Dublin’s Archbishop Diarmuid Martin has moved to quash rumours that he submitted his resignation to Pope Francis in 2015, five years before he would have been expected to do so.
The Irish Times reported last week: “It is said that Archbishop Martin’s letter of resignation was submitted to Rome in 2015 when he reached the age of 70.”
Asked about this on RTÉ, however, Archbishop Martin rejected the claim, saying, “I didn’t submit my resignation five years ago.”
Pointing out, how-ever, that this year he will have been Archbishop of Dublin for 15 years, Dr Martin said: “Times have changed. As you get to a certain age you begin to realise that your capacities are different, that times are changing. I believe that probably it’d be good, not just that I retire but that there be a different leadership for the Church in Ireland, a younger one, because we’re facing very dif-ferent changes. It’s a very different Church.”
When he steps down, he added, is “up to the Pope”.