Cardinal Desmond Connell, retired Archbishop of Dublin, dead at 90
February 21, 2017
Cardinal Desmond Connell, the retired Archbishop of Dublin, died on February 20 at the age of 90, after a lengthy illness.
Ordained to the priesthood in Dublin in 1951, the future cardinal was appointed Archbishop of Dublin in 1988 by Pope John Paul II, who also raised him to the College of Cardinals in 2001. He retired in 2004 at the age of 78.
After his retirement, Cardinal Connell engaged in a brief but remarkable legal dispute with his successor, Archbishop Diarmuid Martin. The retired cardinal took legal action to block the release of sex-abuse documents from the Dublin archdiocese, after Archbishop Martin had authorized the release. Cardinal Connell soon withdrew his objection—reportedly at the request of another Irish prelate, Cardinal Sean Brady.
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Further information:
- Irish Cardinal Desmond Connell died (La Stampa)
- Irish primate reportedly asked cardinal to drop legal appeal (CWN, 2/12/08)
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