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	Priests Voice Support for Axed Qld Bishop By Petrina Berry The Age May 3, 2011 http://news.theage.com.au/breaking-news-national/priests-voice-support-for-axed-qld-bishop-20110503-1e5kv.html Two vigils have been held in Toowoomba to protest against the Vatican's sacking of Bishop William Morris. About 200 people gathered for a quiet prayer session opposite Bishop Morris's Toowoomba home at Queen's Park on Tuesday evening, while another group gathered at the city's St Patrick's cathedral. The two demonstrations of sympathy for the bishop were to combine at the cathedral because of bad weather, said Father Peter Dorfield, the vicar general of the Toowoomba diocese. Father Dorfield is one of eight priests who have criticised Bishop Morris' sacking as unfair and disheartening. Bishop Morris says he was forced to resign as the Bishop of Toowoomba over a letter he wrote to his parish in 2006 which discussed whether a shortage of priests could be overcome by the ordination of women and ministers from other churches. Eight Toowoomba diocese priests on Tuesday issued a statement expressing support for the catholic bishop. "In our view, Bishop Morris has not been treated fairly or respectfully," the joint statement says. "We find his removal profoundly disheartening." They blamed a small number of "disaffected priests" and diocese members for complaining to the Vatican about Bishop Morris' leadership. "The far greater majority of priests and lay people of the diocese have found the pastoral leadership of Bishop Morris to be constructive, informed and life-giving," they said.A statement on the Catholic Church's website on Monday night said Pope Benedict XVI had received and accepted the resignation of William Morris as the bishop of the Toowoomba diocese. He will remain in the diocese as the Emeritus Bishop of Toowoomba. Bishop Morris on Tuesday said he was not angry about his forced resignation but was "sad". "There's a creeping centralism in the church at the moment that everything is going to centralisation, and there's a creeping authoritarianism," he said. "I think, in many ways, local bishops have been sidelined," he added. He defended the content of his 2006 letter, saying he never advocated the ordination of women but was discussing the international debate on the issue. Bishop Morris said he was denied a chance to defend the claims against him and had questioned why there was no right of recourse for bishops to challenge sackings by the Vatican. He said the Pope had told him: "Canon law does not make provision for a process regarding bishops, whom the successor of Peter nominates and may remove from office". Auxiliary Bishop of Brisbane Brian Finnigan has been appointed to administer the Toowoomba diocese while a permanent replacement is found. In a statement on Tuesday, Bishop Finnigan praised his predecessor's handling of a sexual abuse case involving 13 young girls and a former Catholic primary school teacher in the Toowoomba diocese during 2007 and 2008. Father Dorfield told AAP Bishop Morris had helped the victims' families seek civil court action if they wanted it. "He encouraged compassion and justice for these families," he said. In light of what Bishop Morris had done for the community, his 2006 letter seemed trivial, he said. He and Frs Michael McClure, John Quinlan, Jeff Scully, Brian Noonan, Ray Crowley, Brian Sparksman and Peter Schultz put their names to the letter of support for Bishop Morris.
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