So episcopal appointments - three in the last few weeks. Clearly the idea of reorganising the dioceses and combining some smaller ones seems to be off the agenda (or is it, afterall Limerick, Cloyne and Armagh are big dioceses - maybe we'll know more when Clonfert or Killala become vacant).
What can we tell from the selection?
Well none of them is from the diocese to which he has been appointed. I would say that's significant, particularly as appointing Eamon Martin to Armagh leaves Derry without an obvious candidate. Donal Mc Keown anyone?
They're young, 51, 52 and 60. So these are no interim appointments - this is it for 15-25 years (Ed: of course they could be being put in place with a diocesan reorganisation in mind - Cloyne with Kerry or Cork?).
They aren't remotely radical, at least on the face of it. A canon from Kerry, a dogma professor from Maynooth and president of a diocesan college. Looks very much like business as usual, only hopefully not tainted by the child abuse crisis. And speaking of which, Noel Treanor's spat last year with Ian Elliot, head of the child protection office, seems to have scuppered his chance for Armagh. It was interesting that Eamon Martin mentioned Elliot in his first interview.
Of course a problem remains, like Norman Bates's mother in the cellar, is Cardinal Brady. I doubt he'll go too quickly or quietly and even if he does, he'll remain the cardinal. And that means that should the Holy Father go to his reward in the next six years it will be Cardinal Brady voting. Which means that every news story connected with the Pope will have a reference to Cardinal Brady's pa
st history, for the anti-Catholic media the gift that keeps on giving.
Someone asked me where the title was from - it's a quote from Norman Bates in Psycho, talking about the motel after the highway passed them by.
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