Theologian hits out at Archbishop Connell's appointment

A leading Catholic theologian has criticised the Vatican's decision to appoint Archbishop of Dublin Desmond Connell a cardinal as "ill-judged and insensitive".

Fr Oliver Rafferty, Prof of Ecclesiastical History at Maynooth College said the

move was a departure from the unifying gesture of having a cardinal based in Armagh.

Fr Rafferty said that Armagh has a symbolic value of uniting the country ecclesiastically because its diocese straddles the border, particularly as the peace process is currently going through a difficult stage.