BISHOP Michael Robert Kennedy is due to formally start his duties as the 10th Bishop of Maitland-Newcastle, with an installation mass at 6pm today at the Sacred Heart Cathedral at Newcastle West.
The 54-year-old, who had served as the Bishop of Armidale since December 2011, told the Newcastle Herald yesterday that he had received a warm welcome since his appointment was announced in early February.
He replaces the late Bishop Bill Wright, who resigned his position in September 2021 and who died of lung cancer that November.
Bishop Kennedy said he knew the sexual abuse chronicled by the Royal Commission had been a major issue for the Maitland-Newcastle diocese, and he recognised for the survivors and their supporters that the issues were still current, and not "historical", as the church had at times described the abuse.
"For them it is not historical, because they are living with their pain now," Bishop Kennedy said.
"I understand why the term historical has been used, but I don't think it helps."
In his official biography, Bishop Kennedy is described as the youngest of nine children in a Catholic family at Wagga Wagga, who taught at Albury's Xavier college before entering the seminary in 1992. He was ordained in 1999.
Asked where he stood, politically, within the church - whether he was a conservative or a reformer - Bishop Kennedy said he did not think labels were "very helpful".
"As a Bishop I believe in the Gospels, I believe in Jesus Christ and I see my job as proclaiming his Gospel and giving hope and encouragement to others," Bishop Kennedy said.
He said his attitude towards various social issues - including the rise of "LGBTIQA+" rights - was guided by what "the church permits".
He said Pope Francis often referred to "accompaniment" when referring to matters around sexuality and morality.
"We are not into telling people what you should be doing, but we are into accompanying people in the situations they are in, to help them to come to the fullness of faith and life," Bishop Kennedy said.
On the church's role in everyday life, Bishop Kennedy accepted its voice was not as powerful as it once was, but he said that was not necessarily a bad thing.
"Rather than speaking from the mountaintop, I think we're at our best when we speak from the plains, from where the people are," Bishop Kennedy said.
On his intentions as bishop, he said he was still meeting people and had "no definite plans" but "more broadly, I hope we can play a role in ensuring we remain joyful, hopeful and outwardly focused".
The diocesan bishop's residence is in Cathedral Street, Maitland, and Bishop Kennedy said he would be commuting daily to the offices in Newcastle.
Asked whether the 18 months it had taken to appoint a new bishop was a reflection of the diocese being a "poisoned chalice", Bishop Kennedy disagreed, and said the process typically took such a time, if not longer.
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