THE newly ordained Bishop of Clogher has said it may be no bad thing that the Church has been brought to its knees by the child abuse crisis.Speaking at his ordination yesterday, Bishop Liam McDaid added that "society is right in checking the Church is sincere in its efforts towards rehabilitation".
Around 1,100 invited guests attended the ordination, included the Taoiseach Brian Cowen and the head of the PSNI, Matt Baggot.
Many of the dignitaries were from the North as the diocese covers parts of Monaghan Fermanagh, Tyrone, south Donegal and Louth.
In his address, the new bishop spoke of "terrible failures" involving child abuse which society had "forced" Irish Catholics to face up to.
"The surgeon’s knife has been painful but necessary. A lot of evil and poison has been excised. There comes a time when the surgeon’s knife has done what it can, is put away and a regime of rehabilitation for the patient is put in place.
"We have been brought to our knees but maybe that is no bad thing."
He praised the courage and fidelity of his fellow bishops, many of whom "had been called to imitate Jesus Christ in carrying the sins of others".
He said Jesus made no room in the Church for privilege or earthly pomp.
The bishop, 65, was born in Bundoran, Co Donegal, and served for 17 years as the parish priest in the border area of Tyholland in Co Monaghan.
He succeeds Bishop Joseph Duffy, who retired last May at the age of 75.