BIOGRAPHY Bishop of Limerick until he resigned last December. He also served as an auxiliary bishop in Dublin from 1982 to 1996.MURPHY REPORT’S FINDINGS A single word in the Murphy report made it impossible for him to remain on as bishop of Limerick. That word was “inexcusable”. It was the report’s description of Bishop Murray’s handling of an allegation about Fr Tom Naughton when an auxiliary bishop in Dublin.
Concerns about the priest were expressed in 1983 by parents at Valleymount, Co Wicklow, where Naughton was then curate. These concerns were conveyed to Bishop Murray by those parents, who told the Murphy commission the bishop dismissed them.
In 1984 Naughton was moved to Donnycarney where he abused more children. When this abuse came to the attention of church authorities in 1985, Bishop Murray failed to reinvestigate what had gone on in Valleymount, something the commission found “inexcusable”.
HIS RESPONSE He held a press conference shortly after publication of the report last November where he expressed his “deepest regret” over the abuse of children but insisted he did not intend to resign. Following three weeks of intense pressure, he flew to Rome to offer his resignation.
OUTCOME His resignation was accepted by Pope Benedict last December.
SIC: IT