Vatican announces historic changes to Mayo's Catholic dioceses
Bishop of Killala John Fleming is retiring on grounds of age.
Pope Francis has announced a number of significant changes to the Catholic dioceses in Connacht. The changes impact all three dioceses in Mayo and effectively mean the integration of Killala Diocese with Tuam Archdiocese and Achonry Diocese with Elphin.
As part of the changes, Pope Francis has appointed Bishop Paul Dempsey, up until now Bishop of Achonry, as Titular Bishop of Sita and Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Dublin. He also made the following appointments, from today, in the ecclesiastical province of the Archdiocese of Tuam:
• Archbishop Francis Duffy, Metropolitan Archbishop of the ecclesiastical province of Tuam, as Apostolic Administrator sede vacante of the Diocese of Killala;
• Bishop Kevin Doran, Bishop of Elphin, as Apostolic Administrator sede vacante of the Diocese of Achonry.
Furthermore, Pope Francis has accepted the resignation of Bishop John Fleming, Bishop of Killala, on the grounds of age.
The Vatican announced the news at 12 noon (11am Irish time). The Archbishop of Tuam, Archbishop Duffy, together with His Excellency Archbishop Luis Mariano Montemayer, Apostolic Nuncio to Ireland; Bishop Fleming; Bishop Doran; Bishop Michael Duignan, Bishop of Galway, Kilmacduagh & Kilfenora, and Bishop of Clonfert; and, Bishop Dempsey, concelebrated 10am Mass in the Cathedral of the Assumption in Tuam at the end of which the announcements were made.
Archbishop Duffy said: “The announcement of this level of change in the episcopate in one province at the same time is quite significant. It creates the possibility of exploring a closer union between the Archdiocese of Tuam and the Diocese of Killala, and between the Dioceses of Elphin and Achonry, not unlike the process that is already underway in the Dioceses of Galway and Clonfert. Any such change would involve living communities and could not be simply structural or administrative. It would require careful discernment over some time, involving the whole people of God in the respective dioceses.”
