Seán Brady (born 16 August 1939) is an Irish prelate who is a Cardinal of the Catholic Church. He was Roman Catholic Archbishop of Armagh and Roman Catholic Primate of All Ireland from 1996 until 2014. He was elevated to the rank of cardinal by Pope Benedict XVI in the consistory on 24 November 2007. He left office in 2014 and was succeeded by Eamon Martin, who had served as Coadjutor Archbishop of Armagh since 2013.
Seán Brady was born in Drumcalpin, near Laragh, County Cavan, to Andrew (d. 1968) and Annie (d. 1990) Brady. One of three children, he has a brother, Con, and a sister, Kitty. He attended Caulfield National School in Laragh and St Patrick's College in Cavan.
In 1957 he entered Maynooth College where he later obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree in Ancient Classics in 1960. He then proceeded to study in Rome at the Pontifical Irish College and Pontifical Lateran University, where he earned a Licentiate in Sacred Theology in 1964. He received a Doctorate in Canon Law at the Lateran University in 1967.
Brady was ordained to the priesthood by Luigi Traglia on 22 February 1964. Finishing his studies at the Pontifical Lateran University, he there earned a doctorate in canon law in 1967.
On his return to Ireland in 1967 he was appointed to the staff of his alma mater of St. Patrick's in Cavan where he remained until 1980. He taught a variety of subjects including Latin, Commerce, Religion, and French, as well as training college football teams at all age levels.
While he was teaching at the school, in 1975, he was present when children signed vows of silence over allegations against a paedophile priest. One of the victims gave him a list of other children being abused by Brendan Smyth, who was convicted in 1994 of dozens of offences over a 40-year period. In his capacity as a notary, he handed over signed statements from the witnesses to his bishop, but did not notify civil authorities. Commenting on coverage of these events in 2012, Brady said that the BBC programme This World had "set out to deliberately exaggerate and misrepresent my role".
When it was announced at the start of summer 1979 that Pope John Paul II would visit Ireland at the end of September there was an urgency for priests with available time, language skills and organisational ability. Brady took a leading (if often understated) role in the practical planning of this historic visit. The following year he returned to Rome as Vice-rector (1980–1987) and later rector (1987–1993) of the Pontifical Irish College. In 1990, he introduced Jack Charlton and the national football team to Pope John Paul II. Following his return to his native country, Brady became parish priest of Castletara (Ballyhaise) in 1993.
On 13 December 1994, Brady was appointed as the Coadjutor Archbishop of Armagh by John Paul II. He received his episcopal consecration on 19 February 1995 from Cahal Cardinal Daly, with Archbishop Emanuele Gerada and Bishop Gerard Clifford serving as co-consecrators, at St. Patrick's Cathedral. He selected as his episcopal motto: Jesum Christum Cognoscere, meaning: "To Know Jesus Christ" (John 17:3).
Upon Cardinal Daly's retirement on 1 October 1996, Archbishop Brady automatically became Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland and was formally enthroned as Metropolitan Archbishop on the following 3 November. He presided over Cardinal Daly's funeral services in January 2010.
On 8 September 2014 it was announced that the Pope had accepted Cardinal Brady's resignation effective that day; Brady was automatically and immediately succeeded by his coadjutor, Archbishop Eamon Martin.
On 24 November 2007, Archbishop Brady was created Cardinal-Priest of Santi Quirico e Giulitta as a symbol of the new cardinal's role in helping the pontiff to minister to the diocese of Rome. Following his elevation to the cardinalate, he joined Cahal Cardinal Daly, Desmond Cardinal Connell and Keith Cardinal O'Brien as one of four living Irish cardinals, a record in Irish history. Senior Vatican figures suggested that the archbishop's positive contribution to the Northern Ireland peace process weighed heavily in Pope Benedict's decision to make him a Cardinal.
Cardinal Brady, as Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland, was elected President of the Irish Episcopal Conference.
On 12 June 2008, Pope Benedict named him a member of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity and the Pontifical Council for Culture.
He was one of the cardinal electors who participated in the 2013 papal conclave that elected Pope Francis.
He also served as the Grand Prior of the Lieutenancy of Ireland, of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem, a centuries-old Order of Chivalry dedicated to supporting the Christians of the Holy Land.
In April 2010, Cardinal Brady, who was under pressure to resign and had publicly stated he was considering his position over his role in the cover-up of the activities of a paedophile priest, was officiating at a confirmation ceremony in the parish church of Kildress in County Tyrone, when he fell ill. He remained in a conscious state while waiting for an ambulance to arrive at the church. He is known to suffer from a blood pressure condition. He was admitted to Craigavon Area Hospital for observation.
On 4 November 2008, Cardinal Brady criticised the Government's plan allowing for the recognition of cohabiting and same-sex couples, describing the plan in the negative sense as "perhaps the greatest revolution in the history of the Irish family" and that instead the Government were obliged by the Constitution to guard the institution of marriage "with special care".
Irish overseas development budget