Noel Treanor, the former Bishop of Down and Connor, has died aged 73.
It is understood he passed away this morning.
The senior cleric was appointed as The Apostolic Nuncio to the European Union two years ago.
The role in the ecclesiastical office of the Catholic Church, which has offices in Brussels, was announced by Pope Francis in 2022.
However Archbishop Treanor, who was born on Christmas Day in 1950 and originally from Monaghan town, did not commence the role until January 2023.
After completing his early education at Saint Mary’s Christian Brothers School in the county he embarked on his third level education at Saint Patrick’s College in Maynooth and subsequently in Rome.
The young scholar was ordained a priest in 1976 for service in the diocese of Clogher in Saint Macartan’s Cathedral in Co Monaghan before being appointed to the staff of the Commission of the Bishops’ Conferences of the European Union (COMECE) in 1989.
Four years later, the cleric was appointed Secretary General of COMECE and remained in the post until his appointment by Pope Benedict XVI as Bishop of Down and Connor in 2008.
Archbishop Treanor is survived by his brother John and his sister Mary.