Statement of Archbishop Dermot Farrell on the Appointment of Monsignor John Kennedy as Archbishop

The Holy See has today announced the appointment by Pope Francis of Monsignor John Kennedy, a Dublin diocesan priest, as titular Archbishop of Ossero. Monsignor Kennedy is Secretary of the Disciplinary Section of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith. As Secretary he assists the Prefect in the specific area of his competence.

I warmly welcome the news, and I congratulate Archbishop-elect Kennedy, and wish him every blessing in his ministry which is directed to the life of the Church, universal and as well as the local. His appointment is a sign of the personal appreciation of Pope Francis for the work of Monsignor Kennedy.

John Kennedy was ordained a priest on 13th July 1993 in the Church of St John the Baptist, Clontarf. Following his ordination, he served as a Curate in the parishes of Crumlin and Francis Street before he was assigned in 1998 to study Canon Law at the Gregorian University in Rome. Possessed with the requisite canonical and linguistic qualifications he was released by the then Archbishop of Dublin and began working in the Matrimonial Office of Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith in 2003.

As a bishop he shares profoundly in the mission of Christ, the Good Shepherd – the one who is true and faithful in the service of God’s pilgrim people. I wish Monsignor Kennedy every blessing as he prepares for his episcopal ordination. I assure him of my prayer and fraternal support as he continues his important work in the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith.