Gentleman journalist who became doyen of 'the God Squad'

Joseph Power: 'A gentleman journalist' was how the Archbishop of Dublin, Dr Diarmuid Martin, described Joe Power, the retired…

Joseph Power: 'A gentleman journalist' was how the Archbishop of Dublin, Dr Diarmuid Martin, described Joe Power, the retired former religious affairs correspondent of the Irish Independent at his funeral Mass on Tuesday at the church of St Therese in Mount Merrion.

Joe, who died last Thursday week in St Vincent's hospital from complications after a liver transplant, was 72.

The archbishop's description was an echo of tributes paid to Joe by members of the Seanad on his retirement in June 1998, after 42 years service with the Independent News and Media group. Over those four decades, Joe, always impeccably dressed, always smiling and always helpful to colleagues, combined coverage of religion with political reportage from the Oireachtas Press Gallery.

On that occasion, Senator Donie Cassidy called him "a trusted and respected journalist in this House for many years", while Senator Maurice Manning said he was "an old-style journalist - old style in the best sense of the words, in that he was both accurate and fair".

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Manning's assessment of Joe Power as "exemplifying the best traditions of a great profession" and of being "a very humane person for whom facts were sacred", stands as a worthy tribute to a journalist who learned his craft in 1956 as a courts reporter. A man who loved air-travel, Joe covered aviation for the Evening Herald.

However, it is as a religious affairs correspondent for the Irish Independent, from the late 1960s until his retirement, that Joe made a distinctive and significant contribution to Irish journalism. Even in retirement, he continued to write for a number of Catholic publications and Ireland on Sunday, plying them with church scoops as the doyen of "the God Squad". Among many exclusive stories were his breaking the news of the intended visit to Ireland of Pope John Paul II in 1979.

Joe was among the media pool which travelled with the Pope from Rome to Dublin, John Paul in his suite at the top of the aircraft and the journalists below. The occasion led to one of the most affectionately-told stories about Joe. The Pope's handlers made clear he would not be giving interviews. If he came down to see the journalists, only one question would be allowed, they said, but then the Pope would have to return to preparing for arrival in Ireland.

Eventually, the Pope made his way down to the reporters. "One question only, please" the handlers reminded them. At which point Joe reached forward: "Holy Father, will you bless my rosary beads?"

Born in Sandymount and educated at Blackrock College and St Conleth's, Clyde Road, it was always Joe's regret that he had not specialised in religious journalism at an earlier stage in his career to experience the heady days in Rome of the second Vatican Council, 1962-65, as had John Horgan, Louis McRedmond, Des Fisher and Seán Mac Réamoinn. But he made up for this with regular visits to the Vatican of Pope Paul VI and John Paul II. He covered the funeral of Pope Paul VI in 1978 and election of two Popes, John Paul I and John Paul II, in that same "Year of the Three Popes".

He covered every international synod of bishops from 1967, with the exception of last month's first synod under Pope Benedict VXI. In a more ecumenical age, he also loved attending World Council of Churches meetings in Geneva, and he had the best of contacts with Protestant church leaders.

Joe belonged to a generation of new reportage of religion that took root in Ireland in the exciting but turbulent years after the second Vatican Council. This abandoned the old deference to church dignitaries and the traditional focus on ceremonial events.

It was a descriptive approach about what was actually happening in the episcopal corridors of power. It introduced interpretive reporting which put events in a closed and hidebound Irish church in the wider international context of new thinking emanating from the council. The force of the council came across to the public primarily through the press, the radio and RTÉ rather than council documents or the conservative-minded Irish bishops. Joe was a major figure in this process.

While he was sympathetic to progressive priests, he remained essentially a traditional and loyal Catholic. He did not engage in polemics, though on occasions he did not conceal his frustration at the secretiveness of bishops and their lack of understanding of the media. His approach gave him an inside track with churchmen close to the inner workings of the Irish church authorities, which was the source of his regular exclusive stories.

A loving and loved family man, Joe is survived by his widow Brigid (Pansy), Ann Marie, Marie-Therese, Justine, Caroline and John.

Joseph Power, born June 23rd, 1933; died October 27th, 2005.