The financial heavyweight, the media guru and the abuse investigator: What next for top Irish Vatican clerics under Pope Leo XIV?
The hurly-burly is almost done.
Pope Leo XIV's
Mass of inauguration in
St Peter's Square
takes place tomorrow and then the new papacy begins properly.
As the first
US
pontiff becomes the 267th occupant of the Throne of St Peter, it would not be unreasonable to consider the likely fate of those
Irishmen
working at the Vatican, particularly given the high profile that at least one of them took in the run-up to the conclave where
Cardinal Robert Prevost
was elected pope in a surprise vote.
For now, all officials there stay in place, as announced by the new pope last week. They include prominent Irish figures: Dublin-born Cardinal Kevin Farrell, who as Camerlengo
effectively ran the Vatican
between the two popes; Archbishop John Kennedy, secretary for discipline at the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, the powerful Vatican department, and Bishop Paul Tighe, secretary for the culture section of the Dicastery for Culture and Education, an administrative unit of the Curia.
There are good reasons to believe all will remain in place, if not ascend further as this papacy gets into its stride. Each is highly experienced in areas deemed critical to the Catholic Church by the College of Cardinals in discussions before the conclave: its finances, the issue of abuse and artificial intelligence (AI).
READ MORE
Cardinal Farrell (77), as Camerlengo of the Holy See, has probably become the best-known Irishman worldwide since Pope Francis died on April 21st.
[
'Wouldn't it be great if he got voted in?' The cardinal from Drimnagh tasked with organising the papal conclave
Opens in new window
]
It is unlikely Cardinal Farrell's duties as Camerlengo will be needed any time soon. However, he has much more weighty roles (in the temporal sense) at the Vatican. Last November he was appointed by Pope Francis as sole director of the pension fund for the Holy See, covering former employees of both the Roman curia and Vatican City state.
This, the Pope said at the time, was because of 'a serious prospective imbalance of the fund' leaving it unable to meet its obligations.
Cardinal Farrell has an MBA from the University of Notre Dame in the US. His appointment was due to the dire financial situation at the Vatican. Its last set of accounts, approved in the middle of last year , included an €83 million shortfall, while its pension fund shortfall has been estimated at €631 million.
Cardinal Kevin Farrell officiates in his capacity as Camerlengo as the body of Pope Francis lies in state in St Peter's Basilica last month. Photograph: Antonio Masiello/Getty
In 2020, the pope appointed Cardinal Farrell to lead the Vatican's Commission for Reserved Matters, a new office which oversees investments and spending related to sovereign or confidential diplomatic matters. That followed a scandal over the investment of more than $200 million (€179 million) by the Vatican in a London building.
In 2022 Pope Francis appointed Cardinal Farrell as chair of the Pontifical Committee for Investments with responsibility for ensuring all such were ethical and in line with Catholic teaching. And in January 2024, Pope Francis appointed Cardinal Farrell to head the Vatican's Supreme Court.
Cardinal Farrell is something of a heavyweight at the Vatican, not least when it comes to finances, one of the main subjects discussed by the College of Cardinals at their meetings before the recent conclave began.
It is clear Pope Francis had great confidence in his abilities and there is no reason to think Pope Leo might believe otherwise.
What Pope Leo may do is relieve Cardinal Farrell of his role as prefect of the Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life, which he has held since it was established in 2016, to allow him concentrate on helping to eliminate the Church's debt.
Another Irishman likely to remain in situ at the Vatican is yet another Dubliner, Archbishop John Kennedy (56) from Clontarf. He has been working at the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF) since 2003 where his boss was the late Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, later Pope Benedict XVI.
Currently it has two new sections: a doctrinal section and a disciplinary section, while, in 2022, the Vatican's Commission for the Protection of Minors became part of this Dicastery, but with its own staff and constitution.
In 2017 then Msgr Kennedy (he became an Archbishop last September)
was appointed head of the disciplinary section at the CDF
, becoming
secretary of the newly named Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith (DDF) in 2022
with responsibility for leading investigations into credible clerical child sex abuse allegations worldwide.
Archbishop Kennedy is the highest-ranking Vatican official on clerical abuse cases.
A line in the sand in all of this was drawn by Archbishop Kennedy himself last October when the Vatican's secretariat of state attempted to overrule his decision to laicise an Argentinian priest convicted by a church tribunal of child sexual abuse.
His decision was countermanded by the secretariat, which placed the priest under restricted ministry instead. Archbishop Kennedy went to Pope Francis and countermanded the countermand. The archbishop's action was described by one Vatican commentator as 'without precedent in the modern era'.
Pope Leo XIV has identified artificial intelligence as a focus of his papacy.
Last Saturday, in his first formal address to the College of Cardinals, Pope Leo XIV recalled how Leo XIII, with the 1891 encyclical Rerum novarum, addressed social consequences 'of the first great industrial revolution' and referred to the church's offer of 'social teaching' in response to 'the developments of artificial intelligence (AI)'.
[
Pope Leo XIV sets out vision for papacy and cites AI as critical challenge facing humanity
Opens in new window
]
On Monday last, in his first public audience with the media, he again referenced AI, speaking about the requirement for 'responsibility and discernment in order to ensure that it can be used for the good of all, so that it can benefit all of humanity'.
Few at the Vatican are as knowledgeable about AI and social media generally as Navan man and priest of the Dublin Archdiocese, Bishop Paul Tighe (67). He has worked in that area at the Vatican for 17 years.
As secretary at the Vatican's Dicastery for Culture and Education he was one of the main movers behind the Vatican document Antiqua et Nova: (Old and New) Note on the Relationship Between Artificial Intelligence and Human Intelligence, published with the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith in January.
As he put it earlier this year, in a podcast for America magazine, 'AI can handle data better than we can but what AI cannot necessarily do is answer the deeper questions that we should be posing to that data: what is it to be human, what is intelligence, what is it that makes life worthwhile.'
Bishop Paul Tighe, referred to by some commentators as 'the Vatican's media guru'. Photograph: Nick Warren/PA
Speaking to The Irish Times, Bishop Tighe recalled how the late Pope Francis feared AI would serve 'the interests only of a powerful elite'.
He has travelled widely in Africa, Asia, North America and Latin America advising church bodies working with social media and is a regular attender at the Web Summit and the Biennale in Venice.
Bishop Tighe, referred to by some commentators as 'the Vatican's media guru', has become something of link man internationally between the Church and contemporary culture in its many expressions.
Formerly director of the office for public affairs in the Archdiocese of Dublin, he was appointed secretary at the Vatican's Council for Social Communications in 2007 where he is responsible for the Church's contact with the media at an international level.
He helped lead something of a digital revolution at the Vatican where he was part of the team that instigated the Pope's Twitter/X handle,
@Pontifex
and developed the popular ThePopeApp for mobile phones, as well as the
vaticannews.va
website, which is considered invaluable for Vatican watchers.
As part of his reforms of the Roman Curia in 2013, Pope Francis set up a commission chaired by the UK peer
Chris Patten
to reform communications at the Vatican, with Bishop Tighe as secretary.
It led to the creation of a new secretariat for communications which oversees all of the Vatican's communications offices.
He did not, however, manage to revolutionise how the Vatican tells the world about the election of a new pope with smoke emerging from a chimney over the Sistine Chapel.
Speaking to the US Catholic Telegraph, Bishop Tighe said: 'Here we are talking about social media, digital media and new technologies, [while] in the church our biggest communications moment is delivered by smoke.'
He, along with Cardinal Farrell and Archbishop Kennedy, are likely to feature in the Vatican's hierarchy for some time to come.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Irish Times
an hour ago
- Irish Times
The Irish Times view on Israel's international reputation: sliding ever downward
Slowly but perceptibly, the relentless flow of images of horror and suffering from Gaza is hardening opposition to Israel's actions there, even among those traditionally considered the country's staunchest supporters. The shift will be unacceptably slow for anyone desperate to stop the killing, while it appears to have had little effect as yet on the brutal tactics of Israeli forces. But it represents a change of attitude among international political leaders and their voters that could have far-reaching consequences for the region. A YouGov poll this week showed support and sympathy for Israel in western Europe at its lowest ever level. Less than 20 per cent of respondents held a favourable opinion of the country. In what the Israeli newspaper Ha'aretz described as 'a rebuke typically reserved for pariah regimes,' the UK has suspended free trade negotiations. Along with Canada and France, it has also threatened 'concrete actions' in response to what Keir Starmer describes as Israel's 'appalling' actions. Even Germany issued its harshest criticism since the war began with the Hamas attack of October 7th 2023, Chancellor Friedrich Merz saying he 'no longer understands' Israel's goals in Gaza. Ireland has been among the most vociferous EU opponents of the war and a further landmark arrived this week with Trinity College Dublin's decision to sever all ties with Israeli companies and universities. It remains to be seen whether other institutions follow suit, but the move, while largely symbolic, is significant nonetheless. READ MORE Supporters of Binyamin Netanyahu's government are quick to paint such gestures as anti-Smitic. It is true that the scourge of anti-Semitism can be found among some elements of the anti-war movement, as recent violent attacks in the US have shown. But the accusation that all protests are driven by hatred of Jews rather than humanitarian concern does not stand up to scrutiny. The charge wears even thinner given opposition in Israel itself. Former prime minister Ehud Olmert has described his country's actions as a war crime. Hundreds of former operatives of the intelligence agency Mossad, including three retired heads, have accused Netanyahu of continuing the violence for selfish political reasons, to satisfy far-right members of his government. These comments may reflect a rising awareness among some of the country's elite that what is happening in Gaza is not just an appalling tragedy for Palestinians. It also threatens to become a disaster for the state of Israel. With the governing coalition under the sway of far-right racist ministers who have no respect for international law or for the human rights of those they deem 'barbarians', Israel drifts ever further away from the liberal democratic values it purports to share with its increasingly sceptical friends and allies.
Irish Times
2 hours ago
- Irish Times
The Irish Times view on domestic planning exemptions: room to improve
Reports this week on on proposed adjustments to current planning exemptions brought to Cabinet by Minister for Housing James Browne have focused on the idea of making it easier for families to make alterations to their proerties in order to facilitate accommodation for older relatives. The proposal follows earlier musings by Minister of State John Cummins about the merits of permitting modular living spaces to be installed in gardens for this purpose. The details that emerged this week added the spectre of older family members being dispatched to the attic to that of them being banished to the bottom of the garden. In truth, the idea is a good one if executed well, offering greater flexibility for families to make appropriate changes to their properties at different life stages. Increased longevity and smaller family sizes mean the standard three or four-bed 20th century suburban home may no longer be appropriate for some 21st century lifestyles. If the new exemptions were to lead to a moderate increase in population density in mature suburbs, that would be no bad thing, although some research from Australia suggests measures of this sort can drive up house prices even further, deepening the emerging generational divide between property owners and those who can never afford to buy. All of this should be taken into account in the public consultation which is due to take place over the summer. Whatever the outcome of that process, the regulations need updating. Much has changed since they were last amended. In particular, the State has been eager to encourage lifestyle changes that protect the environment and mitigate climate change. Many of these have implications for domestic residences. Current restrictions on insulation or structures to house bikes and bins should be adjusted accordingly. READ MORE A further benefit would be to remove some of the pressure on the over-burdened planning system. In fact, dispensing with excessive or archaic regulations wherever they occur should be an absolute priority across the system as a whole.
Irish Times
2 hours ago
- Irish Times
Secondary schools face threat of industrial action after ASTI rejects Leaving Cert reform package
Second-level schools face the threat of industrial action in the autumn after the Association of Secondary Teachers Ireland (ASTI) voted to reject a package of supports aimed at easing the roll-out of Leaving Certificate reforms. ASTI members rejected the measures by a margin of 68 per cent to 32 per cent. The turnout was 73 per cent. The vote means second level teachers are now divided after the Teachers' Union of Ireland last week voted to accept the package. The reforms will see students awarded a minimum of 40 per cent for projects or practical work across all subjects. READ MORE In a separate ballot, ASTI members voted by 67 per cent to 33 per cent in favour of industrial action, if necessary, up to and including strike action, in opposition to the accelerated implementation of the controversial Leaving Cert reforms. Commenting on the outcome, ASTI general secretary Kieran Christie said it was clear that second-level teachers have 'real and significant concerns' about the implementation of the accelerated Leaving Cert reforms. He sad ASTI research published this year shows that a 'key concern is the lack of resources and capacity in schools to introduce such radical change in an effective manner'. Mr Christie said the supports on offer 'do little to provide a Senior Cycle experience for all students that addresses the core inequalities that are in place in the second-level system'. He said the ASTI research also finds that the majority of second-level teachers are concerned about developments in AI and teacher training in some subject areas. 'The support package available from the Department (of Education) fails to sufficiently address these concerns,' he said. Last week, members of the Teachers' Union of Ireland (TUI) voted by a margin of 73 per cent to 27 per cent to accept the package of supports. The vote was seen at the time as paving the way for curriculum changes which seek to broaden assessment and ease pressure facing Leaving Cert students. Minister for Education Helen McEntee , who has pushed ahead with the reforms despite calls for a pause from teaching unions, welcomed the outcome of the TUI vote. She thanked the union for its 'positive engagement' during recent negotiations and for its 'commitment to finding a shared path forward to the continued implementation of senior cycle redevelopment for the benefit of all students'. Teaching unions' annual conferences at Easter heard concerns that laboratories were ill-equipped for the volume of new research projects for physics, chemistry and biology. It was also stated that the changes would benefit affluent schools with access to more resources. During subsequent negotiations with teaching unions, the Department of Education announced a support package aimed at easing the roll-out of the reforms, which begin for fifth year students in September next. The package clarified that pay increases of up to 5 per cent, due under the public sector pay deal, were contingent on co-operating with senior cycle reforms. It also offered pledges of flexibility in relation to so-called Croke Park hours and a shorter qualifying period for teachers to attain job permanency by way of a contract of indefinite duration.
