Dermot J. Ryan (26 June 1924 – 21 February 1985) was the

Roman Catholic Archbishop of Dublin The Archbishop of Dublin ( ga, Ard-Easpag Bhaile Átha Cliath) is the head of the Archdiocese of Dublin in the Catholic Church, responsible for its spiritual and administrative needs. The office has existed since 1152, in succession to a regula ...

, Ireland from 1972 until 1984.

Early life and education

Born Dermot Joseph Ryan in 1924, to Andrew Ryan a medical doctor and Therese nee McKenna, in Clondalkin, Dublin. In 1932 went to Belvedere College, Dublin. In 1942 he entered Holy Cross College, Clonliffe, and graduated with a first in Hebrew and Aramaic in UCD in 1945, he spent a year in

Maynooth Maynooth (; ga, Maigh Nuad) is a university town in north County Kildare, Ireland. It is home to Maynooth University (part of the National University of Ireland and also known as the National University of Ireland, Maynooth) and St Patrick's ...

before attending the

Irish College in Rome The Pontifical Irish College is a Roman Catholic seminary for the training and education of priests, in Rome. The College is located at #1, Via dei Santi Quattro, and serves as a residence for clerical students from all over the world. Designated ...

gaining his BD in 1948 at the St. John Lateran University, Rome, and returned Clonliffe to complete his formation, where he was ordained, a priest on 28 May 28, 1950. Ryan returned to Rome to study at the

Pontifical Gregorian University The Pontifical Gregorian University ( it, Pontificia Università Gregoriana; also known as the Gregorian or Gregoriana,) is a higher education ecclesiastical school ( pontifical university) located in Rome, Italy. The Gregorian originated as ...

, gaining a licentiate in sacred theology in 1952. In 1954 he was awarded an MA in Semitic Languages from the NUI and followed by a licentiate in sacred scripture at the

Pontifical Biblical Institute The Pontifical Biblical Institute (also known as Biblicum) is a research and postgraduate teaching institution specialised in biblical and ancient Near Eastern studies. It is an institution of the Holy See entrusted to the Society of Jesus. His ...

Professor and scholar

Dermot Ryan, a native of Dublin was Professor of Oriental Languages at

University College Dublin University College Dublin (commonly referred to as UCD) ( ga, Coláiste na hOllscoile, Baile Átha Cliath) is a public research university in Dublin, Ireland, and a member institution of the National University of Ireland. With 33,284 student ...

before his appointment by

Pope Paul VI Pope Paul VI ( la, Paulus VI; it, Paolo VI; born Giovanni Battista Enrico Antonio Maria Montini, ; 26 September 18976 August 1978) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 21 June 1963 to his death in Augus ...

as Archbishop of Dublin and Primate of Ireland on 29 December 1971. Maintaining his connection and interest in oriental studies he served as chairman of the trustees of the

Chester Beatty Library The Chester Beatty Library, now known as the Chester Beatty, is a museum and library in Dublin. It was established in Ireland in 1950, to house the collections of mining magnate, Sir Alfred Chester Beatty. The present museum, on the grounds of ...

from 1978-1984. He was ordained a bishop by

in Rome assisted by Cardinals

Bernard Alfrink Bernardus Johannes Alfrink (5 July 1900 – 17 December 1987) was a Dutch Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Archbishop of Utrecht from 1955 to 1975, and was elevated to the cardinalate in 1960. Biography Born in Nijkerk, ...

and

William Conway William, Bill, or Billy Conway may refer to: * William Conway (Arkansas judge) (1805–1852), Justice of the Arkansas Supreme Court * William Conway (cardinal) (1913–1977), Irish cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church * William Conway (Irish rep ...

(Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland), on 13 February 1972. At the time of his appointment, he was seen as a liberal and a reformer in the Church.

Diocesan expansion

During his term, he consolidated much of the expansion of the Archdiocese which had taken place during the term of his predecessor. He also oversaw the fuller implementation of the reforms of

Vatican II The Second Ecumenical Council of the Vatican, commonly known as the , or , was the 21st ecumenical council of the Roman Catholic Church. The council met in St. Peter's Basilica in Rome for four periods (or sessions), each lasting between 8 and ...

. He was particularly interested in liturgical reform.

Social opinions and activities

Seen as a Liberal, following the episcopacy of McQuaid, in november 1972 Dr. Ryan became the first Roman catholic archbishop to attend a

Church of Ireland The Church of Ireland ( ga, Eaglais na hÉireann, ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Kirk o Airlann, ) is a Christian church in Ireland and an autonomous province of the Anglican Communion. It is organised on an all-Ireland basis and is the secon ...

service in Christ Church cathedral and held an interdenominational service in the pro-cathedral. was also a supported ‘Ballymascanlon talks’ an inter-church, initiative to try to bring communities together and peace to Northern Ireland. Archbishop Ryan also took a traditional stand on social issues, including poverty, family life and opposition to

abortion Abortion is the termination of a pregnancy by removal or expulsion of an embryo or fetus. An abortion that occurs without intervention is known as a miscarriage or "spontaneous abortion"; these occur in approximately 30% to 40% of pre ...

. He strongly promoted the

Eighth Amendment of the Constitution of Ireland The Eighth Amendment of the Constitution Act 1983 was an amendment to the Constitution of Ireland which inserted a subsection recognising the equal right to life of the pregnant woman and the unborn. Abortion had been subject to criminal penal ...

in 1983, granting the equal right to life to mother and unborn. He was named in the

Murphy Report The Murphy Report is the brief name of the report of a Commission of investigation conducted by the Irish government into the sexual abuse scandal in the Catholic archdiocese of Dublin. It was released in 2009 by Judge Yvonne Murphy, only a few ...

on sexual abuse of children in Dublin; his actions in respect of complaints against priest Fr. McNamee were described in the report as "an example of how, throughout the 1970s, the church authorities were more concerned with the scandal that would be created by revealing Fr McNamee’s abuse rather than any concern for the abused". He also did not act on complaints against other priests who were also subsequently confirmed to be abusers.

Archbishop Ryan Park

As Archbishop he gave the people of Dublin a public park on a site earmarked by his predecessors for a proposed cathedral; it was named "Archbishop Ryan Park" in his honour. The land, at

Merrion Square Merrion Square () is a Georgian garden square on the southside of Dublin city centre. History The square was laid out in 1752 by the estate of Viscount FitzWilliam and was largely complete by the beginning of the 19th century. The demand fo ...

, was a gift from the Archbishop to the city of Dublin. In January 2010, after Ryan had been criticised in the

the previous year, Dublin City Council sought public views on renaming the Park; in 2010 it was renamed Merrion Square Park by the City Council. He also served as Pro-Prefect of

Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples A congregation is a large gathering of people, often for the purpose of worship. Congregation may also refer to: * Church (congregation), a Christian organization meeting in a particular place for worship *Congregation (Roman Curia), an administr ...

from 8 April 1984 until his death in Rome, following a heart attack at the age of 60.

References

External links

Biography on catholic-hierarchy.org

Article about child abuse
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ryan, Dermot J. 1924 births 1985 deaths Roman Catholic archbishops of Dublin People from Clondalkin Members of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples 20th-century Roman Catholic archbishops in Ireland Ecclesiastical passivity to Catholic sexual abuse cases People educated at Belvedere College Alumni of University College Dublin Alumni of Clonliffe College Pontifical Gregorian University alumni Pontifical Lateran University alumni Alumni of the National University of Ireland Pontifical Biblical Institute alumni