The decision of the Bishop of Kildare and Leighlin Jim Moriarty to resign has been welcomed today by campaigners against sexual abuse following the announcement that Pope Benedict XVI has formally accepted his resignation.
Bishop Moriarty is the second Irish bishop to have his resignation accepted in the wake of the fallout from the Murphy report following the resignation of Bishop Donal Murray of Limerick last December.
Acknowledging the pope's decision, the One in Four group said Bishop Moriarty is the only bishop "who accepted that, as an auxiliary bishop of Dublin , he had not done enough to challenge the culture of secrecy and cover-up which had prevailed there. His honesty and courage is to be commended."
The group called on all those who were in positions of authority in the Dublin archdiocese to accept responsibility for what had happened and to resign. "It is still important, in whatever sector of society, that people in leadership positions are held accountable for their failures."
However, One in Four executive director Maeve Lewis added: “When both the Pope and Cardinal Brady have been implicated in protecting sex offenders, does the resignation of individual bishops contribute to the protection of children? When the most senior churchmen consistently deny responsibility for their failures, can we have any confidence that the culture of secrecy has changed?"
"When the Vatican attempts to portray coverage of the scandal as anti-church media hysteria or clerical sex abuse as a homosexual issue, can we really believe there is a genuine commitment to prioritise the safety of children over the power and status of the Church?,” she said.
Calling his resignation “the most difficult decision of my ministry”, Bishop Moriarty confessed that he had not originally intended to resign following the publication of the Murphy report.
“However, renewal must begin with accepting the responsibility for the past. Ultimately, I came to the conclusion that we needed a new beginning, and that I could play my part in opening the way,” he said in a statement today.
Clerical child sex abuse victim Andrew Madden also welcomed the acceptance of the bishop's resignation.
In a statement he said: "I have just spoken with Bishop Moriarty to say that I am very grateful to him for the content and tone of his resignation statement today. Bishop Moriarty acknowledges that he should have challenged the prevailing culture that existed within the Archdiocese and apologises for failing to do so, this is very welcome.
"His acknowledgement 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’ is also very welcome," Mr Madden said.