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	Bishop Jim Challenges the Prevailing Culture By Paddy Byrne Laois Nationalist April 29, 2010 http://www.laois-nationalist.ie/tabId/161/itemId/967/Bishop-Jim-challenges-the-prevailing-culture.aspx BISHOP Jim Morriarty offered his resignation to the Holy Father as Bishop of Kildare and Leighlin on the 23 December 2009. This week, Pope Benedict has accepted Bishop Jim's resignation. He did this because he stated in his resignation statement he "did not challenge the prevailing culture at the time." This prevailing culture has been revealed as a culture of cover-up, secrecy, silence and clericalism; surrounding the issue of child sexual abuse by clergy. Bishop Jim Morriarty, has been applauded, both at diocesan and national level, for the manner of and rationale for his resignation. One of Bishop Jim's important initiatives is his tireless promotion of safeguarding child guidelines in the diocese. It is for others to assess Bishop Jim's episcopal legacy in due course. Now the diocese is without a bishop. At the time of writing, the plan is to appoint a diocesan administrator, who will most likely be a priest in the diocese. The function of the diocesan administrator is to facilitate the ongoing administrative work in the diocese. There is at this time huge work to be done in the rebuilding of a more inclusive, representative and credible church in Ireland. Part of the work ahead for our diocese is the task of discerning who our new bishop will be. If we are serious about challenging the clerical culture, in the light of Bishop Jim's resignation, can we seriously go about the task of discerning our new bishop without real consultation with the lay people of our diocese? If it is only a few clergy and lay people who are consulted by the Nuncio, then the clerical culture remains unchallenged. Given what we have been through and the amount of disillusionment felt by so many towards the institutional church, this is the time for real communication. Starting to challenge the clerical culture begins now.
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