Church ‘not open to any challenge’

Retired Bishop of Killaloe Willie Walsh has described Pope Benedict’s leadership of the Church as one which was “not open to any challenge or re-examination of its doctrinal or moral teaching”.

Writing in The Furrow, Bishop Walsh described Benedict’s decision to retire as “courageous” and “very human”. He also admired Benedict’s “personal bravery” in admitting that neither his mind nor body were up to the demands of the modern papacy.

Bishop Walsh acknowledged that Benedict would be seen as a very conservative pope but said he was a man of “deeply held convictions”.