The Pope has appointed a new Apostolic Delegate to the bishopric of Kilfenora.
Bishop Michael Duignan was recently installed as Bishop of Galway and Kilmacduagh and the Pope’s representative for Kilfenora. He is 52 and a native of Athlone.
Bishop Duignan will also continue in his previous role as Bishop of Clonfert. This is apparently the first time in Irish Catholic Church history that a bishop administers 2 dioceses simultaneously. It has been emphasised that the two dioceses are not being amalgamated.
At the installation ceremony in Galway Cathedral, there were many Church dignitaries including Cardinal Sean Brady. The Pope was represented by a Papal Nuncio Archbishop, and there were representatives from all parts of the diocese including Kilfenora, and from the Church of Ireland. Methodist, Presbyterian and Islamic communities.
See here for more details, as reported by the Clare Champion under the heading “Kilfenora Bishop makes church history”.
