First in a String of Bishops Resigns in Ireland
In the wake of Bishop Donal Murray’s resignations after a report came out detailing his misconduct with several children which led to several sexual abuse accusations, four other clerics with senior status are being pressured to willingly resign.
69 year-old Bishop Donal Murray became the first in an expected string of clergymen to quit after the damning report was published earlier last month. The State sponsored inquiry revealed that several church leaders of the Roman Catholic faith had willfully concealed widespread sexual abuse against committed by priests against children over a period of the last 30 years.
Bishop Murray had been earmarked by the report as having mishandled an accusation regarding a fellow cleric when he was accused by a churchgoer of being abusive. In one particular case, authors of the report labeled Murray’s actions as inexcusable and thus warranting dismissal.
At St John’s Cathedral in Limerick, Bishop Murray told churchgoers that he was deeply sorry for any little children that were subjected to abuse in a public apology which will be his last public appearance as a bishop at the Cathedral.
The Vatican confirmed the bishop’s resignation and victims of the sexual abuse cases are asking that all bishops stationed at the Dublin Archdiocese beginning in 1974 to present resign affective immediately. These would include bishops Martin Drennan, Ray Field, Jim Moriarty, and Eamonn walsh, all of whom had jurisdiction over the some 46 priests in question.
Maeve Lewis, the executive director for One In Four, a child abuse support group, said that Bishop Murray was just one person in the whole scheme of auxiliary bishops that aided in concealing damaging information regarding sex abuse in the Dublin Archdiocese. She added that his failure along with the others caused many more children to suffer abuse at the hands of subordinate priests.
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