Pope John Paul II yesterday ordained Dublin-born Brian Farrell as new Bishop of Abitine during the now traditional Epiphany ordination of bishops in the Basilica of St Peter's. Dublin-born Bishop Farrell (58) was one of 12 men ordained, with the others coming from countries as diverse as Benin, Italy, Iraq, Syria, Slovakia and Vietnam.
Yesterday's ceremony marked a day when the Holy See honoured its own, since eight of the 12 new bishops are linked either to the Vatican's diplomatic service or to senior posts in the Holy See itself.
Despite looking frail and tired, the 82-year-old Pope presided over the entire ordination service, which lasted for three hours.
Addressing Bishop Farrell, the Pope said: "May your service [to the church\] ever proceed along a path delineated by loyalty to the Catholic tradition allied to a commitment to ecumenical dialogue."
The Pope's reference to ecumenical dialogue was prompted by the fact that Bishop Farrell's ordination follows his nomination last month to the position of secretary of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity.
Bishop Farrell, who has served in the Vatican's Secretariat of State since 1981 and whose last post there was head of general affairs, will serve under Cardinal Walter Kasper of Germany in a Pontifical Council which represents the Vatican's cutting edge in the complex question of ecumenical relations with the Anglican Church as well as with Protestant denominations in the West and with the Orthodox churches in the East.
A curia bureaucrat, Bishop Farrell has stayed out of the media spotlight during 20 years of service in the Secretariat of State, where his duties have included English-language speech-writing for the Pope, especially with regard to many of the Pope's overseas pastoral visits. Such responsibilities have inevitably brought him into daily contact with the Pope and his nomination to the Pontifical Council for Christian Unity represents an eloquent vote of confidence in him from both the Pope and from the Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Angelo Sodano.
Among the senior church figures who attended yesterday's ceremony were Cardinal Sodano, Cardinal Roger Etchegaray of France and the Archbishop of Dublin, Cardinal Desmond Connell, a good friend of Bishop Farrell.
Bishop Farrell, whose brother, Kevin, was appointed auxiliary Bishop of Washington a year ago, is a member of the Congregation of the Legionaries of Christ, a community founded by Father Marcial Degollado, a Mexican priest, and known for its ultra-orthodox teachings.