Pope Leo XIV appoints Bishop of Limerick to new key role

BISHOP of Limerick Brendan Leahy has been appointed by Pope Leo as a member of the Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue.

The 47th bishop of Limerick, who will continue in his role, has also been appointed previously to the Vatican’s Dicastery of Culture and Education as well as its Dicastery for Clergy - positions he continues to hold.

Expressing his delight over the appointment, Bishop Leahy said: “I am deeply honoured to receive this appointment from Pope Leo. Peace is something very precious, that we all yearn for and we all hurt and pain when it is absent. It is in the soul of all Christians, and this appointment is, therefore, a responsibility that I take very seriously and am truly privileged to have.”

He added that he is “really looking forward to working closely with the members of the Dicastery in Rome in promoting the Catholic Church’s outreach to members of other faith communities”.

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Bishop Leahy also said that given the increase  in the number of members of other religions in Ireland in recent decades, each needs to be open and welcoming to others. 

“This has brought greater diversity to our island and has enriched us. We need to open ourselves to become neighbours to one another. Young people often show us the way in this as they quite spontaneously become friends,” he said.

The Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue is dedicated to “fostering respectful and meaningful relations between the Catholic Church and other religions worldwide”.

It is “one of the most strategically important bodies in the Vatican”, with its work having “far-reaching implications for peacebuilding, cultural understanding, and global religious cooperation”.

Dicasteries exist to support the Pope in his pastoral and administrative duties. They help implement his vision and decisions across the global Church. 

Its objectives are to encourage mutual understanding and respect between Catholics and followers of other religions; promote collaboration in areas of shared values, like human dignity, peace, and justice and address religious tensions and work toward peaceful coexistence.