By Patrick Muldoon
Mullingar native Fr Paul Connell has been appointed by Pope Francis as Bishop of Ardagh and Clonmacnois.
The news of his appointment was made public on Wednesday last (5 April) by Monsignor Julien Kaboré, Chargé d’Affaires of the Apostolic Nunciature in Ireland, at St Mel’s Cathedral, Longford.
“It was a huge surprise to me. I obviously wasn’t expecting anything of this nature,” Bishop-elect Connell told Topic.
“And so when I got the call to visit the Apostolic Nunciature last week, I was quite shocked. But I have to say that Monsignor Julien Kaboré was very kind and pleasant in the way that he gave the news to me that Pope Francis had appointed me the Bishop of Ardagh and Clonmacnois.”
