IRELAND
Belfast Telegraph
The leader of the Catholic Church in Ireland, Cardinal Sean Brady, is to retire by 2015 at the earliest.
Monsignor Eamon Martin, administrator of the Diocese of Derry and a former teacher, has been named his successor and appointed assistant in the Archdiocese of Armagh during the transition.
One of his first roles will be to lobby for the church’s anti-abortion stance as the Irish Government legislates to allow terminations on strict medical grounds.
After a wide-ranging address to parishioners in Armagh following the announcement, the 52-year-old said the church had to have the courage to speak out on issues.
“Sometimes it is a voice that people would prefer not to hear, particularly on the issue of abortion,” Monsignor Martin said.
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