Editing Joseph Duffy (bishop)

{{Short description|Irish bishop}}
{{EngvarB|date=October 2013}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2024}}

{{Infobox Christian leader
| type        = Bishop
| honorific_prefix = [[The Most Reverend]]
| name        = Joseph Duffy
| title       = [[Bishop of Clogher|Bishop-Emeritus of Clogher]]
| image       =  
| alt         =
| caption     =
| church      =
| archdiocese =
| diocese     =
| see         = [[Diocese of Clogher (Roman Catholic)|Clogher]]
| appointed   = 7 July 1979
| term_start  = 2 September 1979
| term_end    = 6 May 2010
| predecessor = [[Patrick Mulligan (bishop)|Patrick Mulligan]]
| successor   = [[Liam MacDaid]]
<!--   Orders   -->
| ordination     = 22 June 1958
| ordained_by    =
| consecration   = 2 September 1979
| consecrated_by = [[Tomás Ó Fiaich]]
| rank           =
<!--   Personal details   -->
| birth_date    = {{birth date and age|1934|02|03|df=yes}}
| birth_place   = [[Dublin]], Ireland
| death_date    =
| death_place   =
| previous_post = {{unbulleted list
 |[[Enniskillen]]
 |[[Curate]], [[Enniskillen]], [[County Fermanagh]]
 }}
}}

'''Joseph Duffy''' (born 3 February 1934) was the [[Roman Catholic]] [[Bishop of Clogher]] in Ireland, a position he held from 1979 until his retirement on 6 May 2010. He resides in [[Monaghan Town]], [[County Monaghan]], Ireland.

==Early life and priestly ministry==
Duffy was the eldest of three boys and one girl born to Edward Duffy and Brigid MacEntee of [[Newbliss|Annagose, Newbliss, County Monaghan]]. Born in [[Dublin]], he was educated at St. Louis' Infant School, [[Clones, County Monaghan]], and at [[St Macartan's College]] on the outskirts of [[Monaghan Town]], where he was a [[Boarding school|boarder]] for five years.

He studied for the priesthood at [[St Patrick's College, Maynooth]], and was ordained priest for the [[Diocese of Clogher (Roman Catholic)|Diocese of Clogher]] on 22 June 1958. After his ordination he continued his studies in [[Irish language|Irish]] and completed a thesis on the dialect of south [[County Tipperary]] for a master's degree in the [[National University of Ireland]] (the NUI) in 1960.

He returned to St. Macartan's College, where he taught Irish and French for twelve years. During these years he spent several sessions in French universities pursuing summer courses in French.

From 1972 to 1979 he was a curate in the parish of [[Enniskillen|Enniskillen, County Fermanagh]]. This was a team ministry with three other curates and the [[parish priest]], and included a chaplaincy to St. Fanchea's College for Girls, and a part-time chaplaincy at the Erne Hospital. During these years he was involved in PACE (Protestant and Catholic Encounter) and served on the committee of the [[Ulster Architectural Heritage Society]] (the UAHS.)

==Bishop of Clogher==

On 7 July 1979, Duffy was named Bishop-elect of Clogher, the first [[Irish people|Irish]] bishop to be appointed by [[Pope John Paul II]]. He was ordained a bishop in St. Macartan's Cathedral, Monaghan Town, on 2 September of the same year.<ref>{{catholic-hierarchy|bishop|bduffyjo|Joseph Duffy}}</ref> The [[Consecrator|Principal Consecrator]] was  [[Tomás Cardinal Ó Fiaich]], [[Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Armagh|Archbishop of Armagh]] and [[Primate of All Ireland]].<ref>{{catholic-hierarchy|bishop|bofiaich|Tomás Cardinal Ó Fiaich}}</ref> [[Gaetano Alibrandi]], [[Titular Archbishop]] of [[Binda (see)|Binda]], the [[Apostolic Nuncio to Ireland]],<ref>{{catholic-hierarchy|bishop|balib|Archbishop Gaetano Alibrandi}}</ref> and [[Patrick Mulligan (bishop)|Patrick Mulligan]], the Bishop Emeritus of Clogher,<ref>{{catholic-hierarchy|bishop|bmulligan|Bishop Patrick Mulligan}}</ref> acted as the [[Consecrator|Principal Co–Consecrators]].
{{Infobox bishop styles
| name       = Joseph Duffy
| dipstyle   = [[The Most Reverend]]
| offstyle   = [[Your Lordship]]
| relstyle   = Bishop
| deathstyle = [[n/a]]
}}

For some years during the 1990s he served as media spokesman for the Irish Bishops Conference. He was also Chairman of the Commission for Communications of the Irish Bishops' Conference and the representative of the Irish Bishops on the Commission of the Bishops' Conferences of the European Union ([COMECE]).

His [[Church of Ireland]] counterpart during the latter years of his episcopal term was Bishop [[Michael Jackson (Anglican bishop)|Michael Jackson]].  Each Christmas from 2002 on Duffy and Jackson delivered a joint Christmas message  [http://ireland.anglican.org/archives/pressreleases/prarchive2002/clogchr.html]. Both bishops were also present at a service in honour of [[Saint Macartan]], Patron Saint of Clogher at St. Macartan's College, the Catholic [[Minor seminary|Diocesan Seminary]] in Monaghan. It marked the celebration of fifteen hundred years of Christian witness in Clogher Diocese.

On 28 January 2008 Duffy became the longest-serving [[Ordinary (Catholic Church)|ordinary]] in Ireland, having once been the youngest Irish bishop at the time of his episcopal ordination.  In accordance with [[Canon Law]] he offered his resignation to the [[Holy See]] on his seventy-fifth birthday, on 3 February 2009.<ref>[http://www.nwipp-newspapers.com/FH/free/351490121402321.php Bishop Duffy submits his resignation to the Holy See]{{dead link|date=April 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>

His resignation was accepted by [[Pope Benedict XVI]] on 6 May 2010, when it was announced that [[Liam MacDaid]] would be his successor. MacDaid received episcopal ordination from Dr. Duffy in late July 2010.

== Failure to prevent clerical sexual abuse ==
Duffy received criticism for failing to report clerical sexual abuse in his diocese.<ref>{{Cite web |title=School issues letter about child abuser |url=https://www.irishtimes.com/news/school-issues-letter-about-child-abuser-1.18274 |access-date=2023-08-08 |website=The Irish Times |language=en}}</ref> In 2010, Duffy admitted that he was made aware in October 1989 of allegations of sexual abuse by Father John McCabe a priest and teacher at [[St Michael's College, Enniskillen]] (where Duffy was also chairman of the board of governors), when the parents of his victim reported to Duffy that the priest had been abusing their son from the ages of 9 to 15, Duffy failed to report the allegations to the police, the social services in Northern Ireland or the school that McCabe was then teaching at.<ref>{{Cite news |date=24 April 2002|title=Church in Crisis: The bishop who chose to say nothing
|url=https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/church-in-crisis-the-bishop-who-chose-to-say-nothing/28094890.html|newspaper=[[Belfast Telegraph]] |language=en}}</ref> McCabe eventually pleaded guilty in December 1995 to indecently assaulting the boy on 13 separate occasions.<ref>{{Cite news |last=McDonald |first=Henry |last2=correspondent |first2=Ireland |date=2010-03-21 |title=Papal letter fails to quell scandals engulfing Irish Catholic church |language=en-GB |work=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2010/mar/21/pope-letter-irish-catholic-scandals |access-date=2023-08-08 |issn=0261-3077}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2010-03-25 |title=Bishop speaks of horror and pain of abuse victims |url=https://www.impartialreporter.com/news/13852522.bishop-speaks-of-horror-and-pain-of-abuse-victims/ |access-date=2023-08-08 |website=Impartial Reporter |language=en}}</ref> Duffy also admitted that he was previously party to least one [[Settlement (litigation)|civil settlement]] between the Diocese of Clogher and claimants of clerical sexual abuse, where the alleged victims were forced to sign a [[non-disclosure agreement]] as part of the resolution.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Bishop admits involvement in secrecy oath for abuse victims (22 March 2010)|url=https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/bishop-admits-involvement-in-secrecy-oath-for-abuse-victims/26643130.html|website=Irish Independent |language=en}}</ref> In the same year, Duffy was summoned to [[Holy See|the Vatican]] for a meeting with [[Benedict XVI]] to discuss what prior knowledge he had about allegations of sexual abuse of children against clergy members within Clogher diocese.<ref>{{Cite news |date=15 February 2010|title=Pope meets Irish bishops over abuse
|url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2010/2/15/pope-meets-irish-bishops-over-abuse|newspaper=[[Al Jazeera]] |language=en|access-date=31 July 2024 }}</ref>

In 2013, a report by the [[National Board for Safeguarding Children in the Catholic Church]] was highly critical of Duffy's 31 year tenure as Bishop of Clogher, stating that he consistently failed to take steps to prevent members of the Roman Catholic clergy under his charge from sexually abusing children within the diocese.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Report highly critical of retired Clogher bishop (24 April 2013) |url=https://www.rte.ie/news/2013/0424/385333-audit-of-galway-diocese-released/|website=RTE News |language=en}}</ref> The report highlighted cases such as a priest facing multiple allegations of sexual abuse who was moved to a new parish in Ireland then sent overseas instead of being expelled from his ministry, and another priest who was accused of abuse  to continue in his role instead of being removed from ministerial duties.<ref>[http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/local-national/northern-ireland/exbishop-accepts-mistakes-after-watchdog-criticises-poor-judgement-in-dealing-with-paedophile-priests-29220126.html Ex-bishop accepts mistakes after watchdog criticises poor judgement in dealing with paedophile priests]. BelfastTelegraph.co.uk (24 April 2013). Retrieved on 23 July 2013.</ref> Between 1975 and 2012, a total of 23 allegations of sexual abuse against Clogher diocese clergy members were reported to [[Gardai]] and 22 allegations were reported to the [[Health Service Executive|HSE]], according to the report.<ref>{{Cite news |date=24 April 2013|title=Church watchdog reveals ex-bishop didn't do enough to stop paedophile priests abusing|url=https://www.irishmirror.ie/news/irish-news/former-bishop-missed-string-chances-1851633|newspaper=[[Irish Mirror]] |language=en|access-date=31 July 2024}}</ref>

It was also revealed in 2013 that Duffy's deceased uncle, [[Canon (clergy)|Canon]] Peter Duffy, had been investigated by the authorities in Northern Ireland for the sexual abuse of 3 children while he was [[parish priest]] of [[Donagh]] during the 1970s and 1980s, and that the Diocese of Clogher had since made civil settlements with the claimants.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Parish priest involved in Donagh abuse case (11 April 2013)|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-northern-ireland-22113874|website=BBC News|language=en}}</ref>  One of the alleged victims, Michael Connolly, stated that in 2009 he had provided graphic details of his allegations to Bishop Duffy during a private meeting, and although Duffy was sympathetic he did not appear to take any steps to determine if there were any other victims in the Donagh area.<ref>{{Cite web |title=‘BISHOP NEVER SAID SORRY TO ME FOR ABUSE AT THE HANDS OF HIS PRIEST UNCLE’ (02 May 2013)|url=https://www.donegaldaily.com/2013/05/02/bishop-never-said-sorry-to-me-for-abuse-at-the-hands-of-his-priest-uncle/|website=Donegal Daily|language=en}}</ref>

== Selected works ==
* ''Patrick in His Own Words.'' Dublin: Veritas (2000)
* ''On Lough Derg'' Dublin: Veritas (1988)
* ''Lough Derg Guide.'' Veritas (1980)

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* {{catholic-hierarchy|bishop|bduffyjo|Bishop Joseph Duffy}}
* "[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/2311025.stm Irish bishops back Nice treaty]" – BBC News article dated Tuesday, 8 October 2002, quoting Duffy's views on the [[Treaty of Nice]]
* [http://www.clogherdiocese.ie/ Clogher Diocese]

{{s-start}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Patrick Mulligan (bishop)|Patrick Mulligan]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Bishop of Clogher]]|years=1979–2010}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Liam MacDaid]]}}
{{s-end}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Duffy, Joseph}}
[[Category:1934 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:People educated at St Macartan's College, Monaghan]]
[[Category:Alumni of St Patrick's College, Maynooth]]
[[Category:Roman Catholic bishops of Clogher]]
[[Category:Christian clergy from County Monaghan]]
[[Category:20th-century Roman Catholic bishops in Ireland]]
[[Category:21st-century Roman Catholic bishops in Ireland]]
[[Category:Translators of the Bible into Irish]]
[[Category:20th-century Irish translators]]
[[Category:21st-century translators]]
[[Category:Writers from County Monaghan]]