Bishop of Cashel, Ferns, & Ossory Elected Bishop of Tuam, Limerick, & Killaloe
One of the leading theological liberals of the Church of Ireland, The Rt Revd Michael Burrows, was elected to become the first bishop of the combined dioceses of Tuam, Limerick, & Killaloe. The episcopal Electoral College was held in Dublin at Christ Church Cathedral on 14 January.
The affable cleric will replace two bishops, Kearon and Rooke, who retired from their duties on 31 October 2021.
The Bishop-Elect remarked: “I am grateful to the Electoral College for their affirmation and trust. I leave a diocese which I have greatly loved after nearly 16 years, having learned so much from them, but clearly it is a time to embrace the new challenge of a new diocese and I look forward to working to cement the new United Dioceses of Tuam, Limerick and Killaloe and serving God’s people there.”
In 2014, Bishop Burrows debated the Revd Professor Robert A. J. Gagnon on the “The Bible, Belief and Human Sexuality” at a gathering at the Church of Ireland Theological Institute in Dublin.
The Revd Professor Robert A. J. Gagnon is considered the foremost exegete on the subject of biblical sexual ethics. His book, “The Bible and Homosexual Practice: Texts and Hermeneutics” is a standard textbook in orthodox training institutions. The full debate between Burrows and Gagnon can still be viewed on YouTube.
Bishop Michael Jackson, Archbishop of Dublin said of Burrows’ election: “Bishop Michael Burrows has served the Church of God and the Church of Ireland assiduously as deacon, priest and bishop. The clergy and people of Cashel, Ferns and Ossory have been greatly enriched by his commitment, compassion and energy. He will readily invest all these qualities in the life of Tuam, Limerick and Killaloe. I wish him all that is best in his new diocese under God.”
