Bishop of Kildare and Leighlin Nulty was appointed
Bishop-elect of Kildare and Leighlin by
Pope Francis on 7 May 2013, becoming the youngest bishop in Ireland by succeeding the
Archbishop of Armagh,
Eamon Martin, by two years. He was
consecrated by the
Archbishop of Dublin,
Diarmuid Martin, on 4 August in the
Cathedral of the Assumption,
Carlow. In light of the Government decision to hold a
referendum on
same-sex marriage in 2015, Nulty emphasised in November 2013 said while there is always a need to
treat homosexuals with compassion, he added that the very nature of marriage and children and their importance to society are worth protecting, saying that "[the] Catholic Church will continue to hold that the differences between a man and woman are not accidental to marriage but fundamental to it and that children have a natural right to a mother and a father and that this is the best environment for them where possible". Ahead of a
referendum on
easing divorce restrictions in May 2019, he issued a statement suggesting that "the objective of the proposed referendum is not to support marriage, rather to liberalise divorce", and that "it is imperative that we continue to work together to promote marriage and family.”
Apostolic Administrator of Ossory Following the installation of
Dermot Farrell as Archbishop of Dublin on 2 February 2021, Nulty was announced as
Apostolic Administrator of
Ossory. He served in this role until the consecration of
Niall Coll as
Bishop of Ossory on 22 January 2023. Following the easing of restrictions brought about by the
COVID-19 pandemic, Nulty announced on 4 July that for the first time in living memory, a
confirmation ceremony would take place in the open-air surroundings of a
GAA stadium, with 392 primary school children from four parishes in
Kilkenny city receiving the sacrament on 9 September in
Nowlan Park, Kilkenny. A similar ceremony took place for 361 primary school children from seven schools in
Portlaoise on 18 September in
O'Moore Park, Portlaoise. == References ==