BBC News
December 25, 2009
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/8430466.stm
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| Bishop Eamonn Walsh issued a statement read out at midnight Mass |
Two more Irish Catholic bishops have resigned in response to a report which criticised how they handled allegations of abuse by clergy.
Eamonn Walsh and Raymond Field issued a joint statement which was read out at midnight Mass.
The pair, who were both auxiliary bishops of Dublin, said they hoped their resignations would help bring peace to the victims of sexual abuse.
Four out of five bishops criticised in the Murphy report have now resigned.
Bishop of Limerick Donal Murray resigned earlier this month after the report branded as "inexcusable" his failure to deal effectively with a priest suspected of being a paedophile.
On Wednesday it was revealed that James Moriarty, the Bishop of Kildare, has offered his resignation to Pope Benedict. It is expected to be formally accepted in mid-January.
Martin Drennan, the Bishop of Galway, is now the only one of the five bishops criticised in the Murphy report to remain in office.
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