Pope accepts Bishop Murray's resignation

[Yellow_Belle]

The Vatican has confirmed that Pope Benedict XVI has accepted the resignation of Bishop of Limerick Donal Murray.

Dr Murray, a former auxiliary bishop in Dublin, had been under pressure to quit since the publication of the Murphy Report into clerical child abuse in the Dublin Archdiocese.

The report criticised Bishop Murray for his failure to deal with allegations about Fr Thomas Naughton and said the failure was inexcusable.

In a statement today Bishop Murray said that he had taken time to study the Murphy Report before coming to his decision.

The bishop had spent ten days with officials in the Vatican this month as he weighed up his future.

He said: 'I know full well that my resignation cannot undo the pain that survivors of abuse have suffered in the past and continue to suffer each day.

'I humbly apologise once again to all who were abused as little children. To all survivors of abuse, I repeat that my primary concern is to assist in every way that I can on their journey towards finding closure and serenity.

‘I asked the Holy Father to allow me to resign and to appoint a new bishop to the diocese because I believe that my presence will create difficulties for some of the survivors who must have first place in our thoughts and prayers.’

Source

A priest has been sentenced to three years in prison for sexually abusing an altar boy in his Wicklow parish.

Fr Thomas Naughton, 78, pleaded guilty to indecent assault while he was a priest in Blessington.

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[thealtonroute]

One down, lots more to go.

 

[sinnegam]

Yes, there may well be a lot more to go but I as a Catholic don’t want to indulge in sniping one-liners. We are all involved in this horrible situation and each of us must bring something to the table to alleviate the spiritual hunger that Ireland is suffering at the moment…A lovely quote I read recently “We turn to God for help when our foundations are shaking only to learn that it is God shaking them”…pretty well sums up the Irish Church at the moment!!
Our prayers must be for the abused, the abusers, those who knew, those who didn’t know and forgiveness for ourselves if we dare to indulge in hypocrisy…Jesus drew in the sand and said “Let he who is without sin cast the first stone”…Jesus will heal but WE must pray for that healing. The media circus distracts us from that task!
OH BLOOD AND WATER WHICH GUSHED FORTH FROM THE HEART OF JESUS AS A FOUNT OF MERCY FOR US…I TRUST IN YOU

 

[Mickey_Finn]

Yes, there may well be a lot more to go but I as a Catholic don’t want to indulge in sniping one-liners. We are all involved in this horrible situation and each of us must bring something to the table to alleviate the spiritual hunger that Ireland is suffering at the moment…A lovely quote I read recently “We turn to God for help when our foundations are shaking only to learn that it is God shaking them”…pretty well sums up the Irish Church at the moment!!
Our prayers must be for the abused, the abusers, those who knew, those who didn’t know and forgiveness for ourselves if we dare to indulge in hypocrisy…Jesus drew in the sand and said “Let he who is without sin cast the first stone”…Jesus will heal but WE must pray for that healing. The media circus distracts us from that task!
OH BLOOD AND WATER WHICH GUSHED FORTH FROM THE HEART OF JESUS AS A FOUNT OF MERCY FOR US…I TRUST IN YOU

Very nicely said.