BIOGRAPHY Bishop of Kildare and Leighlin until he formally resigned this year. He also served as an auxiliary bishop in Dublin from 1991 to 2002.MURPHY REPORT’S FINDINGS He received a complaint in 1993 about a priest’s contact with young children. This priest – referred to as “Fr Edmondus” in the report – was the same cleric who had abused Marie Collins in 1960 when she was a patient at Our Lady’s Hospital for Sick Children in Crumlin.
Bishop Moriarty discussed the complaint with local priests and then Archbishop Desmond Connell.
“No attempt was made by archdiocesan authorities to check the archives or other files relating to Fr Edmondus when these complaints were received,” the report said.
It added: Bishop Moriarty pointed out to the commission that he did not have access to the archives but he could have asked the archbishop to conduct a search.”
This failure to check on other complaints “meant that the concerns were not taken as seriously as they should have been”.
HIS RESPONSE He initially said he did not feel there were any grounds for his resignation.
Following intense pressure, he offered his resignation to the pope last December on the basis he did not challenge the church’s culture of the handling of abuse allegations.
OUTCOME He offered his resignation in December, which was formally accepted by Pope Benedict in April.
SIC: IT