THE BISHOP of Kildare and Leighlin, Bishop Jim Moriarty, has reiterated that he does not consider that the Murphy report gives grounds for him to resign, but added that “no bishop can put his own position before the good of the church”.In an interview on local radio station KCLR yesterday, Bishop Moriarty said: “I stand by my statement that I should not resign for my partial involvement in the Fr Edmondus case but I want to add that no bishop can put his own position before the good of the church.”
He reiterated what he said in Carlow Cathedral on November 29th. “I served as an auxiliary bishop in the Archdiocese of Dublin from 1991 until my appointment here in 2002. While the Murphy report does not criticise me directly, I feel it is important to state that I fully accept the overall conclusion of the commission – that the attempts by church authorities to ‘protect the church’ and to ‘avoid scandal’ had the most dreadful consequences for children and were deeply wrong.”
He added in yesterday’s interview: “My position is simple. I am 73 years old and I am obliged to hand in my resignation when I turn 75. However, if it will serve the church, the victims and the people, I am prepared to go sooner but no decision has been taken on that yet.”
He said he had already had discussions with Cardinal Seán Brady and Archbishop Diarmuid Martin.
Separately, the Galway diocese communications officer, Fr Seán McHugh, said a meeting of priests in the diocese yesterday to discuss the Murphy report was planned some time ago, and was not an “emergency meeting”.
The Bishop of Galway, Dr Martin Drennan, served as an auxiliary bishop in the Archdiocese of Dublin from 1997 to 2005.
Fr McHugh said there was no pressure from priests for Bishop Drennan to resign. “There is great support on the ground from people as well, and people are still very supportive of the priests and the parish. People seem to be happy to continue with us, and journey with us at this time,” Fr McHugh said.
Asked earlier this month about the Murphy report, Dr Drennan said he did not think he had “any questions to answer . . . from my own reflections on the time there . . . I feel any questions I can answer easily enough, if any questions arise”.
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