Pope Benedict XVI Accepts Resignation of Irish Bishop

(22 Apr 10 - RV) Pope Benedict XVI today accepted the resignation of the bishop of Kildare and Leighlin, James Moriarty.

Bishop Moriarty has resigned in the wake of criticism over his involvement in the Irish Church’s mishandling of cases of clerical sexual abuse, which was detailed in the official report prepared by Irish civil authorities on the clerical sexual abuse of minors in the Archdiocese of Dublin, where Bishop Moriarty served as an auxiliary from 1991 until 2002.

Bishop Moriarty has issued a written statement in which he renews, his apologies to victims and their families, and takes responsibility for his failure to challenge what he describes as “the prevailing culture” of the Dublin archdiocese during his years of service there. Acknowledging the need for constant vigilance to ensure that the Church is the safest place for children, he goes on to say that the Irish Church now has excellent child safeguarding procedures in place.