Churchgoers gather to welcome Archbishop Martin

Churchgoers gathered in the Dublin rain today to greet the man who will take on one of the most high-profile jobs in the Catholic Church in Ireland.

Archbishop Diarmuid Martin smiled and joked with parishioners after it was announced he is to succeed Cardinal Desmond Connell as the new Archbishop of Dublin.

The 58-year-old Dubliner – who is successor-in-waiting until Cardinal Connell’s resignation is accepted – promised to help victims of the sex abuse scandal that has rocked the Catholic Church in Ireland.

Speaking after a Mass at the Dublin Pro-Cathedral he said: “I am aware that there are those for whom meaning and hope were lost in their lives through the actions of church personnel.

“Their hurt is all the greater if they feel betrayed by someone they turned to in trust.”

He told reporters that he meant this “very very deeply“.

The Catholic Church has come under severe criticism in recent months for its handling of allegations of clerical sexual abuse across the country.

Archbishop Martin also said he would work to turn around the dwindling numbers of churchgoers by encouraging “laypeople, priests, men and women” to be stronger in their faith.

Asked about the time he arranged for U2 singer Bono to meet the Pope he said: “I appreciate what he (Bono) does in the area of this fight against poverty which we are all very committed to.”

But asked whether he listened to his records, he answered: “I’m afraid not.”

After Cardinal Connell officially announced Archbishop Martin as his coadjutor - or assistant – worshippers flocked to greet him.

Mary Dawson, 78, of Skerries in Dublin, was one of the first to shake hands with Archbishop Martin outside the Pro-Cathedral.

“I don’t always come to Mass on a Saturday and wasn’t expecting him at all,” she said afterwards. “We welcome him, we need him and I feel he is a very good man.”

Sister Deirdre Mellett of Donegal, who attended with her two sisters, said: “I was very impressed by him. “He sounded very positive and he’s a Dubliner. He’s a real gift to the Church.”

Cardinal Connell, 77, welcomed the new appointment. He said: “This is a wonderful day for us. I know that the Lord will bless our new coadjutor.”

Asked if he would like to go to Rome once he has finished as Archbishop of Dublin, he replied: “No, I’m a Dublin man. I have always lived here, I couldn’t live anywhere else. Why should I go to Rome?”

Although he was officially announced coadjutor today, Archbishop Martin will not begin as assistant until he has disengaged from his other duties as the Holy See’s Permanent Observer at the UN in Geneva.

He will then replace Cardinal Connell as archbishop on his retirement.

Cardinal Connell handed in his resignation to the Vatican two years ago but must wait until the Pope decides to accept this before he can finish.