak in their own language.He has criticised society's "moral confusion": "we preach a liberal attitude to relationships and allow the media and commercial interests to prey on our young people, so that they are turned into little adults long before their time. Then we shake our heads in dismay and shame when we learn that we have the highest teenage pregnancy in the EU, six times higher than Holland."
Confession
Bishop Conry has been critical of going to confession regularly, saying that, in his experience, people would always come back saying the same things week after week, suggesting that no interior conversion or repentance was actually taking place.In a May 2009 pastoral letter, he urged a more adult approach to the sacrament of reconciliation: "Go to the priest and talk about these things, the way in which your relationship with God might have grown stale. Because sin is ultimately something that damages our relationship with God. It is not just breaking the rules."
In November 2009, he clarified statements in his May pastoral letter, following a complaint to 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...
. He stated that, by suggesting Catholics speak to their priests about "the biggest obstacle" in their relationship with God, he was not suggesting an alternative to the traditional practice of confessing sins.
Tridentine Mass
He is reported to have stated that Summorum PontificumSummorum Pontificum
Summorum Pontificum is an Apostolic Letter of Pope Benedict XVI, issued "motu proprio" . The document specified the rules, for the Latin Rite of the Catholic Church, for celebrating Mass according to the "Missal promulgated by John XXIII in 1962" , and for administering most of the sacraments in...
does not suggest significant change because the Tridentine Mass
Tridentine Mass
The Tridentine Mass is the form of the Roman Rite Mass contained in the typical editions of the Roman Missal that were published from 1570 to 1962. It was the most widely celebrated Mass liturgy in the world until the introduction of the Mass of Paul VI in December 1969...
caters for a small group of people. He added that he had never refused permission when a group of people asked if they could celebrate it in his diocese.
Date of Easter
Bishop Conry has argued against changing the date of Easter in a sense that would separate it from its Jewish roots of PassoverPassover
Passover is a Jewish holiday and festival. It commemorates the story of the Exodus, in which the ancient Israelites were freed from slavery in Egypt...
, adding that it would be difficult to get all the different ecclesial communities to agree on a same date.
Gay Issues
Bishop Conry is generally supportive of the Gay community and Civil Partnerships but opposes Marriage. In this he seems more nuanced than other Catholic bishops.Bishop Conry stressed that the Catholic Church supported civil partnerships, which confer the same rights to gay couples as marriage, because they give better legal protection to individuals in matters including inheritance. However, he questioned the need to allow homosexual couples to use the term “marriage”.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/8809548/Archbishop-attacks-Camerons-gay-marriage-plan.htm