View source for Irish Catholic Bishops' Conference

{{Short description|Assembly of Catholic bishops}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
{{Infobox organization
|native_name = Comhdháil Easpag Caitliceach Éireann
|native_name_lang = ga
|logo = Irish Catholic Bishops' Conference.jpg
|logo_size = 
|leader_name = [[Eamon Martin]]
|leader_title = President
|website = {{official website|http://www.catholicbishops.ie/|CatholicBishops.ie}}
}}
The '''Irish Catholic Bishops' Conference''' ({{langx|ga|Comhdháil Easpag Caitliceach Éireann}}) is the [[episcopal conference]] of the [[Catholic Church|Roman Catholic]] [[Bishop (Catholic Church)|bishops]] in [[Ireland]]. The conference meets a number of times a year in [[Maynooth]] which is the location of [[St Patrick's College, Maynooth|St Patrick's College]], Ireland's national [[seminary]]. While each [[diocesan bishop|bishop]] is autonomous in his own [[diocese]], meetings of the conference give bishops a chance to discuss issues of mutual concern, or issues of national policy.

==Background==
In the Catholic Church, an [[episcopal conference]] is an official assembly of all the bishops of a given territory. Episcopal conferences have long existed as informal entities, but were first established as formal bodies by the [[Second Vatican Council]] (''[[Christus Dominus]]'', 38), and implemented by [[Pope Paul VI]]'s 1966 ''[[motu proprio]]'' ''Ecclesiae sanctae''. The operation, authority, and responsibilities of episcopal conferences are currently governed by the [[1983 Code of Canon Law]] (see especially canons 447–459). The nature of episcopal conferences, and their magisterial authority in particular, was subsequently clarified by [[Pope John Paul II]]'s 1998 ''motu proprio'' ''[[Apostolos suos]]''.

Certain tasks and authority are assigned to episcopal conferences, particularly with regard to setting the liturgical norms for the Mass. Episcopal conferences receive their authority under universal law or particular mandates. In certain circumstances, as defined by [[canon law]], the decisions of an episcopal conference are subject to ratification from the Holy See. Individual bishops do not relinquish their authority to the conference, and remain responsible for the governance of their respective diocese.

The Conference owns the publisher and retailer [[Veritas Communications]].

==Composition==
The Irish Catholic Bishops' Conference is made up of the 26 Irish [[diocesan bishop]]s ([[Ordinary (Catholic Church)|ordinaries]]) and a number of [[auxiliary bishop]]s. The conference membership extends to both government jurisdictions on the island of Ireland, the [[Republic of Ireland]] and [[Northern Ireland]].

==Structure==
Beneath the Bishops' Conference are the regional or [[Ecclesiastical province|provincial]] meetings of bishops.

Episcopal conferences are generally defined by geographic borders, with all the bishops in a given country belonging to the same conference – which might also include neighboring countries.

The Archbishop of Armagh, as [[Primate of All Ireland]], chairs the Conference.

Much of the work of the Conference is done in committees which cover issues such as laity, liturgy, family, social justice. Each committee is chaired by a bishop, though not always an [[Ordinary (Catholic Church)|ordinary]].

==Presidency==
By convention, the [[Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Armagh|Archbishop of Armagh]] as the most-senior churchman in Ireland, presides and is the principal spokesman. This tradition has prevailed even when the Archbishop of Dublin is a [[Cardinal (Catholicism)|cardinal]] and the Archbishop of Armagh is not a member of the College of Cardinals.

===List of presidents===

{{Officeholder table start|showparty=n|showimage=y}}

{{Officeholder table
|image=
|officeholder = [[John D'Alton]]
|term_start = {{start date|1958}}
|term_end = {{end date|1963}}
}}

{{Officeholder table
|image=Coat of arms of William John Conway.svg
|officeholder = [[William Conway (cardinal)|William Conway]]
|term_start = {{start date|1963}}
|term_end = {{end date|1977}}
}}

{{Officeholder table
|image=
|officeholder = [[Tomás Ó Fiaich]]
|term_start = {{start date|1977}}
|term_end = {{end date|1990}}
}}

{{Officeholder table
|image=
|officeholder = [[Cahal Daly]]
|term_start = {{start date|1990}}
|term_end = {{end date|1996}}
}}

{{Officeholder table
|image=Michael Paul Gallagher and Cardinal Sean Brady (cropped).jpg
|officeholder = [[Seán Brady  (bishop)|Seán Brady]]
|term_start = {{start date|1996}}
|term_end = {{end date|2014}}
}}

{{Officeholder table
|image=The Prince of Wales at St Patrick's Cathedral, Armagh with archbishops (47950084462) (Eamon Martin cropped).jpg
|officeholder = [[Eamon Martin]]
|term_start = {{start date|2014}}

}}

{{Officeholder table end}}

==Political activity==
===Abortion===
{{see also|Abortion in the Republic of Ireland|Abortion_in_the_United_Kingdom#Northern_Ireland|Abortion and the Catholic Church}}

In keeping with [[Abortion and the Catholic Church|Catholic views]] on [[abortion]], the Conference campaigns against the legalisation of abortion. It called for a "Yes" vote in the 2002 [[Twenty-fifth Amendment of the Constitution Bill 2001|abortion referendum]] which would have overturned the 1992 [[X Case]] judgement. It called the proposal ''"an opportunity not to be lost"''<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.catholicbishops.ie/2002/03/08/an-opportunity-not-to-be-lost-plain-text/|title=An Opportunity Not to be Lost – plain text|website=Irish Catholic Bishops' Conference|access-date=2017-01-27}}</ref> The Conference condemned the [[Protection of Life During Pregnancy Act 2013]].<ref>{{cite magazine|url=http://www.catholicbishops.ie/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/Choose-Life-2013-newsletter-Issue-8-10-July-2013.pdf|date=10 July 2013|issue=8|title=Choose Life|publisher=Irish Catholic Bishops’ Conference}}</ref>

==Extraordinary general meetings==
*April 2002 – [[Ferns Report]] and resignation of Bishop [[Brendan Comiskey]]
*October 2005 – publication of the National Board for Safeguarding Children report on child protection in the [[Roman Catholic Diocese of Cloyne|Cloyne diocese]]
*January 2009 – publication of the National Board for Safeguarding Children report on child protection in the Cloyne diocese.
*Friday 22 January 2010 – anticipation of the forthcoming pastoral letter from [[Pope Benedict XVI]] to the faithful of Ireland after the [[Ryan Report|Ryan]] and [[Murphy Report|Murphy reports]].

==See also==
*[[Archbishops of Armagh - Primate of All Ireland (Catholic)]]
*[[Catholic Church in Ireland]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*[http://www.catholicbishops.ie/ Irish Catholic Bishops' Conference] official website
*[http://www.gcatholic.org/dioceses/conference/052.htm Irish Episcopal Conference webpage]. GCatholic.org website

{{Catholic Church in Ireland}}
{{Episcopal Conferences in Europe}}
{{Abortion in the Republic of Ireland}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Episcopal conferences]]
[[Category:Roman Catholic bishops in Ireland]]
[[Category:All-Ireland organisations]]