Eric D'Arcy

Joseph Eric D'Arcy (25 April 1924 - 12 December 2005) was the ninth Roman Catholic Archbishop of the Archbishop of Hobart, Tasmania, Australia from 1988 - 1999. Immediately prior to his appointment to Hobart, D'Arcy served as the sixth Bishop of the Diocese of Sale from 1981 to 1988.^[1]

Early years and background

Born in Melbourne, he was ordained as a priest of that city in 1949. After being educated at De La Salle College, Malvern, he graduated Bachelor and Master of Arts in the University of Melbourne before pursuing doctoral studies in philosophy at both Oxford and Rome (Gregorian).

He garnered unwanted notoriety in 1955, when a letter undersigned by him was leaked to the press confirming the existence of 'The Movement' (modelled on Catholic Action groups in Europe) within the Australian Labor Party. The resulting furore contributed to the Labor Split.^[2]

He taught in the Philosophy Department, University of Melbourne, eventually becoming its head, and was the author of Conscience and its Right to Freedom (Sheed and Ward, 1961) and Human Acts: an essay in their moral evaluation (Clarendon Press, 1963). He also participated as translator and commentator on the 60 volume English version of Thomas Aquinas' Summa.

Bishop of Sale and Archbishop of Hobart

He became Bishop of Sale, Victoria, in 1981 before his appointment to Hobart in 1988, and was Archbishop Emeritus of Hobart from his retirement in 1999 until his death in Melbourne in 2005, aged 81.

References

1. ↑ "Archbishop Joseph Eric D'Arcy". The Catholic Hierarchy. 19 February 2011. Retrieved 20 December 2011. 
2. ↑ Franklin, James (2003). Corrupting the Youth: A History of Philosophy in Australia. Macleay. p. 151.