Philip Leo O'Reilly (born 10 April 1944) is an Irish former

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

prelate A prelate () is a high-ranking member of the Minister (Christianity), Christian clergy who is an Ordinary (church officer), ordinary or who ranks in precedence with ordinaries. The word derives from the Latin , the past participle of , which me ...

who served as

Bishop of Kilmore The Bishop of Kilmore is an episcopal title which takes its name after the parish of Kilmore, County Cavan in Ireland. In the Roman Catholic Church it remains a separate title, but in the Church of Ireland it has been united with other bisho ...

between 1998 and 2018.

Early life and education

O’Reilly was born in Corgreagh, Kill,

Cootehill Cootehill (; ) is a market town and townland in County Cavan, Ireland. Cootehill was formerly part of the neighbouring townland of Munnilly. Both townlands lie within the barony of Tullygarvey. Cootehill is 20 km north-east of Cavan tow ...

County Cavan County Cavan ( ; ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Ulster and is part of the Northern and Western Region. It is named after the town of Cavan and is based on the hi ...

on 10 April 1944, the son of Terence and Maureen O'Reilly. He later moved with his family to Kilconny,

Belturbet Belturbet (; ) is a town in County Cavan, Ireland. It lies on the N3 road, around north of Cavan town and from Dublin. It is also located around south of the border with County Fermanagh, part of Northern Ireland, and is from Enniskillen. ...

, attending primary school at Drumnatrade and Tullyvin National Schools and secondary school at

St Patrick's College, Cavan Saint Patrick's College () is a Roman Catholic all-male secondary school in County Cavan, Ireland. It was founded in 1871 as a minor and major seminary for the Diocese of Kilmore. It was officially opened by the Bishop of Kilmore, Dr Nicholas ...

. O'Reilly studied for the priesthood at St Patrick's College,

Maynooth Maynooth (; ) 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 College, Maynoo ...

, where he completed a

Bachelor of Science A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, B.S., B.Sc., SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree that is awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Scienc ...

and a

Bachelor of Divinity In Western universities, a Bachelor of Divinity or Baccalaureate in Divinity (BD, DB, or BDiv; ) is an academic degree awarded for a course taken in the study of divinity or related disciplines, such as theology or, rarely, religious studies. ...

. He was ordained to the priesthood for the Diocese of Kilmore on 15 June 1969.

Presbyteral ministry

Following ordination, O'Reilly's first diocesan appointment was as teacher at St Patrick's College until 1976, where he taught mathematics, science and religion. He went to

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

in 1976 for further studies, serving on the staff of the

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

between 1978 and 1980, and completing a

doctorate A doctorate (from Latin ''doctor'', meaning "teacher") or doctoral degree is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities and some other educational institutions, derived from the ancient formalism '' licentia docendi'' ("licence to teach ...

biblical theology Because scholars have tended to use the term in different ways, Biblical theology has been notoriously difficult to define. The academic field of biblical theology is sub-divided into Old Testament theology and New Testament theology. Academic ...

from the

Pontifical Gregorian University Pontifical Gregorian University (; also known as the Gregorian or Gregoriana), is a private university, private pontifical university in Rome, Italy. The Gregorian originated as a part of the Roman College, founded in 1551 by Ignatius of Loyo ...

in 1981. O'Reilly returned to the Diocese of Kilmore in 1981, where he was appointed chaplain to

Bailieborough Community School Bailieborough Community School, alternatively spelled as Bailieboro, and commonly referred to as BCS, is a community school located in the town of Bailieborough, County Cavan, Ireland. The school was an amalgamation of two previous schools in th ...

. Between 1988 and 1995, O'Reilly worked as a

missionary A missionary is a member of a Religious denomination, religious group who is sent into an area in order to promote its faith or provide services to people, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care, and economic development.Thoma ...

in the Diocese of Minna,

Nigeria Nigeria, officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf of Guinea in the Atlantic Ocean to the south. It covers an area of . With Demographics of Nigeria, ...

, where he later joined the staff of the national seminary of the Missionary Society of St Paul,

Abuja Abuja (; , ) is the capital city of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, strategically situated at the geographic midpoint of the country within the Federal Capital Territory (Nigeria), Federal Capital Territory (FCT). As the seat of the Federal G ...

. He returned to the Diocese of Kilmore in 1995, where he was appointed parish priest of Castletara (centred on

Ballyhaise Ballyhaise (; ) is a village in County Cavan, Ireland. It is situated approximately north-northeast of Cavan and 11 km, via the N54, from the border with County Fermanagh in Northern Ireland. The River Annalee flows near the village. ...

), succeeding his second cousin and the newly appointed

coadjutor archbishop The term "coadjutor" (literally "co-assister" in Latin) is a title qualifier indicating that the holder shares the office with another person, with powers equal to the other in all but formal order of precedence. These include: * Coadjutor bishop ...

Armagh Armagh ( ; , , " Macha's height") is a city and the county town of County Armagh, in Northern Ireland, as well as a civil parish. It is the ecclesiastical capital of Ireland – the seat of the Archbishops of Armagh, the Primates of All ...

Seán Brady Seán Brady or similar names may refer to: * Seán Brady (cardinal) (born 1939), Irish cardinal and former archbishop of Armagh * Sean Brady (fighter) (born 1992), American mixed martial artist * Seán Brady (Teachta Dála) (1890–1969), Fianna Fá ...

Episcopal ministry

Coadjutor Bishop of Kilmore

O'Reilly was appointed coadjutor bishop-elect of Kilmore by

Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II (born Karol Józef Wojtyła; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 16 October 1978 until Death and funeral of Pope John Paul II, his death in 2005. In his you ...

on 12 November 1996. He was consecrated by the

, Francis McKiernan, on 2 February 1997 in the

Cathedral of Saint Patrick and Saint Felim The Cathedral of Saint Patrick and Saint Felim, also known as Cavan Cathedral, is a Roman Catholic cathedral located in Cavan, Ireland. It is the seat of the Bishop of Kilmore, and the mother church of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Kilmore. H ...

Cavan Cavan ( ; ) is the county town of County Cavan in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. The town lies in Ulster, near the border with County Fermanagh in Northern Ireland. The town is bypassed by the main N3 road (Ireland), N3 road that links Dublin ( ...

Bishop of Kilmore

Following the retirement of McKiernan as Bishop of Kilmore on 16 October 1998, O'Reilly succeeded to the see with immediate effect. He was subsequently installed on 15 November in the Cathedral of Saint Patrick and Saint Felim, Cavan. On a national level, O'Reilly chaired the Commission for Education of the

Irish Catholic Bishops' Conference The Irish Catholic Bishops' Conference () is the episcopal conference of the Roman Catholic bishops in Ireland. The conference meets a number of times a year in Maynooth which is the location of St Patrick's College, Ireland's national seminary. ...

Child protection

A report published by the

National Board for Safeguarding Children in the Catholic Church The National Board for Safeguarding Children in Ireland (NBSCCCI or NBSCCC) established in 2006 in order to develop policies that would foster the prevention of child abuse in the Catholic Church in Ireland. Its main goals are to offer advice on ...

on 30 November 2011 found that the Diocese of Kilmore was a "model of best practice" in the area of

child protection Child protection (also called child welfare) is the safeguarding of children from violence, exploitation, abuse, abandonment, and neglect. It involves identifying signs of potential harm. This includes responding to allegations or suspicions ...

, mainly due to O'Reilly's "personal commitment and diligence". The report stated that allegations had been identified against seven priests in the diocese, all of which had been received since 1975, and that all allegations were addressed and reported to the

Garda Síochána (; meaning "the Guardian(s) of the Peace") is the national police and security service of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is more commonly referred to as the Gardaí (; "Guardians") or "the Guards". The service is headed by the Garda Commissio ...

and the

Health Service Executive The Health Service Executive (HSE) () is the publicly funded healthcare system in Ireland, responsible for the provision of health and personal social services. It came into operation on 1 January 2005. The current director-general is Berna ...

or preceding

health boards NHS Scotland, sometimes styled NHSScotland, is the publicly–funded healthcare system in Scotland and one of the four systems that make up the National Health Service in the United Kingdom. It operates 14 territorial NHS boards across Scotland ...

. It was also reported that no examples of "poor practice" were found following O'Reilly's elevation to the episcopate in 1998, and his approach to child protection was praised as an "excellent example" for others to follow. However, it was reported on 18 December that a priest at the centre of abuse allegations and complaints continued to live in a

parochial house A clergy house is the residence, or former residence, of one or more priests or ministers of a given religion, serving as both a home and a base for the occupant's ministry. Residences of this type can have a variety of names, such as manse, par ...

in the diocese, despite repeated requests from O'Reilly that he move to alternative accommodation.

Same-sex marriage

Ahead of a Constitutional Convention established by the

Government of Ireland The Government of Ireland () is the executive (government), executive authority of Republic of Ireland, Ireland, headed by the , the head of government. The government – also known as the cabinet (government), cabinet – is composed of Mini ...

in 2013 to consider permitting

same-sex marriage Same-sex marriage, also known as gay marriage, is the marriage of two people of the same legal Legal sex and gender, sex. marriage between same-sex couples is legally performed and recognized in 38 countries, with a total population of 1.5 ...

, O'Reilly questioned the length of time available to discuss the issue, adding that permitting same-sex marriage would see that the "roles of mother and father are to be consigned to history".

Abortion

O'Reilly referred to a 2012 decision by the Government of Ireland to legislate with regulations on abortion based on the

X Case ''Attorney General v X'' 9921 IR 1 (more commonly known as the "X Case") was a judgment of the Irish Supreme Court which established the right of Irish women to an abortion if a pregnant woman's life was at risk because of pregnancy, including th ...

as the "first step on the road to a culture of death", echoing a phrase popularised by Pope John Paul II in a

homily A homily (from Greek ὁμιλία, ''homilía'') is a commentary that follows a reading of scripture, giving the "public explanation of a sacred doctrine" or text. The works of Origen and John Chrysostom (known as Paschal Homily) are considered ...

marking

World Youth Day 1993 The 1993 World Youth Day was held on August 10–15, 1993 in Denver, Colorado. It was the first World Youth Day held in either North America or an English-speaking nation. The World Youth Day is an event for young people organized by the Roma ...

. Following the passing of a

referendum A referendum, plebiscite, or ballot measure is a Direct democracy, direct vote by the Constituency, electorate (rather than their Representative democracy, representatives) on a proposal, law, or political issue. A referendum may be either bin ...

on liberalising abortion laws on 25 May 2018, O'Reilly admitted that the

Catholic Church in Ireland The Catholic Church in Ireland, or Irish Catholic Church, is part of the worldwide Catholic Church in communion with the Holy See. With 3.5 million members (in the Republic of Ireland), it is the largest Christian church in Ireland. In ...

is in a "new reality" where it is no longer the dominant voice in society, adding that many people in Ireland were Catholic "by culture rather than convention".

Ordination of married men and women

Following a diocesan listening process, it was reported on 23 June 2015 that O'Reilly sought to discuss with his colleagues at the Irish Catholic Bishops' Conference the possibility of ordaining married men to the priesthood and women to the diaconate.

Retirement

It was announced on 31 December 2018 that O'Reilly had tendered his resignation to

Pope Francis Pope Francis (born Jorge Mario Bergoglio; 17 December 1936 – 21 April 2025) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 13 March 2013 until Death and funeral of Pope Francis, his death in 2025. He was the fi ...

on health grounds and in advance of his 75th birthday in accordance with

canon law Canon law (from , , a 'straight measuring rod, ruler') is a set of ordinances and regulations made by ecclesiastical jurisdiction, ecclesiastical authority (church leadership) for the government of a Christian organization or church and its membe ...

, and that it had been accepted with immediate effect.

References

External links

Bishop Philip Leo O'Reilly
on

Catholic-Hierarchy.org ''Catholic-Hierarchy.org'' is an online database of bishops and dioceses of the Latin Church and the 23 Eastern Catholic Churches that are in full communion with Rome. The website, not officially sanctioned by the Church, is run as a private pro ...

Bishop Philip Leo O'Reilly
on GCatholic {{DEFAULTSORT:Oreilly, Leo 1944 births Living people 20th-century Roman Catholic bishops in Ireland 21st-century Roman Catholic bishops in Ireland Roman Catholic bishops of Kilmore Pontifical Gregorian University alumni Alumni of St Patrick's College, Maynooth People educated at St Patrick's College, Cavan People from Cootehill Christian clergy from County Cavan