Thaddeus McCarthy

: For the New Zealand judge, see Thaddeus McCarthy (jurist)

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Blessed Thaddeus McCarthy (c. 1455 - October 25, 1492) was an Irish bishop. His feast day is October 25. (The date of his death is sometimes given as October 24, 1492.)

Related Topics:
1455 - October 25 - 1492 - Irish - Bishop - Feast day - October 24

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At the age of 27 he was appointed Bishop of Ross by Pope Sixtus IV. On May 3, 1482 Thaddeus was consecrated in the Church of St. Stephen, Rome. When he returned to Munster he discovered that the see was already in the possession of Bishop Hugh O'Driscoll, who had been appointed to the see in 1473 by the same Pope Sixtus. Bishop O'Driscoll assumed Thaddeus was an imposter and complained to Rome. Strangely, in 1483 Pope Sixtus excommunicated Thaddeus. In Ireland, Thaddeus assumed the excommunication to be a forgery and refused to accept it.

Related Topics:
Pope Sixtus IV - May 3 - 1482 - Rome - Munster - See - Hugh O'Driscoll - 1473 - 1483

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In 1488 Pope Innocent VIII confirmed the excommunication, at which time Thaddeus appealed to the Pope. A commission found in Thaddeus' favor, and the excommunication was nullified. He was then appointed Bishop of Cork and Cloyne on April 21, 1490.

Related Topics:
1488 - Pope Innocent VIII - Cork - Cloyne - April 21 - 1490

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Returning to Munster, Thaddeus found that Gerald FitzGerald had usurped the Diocese of Cork and Cloyne with support from local rulers. Thaddeus returned to Rome, where he obtained the excommunication of FitzGerald. However, on his return trip he fell ill and died in Ivrea, Piedmont. The local bishop had a saintly vision of Thaddeus at the moment of his death. He was buried in the Ivrea cathedral and many miracles have been attributed to him there. In 1742, when his tomb was opened, the body was found to be perfectly preserved. Pope Leo XIII beatified Thaddeus in 1896.

Related Topics:
Gerald FitzGerald - Ivrea - 1742 - Pope Leo XIII - Beatified - 1896

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