Archbishop Diarmuid Martin, the Holy See's Permanent Observer at the UN in Geneva, is to be appointed coadjutor Archbishop of Dublin. The announcement is expected to be made at a press conference in Dublin today.
Archbishop Martin is understood to have travelled to Rome yesterday, before returning to Dublin last night.
Currently titular Archbishop of Glendalough, the 58-year-old Dubliner will succeed Cardinal Connell on the latter's retirement, probably within two years.
The new coadjutor Archbishop is expected to "hit the ground running" as there are some major decisions to be made relevant to the archdiocese and which Cardinal Connell is precluded from taking as, at the age of 77, he is two years over the retirement age for bishops.
The Cardinal was 77 in March, and has, for example, been unable to appoint auxiliary bishops to replace Bishops Dermot O'Mahony and Desmond Williams, who have retired, and Bishop Jim Moriarty, appointed to Kildare and Leighlin diocese last year.
Untouched by any of the scandals that have beset the Catholic Church, Archbishop Martin is seen as being a clean pair of hands. Born in Dublin in 1945, he attended the Oblate School, Inchicore, the De La Salle Brothers in Ballyfermot, and Marian College, Ballsbridge. He studied at Clonliffe in Dublin and was ordained in 1969, after which he served in Cabinteely.
In 1975 he took charge of the Diocesan Office for the Holy Year in Rome. From 1976 he was with the Pontifical Council for the Family there, and in 1986 worked with the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace. He became that body's secretary in 1994, being also by then the most senior Irishman at the Vatican.
In January 1999, he was ordained bishop in Rome by Pope John Paul and chose the titular seat of Glendalough.
In January 2001, Archbishop Martin was appointed the Holy See's Permanent Observer to the UN and Specialised Institutions in Geneva, and to the World Trade Organisation. He also then became titular Archbishop of Glendalough.
At the time, Cardinal Connell said he took "very great pleasure in the appointment of a bishop from the Dublin archdiocese to a post of such great responsibility in the service of the Holy See".
Archbishop Martin was a senior member of Vatican delegations to international conferences at Rio de Janeiro in 1992, Cairo in 1994, Beijing in 1995, Istanbul in 1996 and Rome in 1997.
At UN conferences he managed to maintain good relations with liberal delegates who were enraged by the Catholic Church's teaching on sexual morality.
He also led delegations at the World Conference for Social Development at Copenhagen in 1995 and at the UNCTAD IX gathering in Midrand, South Africa. He sponsored meetings on international debt between the World Bank, the IMF, and the Council for Latin American Bishops' Conferences. He also gave Bono a high-profile introduction to the Pope when the rock singer visited the Vatican to discuss Third World debt.
In June 2000, Archbishop Martin publicly criticised the world's wealthy countries for failing to live up to promises to relieve debt delivered at three G7 summits. He has also visited East Timor, Sarajevo and Rwanda in an effort to help resolve conflicts.
Archbishop Martin: the consummate Vatican diplomat: page 5