Noel Treanor

Early life and education

Noel Treanor was born on 25 December 1950 at Silverstream, Co Monaghan, in the Parish of Tyholland in the Diocese of Clogher. He attended St Brigid’s National School, Leitrim, and completed his early education at St Mary’s C.B.S., Monaghan. He began, in 1968, his study of Arts and Philosophy at St. Patrick's College, Maynooth, and later, in 1971, the study of Theology, achieving his Licentiate in Sacred Theology, with special commendation, in 1977.

Priest and work in Europe

Ordained priest on 13 June 1976 in the Cathedral of St Macartan, in the Diocese of Clogher, Fr. Treanor was sent by his Bishop, Patrick Mulligan, to the Pontifical Irish College in Rome to pursue his studies of theology at the Pontifical Gregorian University. Recalled in 1980 by the new Bishop of the Diocese, Joseph Duffy, he was appointed assistant in the Cathedral parish, with charge of the local Catholic Marriage Advisory Council.

From 1981 to 1985, he again pursued the study of theology in Rome, while at the same time serving as Prefect of Studies at the Irish College.

Having returned to his Diocese in 1985, he was appointed Director of Adult Education. He also organised the Diocesan Assembly of the clergy that was held in 1986 to promote pastoral renewal within the Diocese.

Fr Treanor's next appointment was a curacy in Enniskillen, Co Fermanagh, where he also provided service at the general hospital and was active as a confessor at Lough Derg pilgrimage centre.

In 1989, he was sent to Brussels to work with COMECE. While deeply involved in the expanding endeavour of this Church body to project Christian values into the European process, he continued to engage in pastoral work through contact with the English-speaking community in the city-centre. He has also published and lectured widely on European construction issues, the Church and Europe, and Church-State matters.

On 31 March 1993, Fr Treanor was unanimously appointed Secretary General of COMECE for a three-year term and was reappointed for several successive terms since then. On 18 May 1994 he was nominated Chaplain to His Holiness.

He is fluent in English, French, German, Italian, Spanish and Irish.

Bishop

On the 22 February 2008, Pope Benedict XVI announced the appointment of Monsignor Treanor as Bishop of Down and Connor, in succession to Bishop Patrick Walsh, who had been Bishop of the Diocese since 1991.

Seán Cardinal Brady spoke to press of his delight at Bishop-elect Treanor's appointment:

Bishop-elect Treanor welcomed his new appointment as the 32nd Bishop of Down and Connor since the dioceses joined in 1453:

Monsignor Treanor was consecrated bishop of Down and Connor on 29 June 2008, the Feast of Saints Peter and Paul in St. Peter's Cathedral, Belfast, by Cardinal Brady (Principal Consecrator), with Patrick Walsh and Joseph Duffy (Principal Co-Consecrators). The newly consecrated Bishop also took possession of the Diocese of Down and Connor at the same ceremony.

The consecration of Monsignor Treanor as Bishop of Down and Connor was the first consecration of a newly appointed Bishop as Bishop of Down and Connor since the consecration of Daniel Mageean in 1929. Mageean's successor, William Philbin, was already Bishop of Clonfert. Bishop Philbin's successor, Cahal Daly, was already Bishop of Ardagh and Clonmacnoise and Daly's successor, Patrick Walsh, was already Auxiliary Bishop of Down and Connor.

In November 2009, Bishop Treanor described the findings of the Murphy Report as horrific and said that he was confident that his diocese had rid itself of all abusing priests.

On 11 May 2010, Bishop Noel Treanor attended the launch of the Pope John Paul II award in St Genevieves' High School in West Belfast.

In August 2010 Bishop Treanor expressed his support for an international, independent inquiry into the 11 killings carried out by the parachute regiment in the Ballymurphy area of west Belfast in 1971. Bishop Treanor was speaking at a press conference where previously undisclosed documents from church archives relating to the events were being made available for the first time. Bishop Treanor said: “As with Bloody Sunday, the reputations of those who were killed were actively besmirched and the evidence of the available eyewitnesses was either ignored or actively discredited. Indeed the events in Ballymurphy on August 9th-11th, 1971, would and perhaps should have been considered the necessary starting point for such an inquiry,” he added.

Lisbon Treaty

Bishop Treanor has said that Roman Catholics could vote in good conscience for the Lisbon Treaty. This provoked displeasure from pro-life groups who have argued that the European Court of Justice could eventually force the Irish State to overturn its anti-abortion laws if the treaty were passed.