Joseph Duffy (bishop)
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Joseph Duffy (born 3 February 1934) was the
Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...
Bishop of Clogher The Bishop of Clogher (, ) is an episcopal title which takes its name after the village of Clogher in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. Following the Reformation, there are now parallel apostolic successions: one of the Church of Ireland and ...
in Ireland, a position he held from 1979 until his retirement on 6 May 2010. He resides in
Monaghan Town Monaghan ( ; ) is the county town of County Monaghan, Ireland. It also provides the name of its civil parish and Monaghan barony. The population of the town as of the 2022 census was 7,894. The town is on the N2 road from Dublin to Derry a ...
,
County Monaghan County Monaghan ( ; ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Ulster and is part of Border Region, Border strategic planning area of the Northern and Western Region. It is named after the town ...
, Ireland.


Early life and priestly ministry

Duffy was the eldest of three boys and one girl born to Edward Duffy and Brigid MacEntee of Annagose, Newbliss, County Monaghan. Born in
Dublin Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...
, he was educated at St. Louis' Infant School,
Clones, County Monaghan Clones ( ; , meaning 'meadow of Eois') is a small town in the west of County Monaghan in Ireland. The area is part of the List of regions of the Republic of Ireland, Border Region in the Republic of Ireland, earmarked for economic development b ...
, and at St Macartan's College on the outskirts of
Monaghan Town Monaghan ( ; ) is the county town of County Monaghan, Ireland. It also provides the name of its civil parish and Monaghan barony. The population of the town as of the 2022 census was 7,894. The town is on the N2 road from Dublin to Derry a ...
, where he was a
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for five years. He studied for the priesthood at
St Patrick's College, Maynooth St Patrick's Pontifical University, Maynooth (), is a pontifical Catholic university in the town of Maynooth near Dublin, Ireland Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mou ...
, and was ordained priest for the
Diocese of Clogher The Diocese of Clogher is an ecclesiastical jurisdiction recognized by the Church of Ireland and Roman Catholic Church: * Diocese of Clogher (Roman Catholic) *Diocese of Clogher (Church of Ireland) ; See also *Bishop of Clogher The Bishop o ...
on 22 June 1958. After his ordination he continued his studies in Irish and completed a thesis on the dialect of south
County Tipperary County Tipperary () is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster and the Southern Region, Ireland, Southern Region. The county is named after the town of Tipperary (tow ...
for a master's degree in the
National University of Ireland The National University of Ireland (NUI) () is a federal university system of ''constituent universities'' (previously called '' constituent colleges'') and ''recognised colleges'' set up under the Irish Universities Act 1908, and signifi ...
(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, County Fermanagh. This was a team ministry with three other curates and the
parish priest A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one or ...
, 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
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(the UAHS.)


Bishop of Clogher

On 7 July 1979, Duffy was named Bishop-elect of Clogher, the first Irish bishop to be appointed by
Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II (born Karol Józef Wojtyła; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 16 October 1978 until Death and funeral of Pope John Paul II, his death in 2005. In his you ...
. He was ordained a bishop in St. Macartan's Cathedral, Monaghan Town, on 2 September of the same year. The
Principal Consecrator A consecrator is a bishop who ordains someone to the episcopacy. A co-consecrator is someone who assists the consecrator bishop in the act of ordaining a new bishop. The terms are used in the canon law of the Catholic Church, Lutheran Churches, ...
was Tomás Cardinal Ó Fiaich,
Archbishop of Armagh The Archbishop of Armagh is an Episcopal polity, archiepiscopal title which takes its name from the Episcopal see, see city of Armagh in Northern Ireland. Since the Reformation in Ireland, Reformation, there have been parallel apostolic success ...
and
Primate of All Ireland The Primacy of Ireland belongs to the diocesan bishop of the Irish diocese with highest precedence. The Archbishop of Armagh is titled Primate of All Ireland and the Archbishop of Dublin Primate of Ireland, signifying that they are the senior ...
.
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,
Titular Archbishop A titular bishop in various churches is a bishop who is not in charge of a diocese. By definition, a bishop is an "overseer" of a community of the faithful, so when a priest is ordained a bishop, the tradition of the Catholic, Eastern Orthodox an ...
of Binda, the
Apostolic Nuncio to Ireland The Apostolic Nunciature to Ireland the diplomatic mission of the Holy See to Ireland. It is located in Dublin. The position of Apostolic Nuncio is currently Luis Mariano Montemayor. The Apostolic Nunciature to Ireland is an ecclesiastical off ...
, and Patrick Mulligan, the Bishop Emeritus of Clogher, acted as the Principal Co–Consecrators. 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 ( OMECE. His
Church of Ireland The Church of Ireland (, ; , ) is a Christian church in Ireland, and an autonomy, autonomous province of the Anglican Communion. It is organised on an all-Ireland basis and is the Christianity in Ireland, second-largest Christian church on the ...
counterpart during the latter years of his episcopal term was Bishop
Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Michael Jackson, one of the most culturally significan ...
. Each Christmas from 2002 on Duffy and Jackson delivered a joint Christmas message

Both bishops were also present at a service in honour of Saint Macartan, Patron Saint of Clogher at St. Macartan's College, the Catholic 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
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in Ireland, having once been the youngest Irish bishop at the time of his episcopal ordination. In accordance with
Canon Law Canon law (from , , a 'straight measuring rod, ruler') is a set of ordinances and regulations made by ecclesiastical jurisdiction, ecclesiastical authority (church leadership) for the government of a Christian organization or church and its membe ...
he offered his resignation to the
Holy See The Holy See (, ; ), also called the See of Rome, the Petrine See or the Apostolic See, is the central governing body of the Catholic Church and Vatican City. It encompasses the office of the pope as the Bishops in the Catholic Church, bishop ...
on his seventy-fifth birthday, on 3 February 2009. His resignation was accepted by
Pope Benedict XVI Pope BenedictXVI (born Joseph Alois Ratzinger; 16 April 1927 – 31 December 2022) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 19 April 2005 until his resignation on 28 February 2013. Benedict's election as p ...
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. 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 St Michael's College (Irish: ''Coláiste Mhíchíl'') is a Roman Catholic boys' grammar school located in Enniskillen, Northern Ireland. Named for St Michael the Archangel, the school educates boys in County Fermanagh and the surrounding area ...
(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. McCabe eventually pleaded guilty in December 1995 to indecently assaulting the boy on 13 separate occasions. Duffy also admitted that he was previously party to least one 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 A non-disclosure agreement (NDA), also known as a confidentiality agreement (CA), confidential disclosure agreement (CDA), proprietary information agreement (PIA), or secrecy agreement (SA), is a legal contract or part of a contract between at le ...
as part of the resolution. In the same year, Duffy was summoned to the Vatican for a meeting with
Benedict XVI Pope BenedictXVI (born Joseph Alois Ratzinger; 16 April 1927 – 31 December 2022) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 19 April 2005 until resignation of Pope Benedict XVI, his resignation on 28 Februar ...
to discuss what prior knowledge he had about allegations of sexual abuse of children against clergy members within Clogher diocese. In 2013, a report by the
National Board for Safeguarding Children in the Catholic Church The National Board for Safeguarding Children in Ireland (NBSCCCI or NBSCCC) established in 2006 in order to develop policies that would foster the prevention of child abuse in the Catholic Church in Ireland. Its main goals are to offer advice on ...
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. 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. 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 HSE, according to the report. It was also revealed in 2013 that Duffy's deceased uncle,
Canon Canon or Canons may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Canon (fiction), the material accepted as officially written by an author or an ascribed author * Literary canon, an accepted body of works considered as high culture ** Western canon, th ...
Peter Duffy, had been investigated by the authorities in Northern Ireland for the sexual abuse of 3 children while he was
parish priest A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one or ...
of
Donagh Donagh (pronounced , ) is a small village and townland in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. It lies between Lisnaskea and Newtownbutler in the south-east of the county. In the 2001 Census it had a population of 255. It is situated within Ferm ...
during the 1970s and 1980s, and that the Diocese of Clogher had since made civil settlements with the claimants. 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.


Selected works

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


References


External links

* *
Irish bishops back Nice treaty
– BBC News article dated Tuesday, 8 October 2002, quoting Duffy's views on the
Treaty of Nice The Treaty of Nice was signed by European leaders on 26 February 2001 and came into force on 1 February 2003. It amended the Maastricht Treaty (or the Treaty on European Union) and the Treaty of Rome (or the Treaty establishing the European C ...

Clogher Diocese
{{DEFAULTSORT:Duffy, Joseph 1934 births Living people People educated at St Macartan's College, Monaghan Alumni of St Patrick's College, Maynooth Roman Catholic bishops of Clogher Christian clergy from County Monaghan 20th-century Roman Catholic bishops in Ireland 21st-century Roman Catholic bishops in Ireland Translators of the Bible into Irish 20th-century Irish translators 21st-century translators Writers from County Monaghan Bishops appointed by Pope John Paul II