Dublin celebrated this Tuesday a historic event: St. Mary’s Pro-Cathedral, considered for two centuries the «temporary» seat of the archbishopric, has been officially elevated to full cathedral by decree of Pope Leo XIV. The decision was announced during the Mass presided over by Archbishop Dermot Farrell, coinciding with the bicentennial of the temple’s dedication in honor of St. Laurence O’Toole.
Since the Reformation, Dublin had no Catholic cathedral, and the Pro-Cathedral had de facto fulfilled that role without formal recognition. With the pontifical decree, the city finally recovers its cathedral.
A response to the history and the pastoral heart of the city
«The Holy Father has approved by decree that St. Mary be designated as the Cathedral of our archdiocese,» announced Archbishop Farrell with evident emotion before the assembly. He emphasized that the elevation of the temple recognizes not only its history but also its mission in the center of a community marked by poverty, loneliness, and lack of basic resources.
The prelate recalled that the cathedral must be «a place for the people, a space of encounter with Christ that shapes our life and our mission.» In the face of current challenges—the loss of vitality in the practice of faith, secularization, and growing marginality in the urban heart—the archbishop pointed out that the new cathedral is called to be «a refuge, a sanctuary, an open home for all.»
A decision celebrated by the local community
According to local media such as the Irish Independent, the papal gesture was received with enthusiasm in the north side of Dublin’s center, where the cathedral is located. Councilor Nial Ring described the day as «truly historic» for the city and, especially, for his local community. He recalled that, under its «Pro Tempore» designation, the temple had been a symbol of faith and resistance for two centuries.
Ring also highlighted that the decision corrects the course in the face of proposals from two years ago that sought to designate St. Andrew’s Church as the cathedral, which would have meant, he said, «an unfair degradation» of the Pro-Cathedral. «The new designation is a recognition that the north center of the city is the true spiritual heart of Dublin,» he affirmed.
A milestone for the Irish Church
The elevation of St. Mary also represents a significant gesture toward the Catholic community of Ireland, which is going through difficult times. Celebrated exactly 200 years after its inauguration, Pope Leo XIV’s decision underscores the continuity of a living tradition and gratitude to generations of faithful who sustained their church even before Catholic emancipation.
«Today we give thanks with joy,» concluded Archbishop Farrell, recalling that the original project was born in times of restrictions and courage, and that its culmination now arrives as a sign of renewed hope for the Church in Ireland.