Two west of Ireland dioceses lose bishops as Catholic Church downsizes

Two west of Ireland dioceses are to lose their bishops in what has been described as the most radical change in Irish Catholic Church structures in more than 900 years.

Administration of the dioceses will be taken over by neighbouring bishops.

Both Achonry and Killala are among the smallest dioceses in Ireland and take in much of Mayo and Sligo.

Achonry has a Catholic population of some 37,000 with 30 priests in 23 parishes and schools, while Killala has some 36,000 Catholics with 23 priests in 22 parishes.

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Bishop of Achonry Paul Dempsey is being appointed as an Auxiliary Bishop of Dublin, while Bishop of Elphin Kevin Doran has been appointed Administrator of Achonry diocese.

Bishop of Killala John Fleming, who reached retirement age of 75 in February 2023, is to stand down, with Archbishop of Tuam Francis Duffy appointed Administrator of Killala diocese.

This reduction in the number of Irish Catholic dioceses and bishops has been seen as inevitable for some time, not least due to the declining number of an ageing Catholic clergy.

There is also the anomalous situation whereby Ireland, a small island with 4.3 million Catholics, has 26 dioceses and as many bishops (plus Auxiliary Bishops).

By contrast, for example, the Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles, the largest Catholic diocese in the United States, has just over four million Catholics and is administered by one archbishop and six auxiliary bishops.

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Both Achonry and Killala are suffragan sees of the Archdiocese of Tuam in the west, and these changes were announced this morning by Archbishop of Tuam Francis in the Cathedral of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Tuam, Co Galway.

Papal nuncio Archbishop Luis Mariano Montemayor said in Tuam this morning: “In due time, and following careful assessment and consultation, the present Dioceses of Tuam and Killala on the one hand, and Elphin and Achonry on the other, may be governed by one Bishop in each case, just as the Dioceses of Galway and Clonfert are today governed by one Bishop.

“If this process evolves still further, the associated Dioceses may then merge fully under their Bishop, and, in this way, the six Dioceses in the Province of Tuam will eventually become three.”

In 1111 the Synod of Ráth Breasail the Catholic Church in Ireland moved from a monastic system to a diocesan and the parish-based structure most people would be familiar with. It and a subsequent synod at Kells in 1152 established 36 dioceses under the four Archdioceses of Armagh, Cashel, Dublin and Tuam.

Until recently there were 26 Catholic dioceses.

The Church of Ireland has reduced its number of dioceses to 11.

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