Resignation Statement Pressures Other Irish Bishops to Resign

In the USA after the massive sex abuse scandal exploded in 2002, other than Cardinal Law, no U.S. Bishops resigned as a result of their enabling and cover up of sexual predator priests. Even then, Law was given a plum position in Rome - hardly a harsh punishment. It appears that in Ireland, some accountability may yet occur. Two bishops named in the Murphy Report on the Diocese of Dublin have already tendered their resignations and three more are under growing pressure to reign as well. True, it's a drop in the bucket in terms of those who need to resign world wide - including Benedict XVI - but it is far better than what occurred in the USA. Of course, part of the issue may be that most American Catholics lacked the will to demand change and continued to support the Church like mindless sheep. I truly hope that the Catholics in Ireland will show more integrity and fortitude and that the resignations to date are just the beginning. Here are some highlights from the Irish Times on the latest developments:

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THE ANNOUNCEMENT yesterday by Bishop James Moriarty that he has offered his resignation to Pope Benedict will put further pressure on the three other serving bishops also mentioned in the Murphy report to do likewise. There was no comment from the Vatican last night on the offered resignation of Bishop Moriarty. He will remain Bishop of Kildare and Leighlin until his offer of resignation is formally accepted by Pope Benedict, probably towards mid-January.
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In his statement yesterday Bishop Moriarty said: “The Murphy report covers far more than what individual bishops did or did not do. Fundamentally it is about how the leadership of the archdiocese failed over many decades to respond properly to criminal acts against children.” He continued that “with the benefit of hindsight, I accept that, from the time I became an auxiliary bishop, I should have challenged the prevailing culture.”
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He said: “I know that any action now on my part does not take away the suffering that people have endured. I again apologise to all the survivors and their families. I have today offered my resignation as Bishop of Kildare and Leighlin to the Holy Father.
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Responding last night, Marie Collins, who was abused in 1960 by a priest named in the report with the pseudonym Fr Edmondus, said it was a “step forward”. The Murphy report found that Bishop Moriarty received a complaint about Fr Edmondus in 1993 concerning the priest’s contact with young children. Bishop Moriarty spoke to Fr Edmondus and discussed the complaint with local priests and then archbishop Desmond Connell. “No attempt was made by archdiocesan authorities to check the archives or other files relating to Fr Edmondus when these complaints were received,” the Murphy report said.
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Marie Collins said of Bishop Moriarty last night that she was “encouraged by him having courage”. It was important that the remaining bishops did the same, she said. Andrew Madden, who was abused as an altar boy by Ivan Payne, welcomed Bishop Moriarty’s decision and repeated his call for bishops Martin Drennan, Éamonn Walsh and Ray Field to also resign.
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The sad thing is that the so-called "culture" that allowed wanton abuse for decades was not and is not unique to the Diocese of Dublin. It permeates the entire Catholic hierarchy around the world from Virginia where former Bishop Sullivan covered up for a predator until criminal charges were brought to the most remote of dioceses. It is one of the reasons I am no longer a Roman Catholic. The Church hierarchy remains a toxic cesspool.