Another Irish bishop quits over abuse
Source: Agencies |
April 23, 2010, Friday
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Print Edition
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POPE Benedict XVI yesterday accepted the resignation of an Irish bishop who admitted he didn't challenge the Dublin church's policy of covering up sexual abuse of children by priests.
Bishop James Moriarty of Kildare is the third Irish bishop to resign in four months as a result of the Irish sex abuse scandal. Another two have offered to go, as the Vatican comes under increasing pressure to get rid of the bishops who covered up for priests who sodomized and molested children for decades unchecked.
Hundreds of people have come forward in recent months, including in Benedict's native Germany, accusing priests of raping and abusing them while bishops and church higher-ups turned a blind eye.
Moriarty said yesterday he was stepping down because he realized that "renewal must begin with accepting responsibility for the past."
On Wednesday, Benedict had promised unspecified "church action" to confront the scandal, and the Vatican has said it would do everything in its power to bring abusive priests to justice, and protect children.
Moriarty, 73, offered to step down in December after admitting he didn't challenge the Dublin Archdiocese's past practice of concealing child-abuse complaints from police. He served as an auxiliary Dublin bishop from 1991 to 2002.
"The truth is that the long struggle of survivors to be heard and respected by church authorities has revealed a culture within the church that many would simply describe as unchristian," Moriarty said in a statement yesterday. "This has been profoundly dispiriting for all who care about the church."
Two auxiliary Dublin bishops, Eamonn Walsh and Ray Field, have offered to resign as well.
All three bishops were identified last year in an Irish government-ordered investigation into decades of cover-ups of child-abusing clergy in the Dublin Archdiocese. The report found that all bishops until 1996 colluded to protect scores of pedophile priests from criminal prosecution.
The November report did not directly criticize Moriarty, but he offered to resign after accepting he should have taken personal responsibility for challenging the bishops' practice of keeping abuse complaints within the church.
There have been demands for more Irish bishops to resign, including for the country's top prelate, Cardinal Sean Brady, who has been accused of helping to shield pedophile priests.
Bishop James Moriarty of Kildare is the third Irish bishop to resign in four months as a result of the Irish sex abuse scandal. Another two have offered to go, as the Vatican comes under increasing pressure to get rid of the bishops who covered up for priests who sodomized and molested children for decades unchecked.
Hundreds of people have come forward in recent months, including in Benedict's native Germany, accusing priests of raping and abusing them while bishops and church higher-ups turned a blind eye.
Moriarty said yesterday he was stepping down because he realized that "renewal must begin with accepting responsibility for the past."
On Wednesday, Benedict had promised unspecified "church action" to confront the scandal, and the Vatican has said it would do everything in its power to bring abusive priests to justice, and protect children.
Moriarty, 73, offered to step down in December after admitting he didn't challenge the Dublin Archdiocese's past practice of concealing child-abuse complaints from police. He served as an auxiliary Dublin bishop from 1991 to 2002.
"The truth is that the long struggle of survivors to be heard and respected by church authorities has revealed a culture within the church that many would simply describe as unchristian," Moriarty said in a statement yesterday. "This has been profoundly dispiriting for all who care about the church."
Two auxiliary Dublin bishops, Eamonn Walsh and Ray Field, have offered to resign as well.
All three bishops were identified last year in an Irish government-ordered investigation into decades of cover-ups of child-abusing clergy in the Dublin Archdiocese. The report found that all bishops until 1996 colluded to protect scores of pedophile priests from criminal prosecution.
The November report did not directly criticize Moriarty, but he offered to resign after accepting he should have taken personal responsibility for challenging the bishops' practice of keeping abuse complaints within the church.
There have been demands for more Irish bishops to resign, including for the country's top prelate, Cardinal Sean Brady, who has been accused of helping to shield pedophile priests.
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