Cork-born Archbishop dies following globetrotting career

Patrick Coveny spent much of his life spreading Catholicism across the world 

Patrick Coveney pictured in Crosshaven, Cork, where he settled for retirement in 2009. Picture: Dan Linehan

Cork-born Archbishop Patrick Coveney has died at the age of 88, it has been announced.

The archbishop, who was living in Crosshaven, Co Cork, died unexpectedly at his home on Saturday.

Born in 1934 in the parish of Tracton Abbey, south of Cork City, Archbishop Patrick Coveney led a globetrotting life spanning all continents.

In 1959, he was ordained as a priest in Rome for the Diocese of Cork and Ross, before being sent to Birmingham for a year. He joined the staff of St Finbarr’s seminary in Farranferris, Co Cork from 1960 to 1966.

Soon after, he began what would be a long career of spreading Catholicism around the world.

Global mission

The archbishop worked in the Vatican in the late 1960s, before moving to Argentina in 1972 to serve as secretary to the apostolic nuncio (ecclesiastical diplomat). He returned to Rome between 1976 and 1982 to join the secretariat of state at the Vatican.

The archbishop then spent two years in New Delhi, India and one year in Khartoum, Sudan.

In September 1985 he became a titular archbishop in the Cathedral of St Mary and St Anne in the Cork and Ross diocese, and was appointed as apostolic pro-nuncio to Zimbabwe, and apostolic delegate to Mozambique until 1990.

He then spent time in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and Djibouti until 1996 when he left for New Zealand. There he lived in Wellington as apostolic nuncio until 2005. 

During this period he also worked in Samoa, Tonga, Marshall Islands, Fiji, Kiribati, Federated States of Micronesia, Vanuatu, Nauru, Cook Islands, and Palau.

He was appointed in 2005 as apostolic nuncio to Greece, and lived in Athens until his retirement in 2009.

The archbishop returned to Crosshaven parish and assisted the church in his spare time at the invitation of the Bishop of Cork and Ross.

He is survived by his sister Nora (Murphy), sister-in-law Molly Coveney, nephews, nieces, grandnephews and grandnieces.

His funeral will take place tomorrow in St Brigid’s Church in Crosshaven at 11am, where a burial will follow in Ballyfeard cemetery.