ARCHBISHOP of Dublin Diarmuid Martin yesterday refused to be drawn on the Pope's decision to reject the resignations of two bishops named in a report on cover-ups of paedophile clerics.Dr Martin refused to comment on the controversial move when asked about it after a ceremony at the Poor Clare Convent in Ballsbridge, Dublin.
His silence comes as anger mounts at the decision by Pope Benedict XVI to allow bishops Eamonn Walsh and Raymond Field to keep their jobs.
The two auxiliary bishops had offered to step down on Christmas Eve 2009, in the wake of the Murphy Report into clerical child abuse in the Dublin Diocese.
The Pope's decision to let the bishops remain in their posts means that they will be available to administer confirmation in any part of the Dublin Diocese in the coming year.
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