Colm O'Reilly

Colm O'Reilly (born 11 January 1935) is an Irish prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as the Bishop of Ardagh and Clonmacnoise from 1983 to 2013.

The youngest of seven children, O'Reilly was born to John and Alicia O'Reilly in Colmcille, County Longford.^[1] His eldest brother, Peter (died 1988), was superior general of St. Patrick's Missionary Society for sixteen years, and another brother, Brendan (died 2000), was a member of the Divine Word Missionaries.^[1] He studied at St. Mel's College in Longford, and was ordained a priest on 19 June 1960.^[2] in Maynooth.

He spent his priesthood in parishes in the Diocese of Ardagh and Clonmacnoise; he ministered for nine years in Granard and until 1983 he was curate and later administrator at St. Mel's Cathedral.^[1]

On 24 February 1983, O'Reilly was appointed Bishop of Ardagh and Clonmacnoise by Pope John Paul II. He received his episcopal consecration on the following 10 April 1983 from Cardinal Tomás Ó Fiaich, with Archbishop Gaetano Alibrandi and Bishop Cahal Daly as co-consecrators.

Within the Irish Bishops Conference, he is Chairman of the Commission for the Missions and of the Liaison Committee for Child Protection; and a member of the Conference Department of Social Issues and International Affairs, Committee for Family and Children, Commission for Justice and Social Affairs, and Trócaire.^[3]

In the early hours of Christmas Day 2009, St Mel's Cathedral in Longford was destroyed by fire. Bishop O'Reilly said that the building was just a shell and had been burned out from end to end. He described the church whose construction had begun in 1840 as a flagship cathedral of the midlands. The cause of the fire was accidental and a forensic report is available on www.longfordparish.com.^[4]

In February 2010 it was revealed that 200 objects have been recovered from the ruins of St Mel’s Cathedral in Longford which was almost entirely destroyed in a fire on Christmas morning. The two finest examples of stained glass windows by Harry Clark Studios can be repaired and the windows in the cathedral can be copied, the bishop of Ardagh and Clonmacnoise Dr Colm O’Reilly told a meeting at the weekend of the Longford Association in London.^[5]

Child protection

On 30 November 2011 as part of the report^[6] into the diocese there were 13 priests incardinated in the Diocese of Ardagh and Clonmacnois against whom an allegation was made since January 1, 1975 and up to the date of the review by the National Board for Safeguarding Children. Fourteen allegations were reported to An Garda Síochána in that timeframe. Nine were reported to the HSE or health boards. One priest against whom an allegation had been made was still alive at the time of the review. The three cases that fell within the scope of the board’s review in the Diocese of Ardagh and Clonmacnois involved allegations against priests who were alive at the time the allegations were brought to the attention of the diocese. The board said all files were “well organised” and contained chronologies drawn up by the diocese’s designated person.

It said it believed all relevant documentation held by the diocese was made available for inclusion in the review process. In terms of its policy and procedures, the Ardagh and Clonmacnois safeguarding committee had developed “coherent, easy to read documents in line with current Church guidance”. It had also developed a parish audit. The board said this approach was “laudable”.^[7]

On 17 July 2013, Bishop O'Reilly's resignation from the pastoral government of the Diocese of Ardagh and Clonmacnoise was accepted by Pope Francis, in accordance with Canon 401 §1 of the Latin-Rite Code of Canon Law.^[8]

References

External links

• Irish Catholic Bishop's Conference