Murphy Report - Bishop of Limerick should go

WHILE the performance of the Archbishop of Dublin Diarmaid Martin following the publication of the Murphy report was impressive, his interview on RTÉ yesterday left much to be desired, but this may well reflect a failing within the Church itself.

He was saying that he has no power to direct any bishop to resign.

Suggesting that bishops criticised in the Murphy Report should examine their own conscience and do the right thing is essentially about as far as he could go as Archbishop of Dublin. He said that Bishop Donal Murray of Limerick, one of the former auxiliary bishops of Dublin who was criticised in the Murphy report, should have the chance to explain his side of the story.

In the past bishops usually rallied together and acted like a stone wall against public criticism. Archbishop Martin’s clear determination not to try to defend the indefensible – as in the case of Bishop John Magee of Cloyne earlier this year – was recognised as implicit criticism. Now it seems that something more is needed.

Bishop Donal Murray was clearly criticised in the Murphy Report. There is no suggestion whatever that the bishop was personally involved in any paedophile activities, but there is reproach of his handling of priests against whom paedophile allegations were made.

He said yesterday that he would be guided on the matter “by the priests and people of the diocese”. The Second Vatican Council called for the clergy and the public to have a much greater say in the running of the Church, but this call was largely ignored in Ireland.

The late Dr Kevin McNamara was appointed Bishop of Kerry in naked disregard for the wishes of the clergy in the diocese, before his appointment as Archbishop of Dublin, in which position he comes in for criticism in the Murphy Report. For decades the hierarchy behaved with arrogant disregard and, at times, contempt for the views of the Irish public, politicians, and even their own clergy.

One of the more disturbing aspects of the abuse cases was the manner in which suspected paedophile priests were moved to other areas without warning the authorities in those areas, or without taking precautions to ensure that the same thing could not happen again. This effectively facilitated further paedophile abuse.

Bishop Murray told the congregation in Limerick yesterday that he could honestly say that in one instance his inability to get to the full truth was due to his “lack of skill and experience”, rather than any lack of effort on his part. He realised this was no consolation to the children who were abused. He said he would be eternally sorry for those whose suffering he might have prevented.

Being sorry is not enough. He has clearly admitted his past inadequacy for the job, and he is in a position in which his competence should be above reproach. His position now is, therefore, untenable. He should resign, and resign now.