The fate of the Bishop of Limerick, Donal Murray, remained in the balance yesterday while it was expected that other bishops were likely to resign after Pope Benedict warned the Holy See took very seriously the issues raised by the Murphy report, including "the governance of local Church leaders with ultimate responsibility for the care of children".In a first public statement in the week since he went to Rome, the bishop's spokesman said yesterday that he remained in the Italian capital awaiting developments concerning his future.
However it remained unclear whether Bishop Murray, whom the Murphy report criticised for his mishandling of abuse complaints while he was an auxiliary bishop in Dublin, had actually offered his resignation.
To resign as bishop he would first have to offer his resignation to the Congregation of Bishops which dealt in the past with cases involving Bishop Brendan Comiskey and Bishop Eamon Casey.
He would have had to explain why he was resigning; and the Congregation under Cardinal Battista Re would then prepare an interim report for the Pope which would usually recommend acceptance of the offer to resign.
The pressure to resign has increased on other bishops named in the Murphy report into the cover-up of child sex abuse in the Dublin archdiocese after the Pope met Cardinal Sean Brady and Archbishop Diarmuid Martin.
They later revealed that the Church in Ireland is to undergo a massive shake-up in the wake of the publication of the Murphy report.
The two men met with the Pope for an hour and a half, and a sweeping review of the Catholic Church here is expected to reduce the number of Irish dioceses from 26 and give priority to "management training" for bishops and prospective bishops.
The Pope commented on the devastating Murphy report with a communique saying he was deeply disturbed and distressed by its contents.
"He wishes once more to express his profound regret at the actions of some members of the clergy who have betrayed their solemn promises to God, as well as the trust placed in them by the victims and their families, and by society at large," it said.
"The Holy Father shares the outrage, betrayal and shame felt by so many of the faithful in Ireland, and he is united with them in prayer at this difficult time in the life of the Church," it added.
However, a telling paragraph in the communique said the Holy See took very seriously the central issues raised by the report, including questions concerning the governance of local church leaders with ultimate responsibility for the pastoral care of children.
It said the Pope also intends to write a pastoral letter to Irish Catholics, clearly indicating the initiatives that are to be taken in response to the situation. However, the Pope's reaction received a cool reception from victims of clerical child sex abuse.
Andrew Madden, who has been to the forefront in exposing abuse and cover-ups by the Church, said the reaction meant nothing.
"What I am expecting is for five bishops to resign and whether I hear it from the Vatican or Twitter, I don't care," he said.
"That would be the appropriate response from the Church. Words and prayers and offers to pray for the victims are just meaningless drivel," he said.
Maeve Lewis, of One in Four, said an apology for the Catholic Church's culture of secrecy and cover-up was now required.
Ellen O'Malley-Dunlop, chief executive of the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre, said the Pope's statement didn't instill any confidence, and the lack of real action meant the statement could only "be heard with scepticism".
Another survivor of sex abuse, Mervyn Rundle, said he was tired of waiting for the "appropriate" response and he was pushing for the gardai here to take a criminal case.
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