John Buckley

John Buckley (born 2 November 1939) is an Irish former Roman Catholic prelate who served as Bishop of Cork and Ross between 1998 and 2019.

Early life and education Buckley was born in Gruaige, Inchigeela, County Cork on 2 November 1939.

He is an accomplished road bowler, a sport which was described as being "like a virus for which there is no cure".

Buckley studied for the priesthood at St Patrick's College, Maynooth, and was subsequently ordained a priest for the Diocese of Cork and Ross on 20 June 1965.

Episcopal ministry

Auxiliary Bishop of Cork and Ross Buckley was appointed auxiliary bishop of Cork and Ross and titular bishop of Leptis Magna by Pope John Paul II on 16 March 1984. He was consecrated by the Bishop of Cork and Ross, Michael Murphy, on 29 April at the Cathedral of St Mary and St Anne, Cork.

Following the death of Murphy on 7 October 1996, Buckley was appointed diocesan administrator on 10 October.

Bishop of Cork and Ross Buckley was appointed Bishop of Cork and Ross by Pope John Paul II on 19 December 1997.

He was installed on 8 February 1998 at the Cathedral of St Mary and St Anne, Cork.

Following his installation, Buckley did not move into the episcopal palace, continuing to live at a house in Turners Cross instead.

Buckley also supported calls by campaigners to make a mass grave for Magdalene women at Sunday's Well more accessible to the public, which followed his call for the remains of Little Nellie, considered the "unofficial patron saint of Cork", to be exhumed.

During his episcopate, Buckley also served as a member of the commission for pastoral care of the Irish Catholic Bishops' Conference, and chaired its council on healthcare.