BOLTON'S Roman Catholic spiritual leader, the Rt Rev Patrick Kelly, is to be the new Archbishop of Liverpool.

The Pope to-day confirmed that the Bishop of Salford will succeed Derek Worlock, who died of cancer earlier this year.

Church leaders expect Bishop Kelly to be installed in about two months' time but do not believe a successor will be in place in Salford before he leaves.

The 57-year-old dentist's son from Morecambe was the youngest Bishop of Salford for more than a century when he was ordained in April 1984.

The diocese, which includes Bolton, boasted a Catholic population of a third of a million, making it the fourth largest in the country.

Now he has the difficult task of leading the country's largest archdiocese which has been dogged by recent controversy.

But the Rural Dean of Bolton today disagreed with reports that Bishop Kelly is a right wing, conservative chosen to stem recent criticism over Bishop Warlock's social campaigning and liberal approach.

The Very Rev Frank McCauley, of St Columba's Tonge Moor, believes Bishop Kelly's most famous legacy will be his decision to make Salford the first diocese in the world to move the age of confirmation from 11 to about seven.

Father McCauley said: "Changing the programme of the sacraments of initiation was very revolutionary. There is no way you could describe him as a traditionalist. My own view is that the work started in Liverpool by Bishop Warlock will be in safe hands. Bishop Kelly plays a very big part in social issues both nationally and internationally."

"We will miss him very much in Bolton. He is very good Bishop to work with. He is very approachable, down to earth, caring and imaginative."

Bishop Kelly was educated at Preston Catholic College before studying at the English College and Gregorian University in Rome.

In 1964 he became a curate at Lancaster Cathedral and went on to lecture in theology at St Mary's College, Oscott, where he became rector in 1979.

According to The Times, he is reported to be particularly amused by locals who claim he did not want the job for fear of being labelled "His Grace Kelly".

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