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	The Sacking of Toowoomba Bishop William Morris By Halina Baczkowski ABC News May 2, 2011 http://blogs.abc.net.au/queensland/2011/05/the-sacking-of-toowoomba-bishop-william-morris.html LISTEN HERE Tonight, Australian time, Pope Benedict is expected to basically sack Toowoomba Catholic Bishop William Morris. Bishop Bill, as he is known, has sent a letter to priests in his diocese. A separate letter was read out at congregations yesterday. Almost two years to the day that Father Peter Kennedy was sacked as a Catholic priest, Bishop Morris says in his letters that he has been denied natural justice, without evidence or due process. The Bishop, who has served in the Toowoomba diocese for 18 years, also says that ROme controls Bishops by fear "and if you ask questions or speak only on subjects that Rome decalres closed...you are censored very quickly", told your leadership is defective, and threatened with dismissal. Bishop Morris says Pope Benedict raised with him issues he had talked about back in 2006 - namely whether declining Catholic church priests could be supplemented by the ordination of women and ministers from other churches. Bishop Morris says he wasn't advocating that, but pointing to a local, national and international debate on those issues. At least one other priest has considered quitting over the expected move by the Vatican. Another was close to tears on the weekend, telling his parishioners. Bishop William refused to resign, discussed an early and forced retirmement, but it will all come to a head, he's been told, tonight - midday Rome time. He did want to stay until he finalised sexual abuse cases - but will now not be able to do that. Peter Kennedy went through something similar - first being investigated, than ostracised, and then cut-off by the Catholic Church Madonna King spoke with Peter Kennedy.
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