By Henry Mcdonald
Guardian
March 24, 2010
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/mar/24/irish-catholic-bishop-resignation-vatican
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| Bishop John Magee quit the day-to-day running of parishes across rural Cork in March last year. |
Cleric John Magee, who was once personal secretary to three popes, steps down over mishandling of sexual abuse allegations in his diocese
The Vatican has accepted the resignation of an Irish bishop who was once the personal secretary to three popes, it was announced today.
The papacy said Bishop John Magee was stepping down over his mishandling of allegations of clerical sex abuse in his Irish diocese.
Although Magee quit the day-to-day running of parishes across rural Cork last March, it has taken the Vatican bureaucracy a year to formally confirm his resignation.
The cleric, originally from Northern Ireland, faced scathing criticism after the church's watchdog found he had taken minimal action over accusations against two of his priests.
He served as personal assistant to Pope Paul VI, Pope John Paul I and Pope John Paul II in Rome.
There have been many calls for Magee's resignation since the report into the Cloyne diocese earlier this year.
The announcement of his official resignation was made in statement released through the Irish Catholic Bishops' conference.
"His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI has accepted the resignation of the Most Reverend John Magee, Bishop of Cloyne," it read.
In a message issued from the Cloyne diocesan centre, Magee welcomed the acceptance of his resignation.
He extended his "sincere apologies" to any person who was abused by "any priest" during his time as bishop "or at any time".
"To those whom I have failed in any way, or through any omission of mine have made suffer, I beg forgiveness and pardon," his statement said.
"As I said on Christmas Eve 2008 after the publication report of the National Board for Safeguarding Children in the Catholic Church in Ireland, I take full responsibility for the criticism of our management of issues contained in that report."
Magee said he would continue to be available to the Irish government's commission of investigation into child protection procedures in the diocese "at any time".
He added that he "sincerely hopes" the work and the findings of the commission "will be of some help towards healing for those who have been abused".
In January, the Archbishop of Dublin, Diarmuid Martin, welcomed Father Michael Mernagh, one of Magee's strongest critics, to Dublin's Pro Cathedral. The invitation was seen as a snub to the former papal secretary.
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