Patrick Buckley

Patrick "Pat" Buckley (born 1952), an Irish religious leader, was born in Tullamore, Co. Offaly, Ireland and is now living at The Oratory, Larne, County Antrim, Northern Ireland, a house which belonged to the Catholic Diocese of Down and Connor and which Fr Buckley refused to leave following his suspension from the priesthood in 1986 by the then Bishop, Cahal Daly.

He was ordained a Roman Catholic diocesan priest in 1976 in Waterford, Ireland by the local Roman Catholic Bishop of Waterford and Lismore, Dr. Michael Russell and subsequently ordained a bishop by Independent Catholic Bishop Michael Cox in the episcopal lineage of Archbishop Ngo Den Thuc (Vietnam and The Vatican) on the 19th of May, 1998. This ceremony was conducted without the approval of the local Roman Catholic Church authorities and the Pope. As a result, by Roman Catholic normative thought, Buckley's consecration was deemed "valid but unlawful." Also, by normative practice, both he and Cox were, if not already, excommunicated from the Catholic Church.

Patrick Buckley has since offered marriage services to the divorced as well as blessing gay unions. [http://bishoppatbuckley.co.uk/marriages.html]

On 10 October 1999 he publicly declared his homosexuality. [ [http://jloughnan.tripod.com/buckley.htm Reply to Fr. Patrick Buckley a.k.a. Thucite Bishop Pat Buckley] ] and takes a very liberal stance on both moral issues, and theology.

Bishop Patrick Buckley is actively involved in the Gay and Lesbian Community in both Ireland and the United Kingdom. His ministry involves giving same-sex blessings as well as holding spiritual seminars for LGB communities.

Although openly gay himself, Bishop Buckley doesn't have a current partner, but in his recent book he publicly stated that he would be open to such a union if it was destined for him.

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