Brady’s successor aims to heal wounded flock

The future head of the Catholic Church in Ireland vows to work to heal the wounds of those who have lost trust in the institution.

Eamon Martin, 52, yesterday became Coadjutor Archbishop of Armagh and will act as an assistant to Cardinal Sean Brady for at least another two years before he succeeds him.

At his ordination ceremony in St Patrick’s Cathedral in Armagh yesterday, he said the time had come to “sing a new song to the Lord”: “Of course, there are some who will not want to listen.

“There are others too who have been so hurt and betrayed in the past, that understandably they find themselves unable to trust our message.

“That is why we must continue, as Pope Benedict XVI exhorted us in his letter, ‘to reflect on the wounds inflicted on Christ’s body’, and persevere in our efforts to bind those wounds and heal them.”

Archbishop Martin said he felt a mixture of emotions on being chosen for the role: “Excitement, nervousness, a sense of my unworthiness and inadequacy.”

He then referred to Pope Francis’s call to reach out to people: “Pope Francis has spoken recently about the need to ‘go out of ourselves’, beyond our usual comfort zones to the ‘edges of our existence’.

“It is there, he says, that we meet the poor, the forgotten, the disillusioned.

“And there we must sing our new song in a way which will speak to the reality of their daily lives, with all their hurts and burdens and troubles. The only way we can do that is by singing about God’s mercy and love for each one of us personally.”