LIVERPOOL, England (OSV News) — Pope Francis has conferred cathedral status on the Church of St. Mary on the Isle of Man, an island in the Irish Sea between Great Britain and the Republic of Ireland. This designation comes after Douglas, its capital, was granted city status by the British government last year.
The Isle of Man is served by the Archdiocese of Liverpool, whose headquarters are some 80 miles away on the English mainland, meaning that there are now two cathedrals under the same archbishop.
The Church of St. Mary will be called a co-cathedral while the main seat of Archbishop Malcolm McMahon of Liverpool will remain with the Metropolitan Cathedral of Christ the King in Liverpool city center.
Co-cathedrals are rare and usually come into existence either when two dioceses, each with their own cathedral, are merged or when a single diocese spans two distinct civil jurisdictions.
In this case, Pope Francis was petitioned by Archbishop McMahon, with the support of canon lawyers, to create a co-cathedral after Douglas was upgraded to a city as part of the late Queen Elizabeth II’s platinum jubilee celebrations of 2022.
New co-cathedral is an honor for Douglas
Msgr. John Devine, parish priest of St. Mary, said in a statement posted on the website of the bishops’ conference of England and Wales in late September that the request was supported by Anglican Bishop Peter Eagles of Sodor and Man, the chief executive of the Douglas Borough Council and the president of Tynwald, the Isle of Man government.
Msgr. Devine said that “it is not just an honor for Douglas, but it acknowledges the unique faith story of the Isle of Man.”
“Christianity in the Isle of Man traces its roots to the time of St. Patrick and St. Maughold in the fifth century,” he said, but there is “limited appreciation of the unique history and traditions of the Manx (Isle of Man) church in the rest of the archdiocese.”
“Similarly, few of the island’s Catholics identify with Liverpool. However, rather than separating them further, the granting of co-cathedral status to St. Mary’s will raise consciousness in Liverpool to the riches of the Manx (Isle of Man) church.”
Archbishop McMahon, a Dominican, said in a statement also posted on the bishops’ conference website that he welcomed the designation with “great joy.”
“The Isle of Man is a significant part of our archdiocese, it constitutes one third of its land mass and the island’s Catholic community has increasing diversity with parishioners coming from many different parts of the world,” he said.
“It is fantastic that we can acknowledge this with the announcement of a co-cathedral — a status that is rare in the Catholic Church. It is something that everyone on the island will take great pride in,” he added.
Plans are under way for an official ceremony during which Archbishop McMahon will formally take possession of his seat to mark the church becoming a cathedral.
