AN IRISH PRIEST has been appointed to a senior position in the Vatican by Pope Francis.

Monsignor Paul Tighe, who worked as a priest in Dublin, held the position of secretary of a communications council in the Vatican for the past eight years.

This was aimed at reforming Vatican media, and was chaired by former BBC Trust chairman Chris Patten.

This morning Pope Francis approved his appointment as secretary of the Pontifical Council for Culture and titular bishop of Drivasto.

Born in 1958, Tighe was ordained in 1983 and his first appointment was as a parish chaplain and teacher in Ballyfermot.

Archbishop Diarmuid Martin described Tighe as “a person of integrity and competence, whose innovation in media relations has made a significant impact in the Church around the world”.

Martin added that Tighe’s previous appointment to the social communications council ‘a sign of the personal appreciation of Pope Francis for his work’.

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