Cardinal Seán Brady has described the late Bishop Gerard Clifford as a tireless and selfless peacemaker, whose ability to articulate his own position clearly and honestly won him the respect, and often the support, of people who initially disagreed with him.
The retired Archbishop of Armagh was speaking at Bishop Clifford's funeral Mass in Dundalk in his native Co Louth, at which the Cardinal also read a message from Pope Francis.
Dr Clifford, who had retired from ministry four years ago, died last weekend at the age of 75 following a long illness.
In 1991 the late Saint John Paul the Second appointed him as Auxiliary Bishop of Armagh where he assisted the late Cardinal Cahal Daly and then Cardinal Brady in leading the country's Primatial diocese.
In his homily in St Peter's Church in Dundalk, which is in the Archdiocese of Armagh, Cardinal Brady described his late assistant as "a dear friend, a good and faithful priest, (and) an outstanding brother bishop".
He extended the sympathy of all present to the late bishop's immediate and extended family, his friends and co-diocesans and to Elma Mulholland, "his devoted housekeeper".
Cardinal Brady singled out for praise "the heroic dedication" of the late bishop's sister, Rose during her brother's four years of great pain and suffering. He said he bore his ordeal with amazing strength and dignity - without complaint or self-pity, while uniting his suffering to that of Jesus Christ.
"Let us be grateful to God for his patience and acknowledge the help of all who comforted him," he said, praying that the bishop's sufferings "may inspire others to follow in his footsteps".
He continued: "For the harvest is great and the labourers are few. Archbishop Eamon (Eamon Martin, the current Primate of All Ireland) and the rest of the clergy need all the help we can get."
Dr Brady recalled meeting Gerry Clifford, as he referred to him, almost thirty years ago when, as Rector of the Irish College in Rome, he present his annual report to the Irish Bishops' Conference in Maynooth. The then Fr Clifford was Executive Secretary to the Conference, he recalled.
"It was the first of many such occasions when I was very pleased to have the reassuring presence of Gerry Clifford at my side," the Cardinal remarked.
He recounted that, late in 1994, he found his late friend's support and encouragement invaluable as they worked together in the Armagh Archdiocese, helping Cardinal Daly following the then Father Brady's appointment as Coadjutor Archbishop which put him in line to succeed Dr Daly.
"…During his years as Director of Religious Education he had gained the trust, the respect and the esteem of the priests, religious and teachers of the diocese. …..He teamed up with many others - priests and laity - to provide a top class advisory service in religious education at a time when it was badly needed.
"I also discovered that in his capacity as Diocesan Ecumenical Director [promoting Church Unity with other Christian denominations] , he had built a lot of precious contacts and made a lot of warm friendships with members of other Churches. These were to prove of immense value throughout the rest of his life in his work for greater understanding among Christian communities.
He believed that Dr Clifford and his brother bishop, the prominent ecumenist Anthony Farquhar, along with the late Church of Ireland Canon William Arlow, would agree with Pope Francis that "Unity instead of being the fruit of human effort, is a gift of God, a gift that can only be received by those who decide to set out for a goal which can sometimes appear far away".
[In 1975, Canon Arlow arranged an unprecedented meeting between leading Protestant churchmen and the IRA in Feakle, Co Clare, which laid the ground for a significant ceasefire that year.
The two men became close friends shortly afterwards when the Catholic Primate appointed the then Fr Clifford to liaise with the Canon who was tasked by the Irish Council of - Protestant - Churches with furthering reconciliation and Church unity here.]
The Cardinal continued: "But what keeps people like that going through the dark and difficult times is the joyful experience of glimpsing what unity would look like, even if it is not yet fully achieved".
He recalled that 'Bishop Gerry' had chosen as his motto "That they may be one".
"Certainly that is how he lived his own life - as a tireless and selfless peacemaker, an earnest and dependable bridge-builder. A man of remarkable good sense and sound judgment. He had the ability to listen respectfully and respond graciously. His ability to articulate his own position clearly and honestly won him the respect, and often the support, of people who may not have initially agreed with his position."
Pope Francis ‘saddened’ by death
The chief celebrant at the Funeral Mass was Archbishop Eamon Martin, the current Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland.
He read out a message of condolence from Pope Francis expressing his sadness on learning of Bishop Clifford's death and extending his heartfelt condolences to the clergy, religious and lay faithful of the Archdiocese.
The Pope's message continued: "United with you in prayerful thanksgiving for his generous and dedicated episcopal ministry in the service of education and ecumenism, His Holiness joins those gathered for the solemn funeral rites in commending the soul of the late Prelate to our Heavenly Father's merciful love."
Pope Francis said he was cordially imparting his Apostolic Blessing "as a pledge of peace and consolation in the Lord Jesus Christ".
After the Mass, Bishop Clifford was interred at Calvary Cemetery, Ravensdale, also in his native Co Louth.
