Churchs Ruling Draws Ire of Bishop, by Graham Downie, Canberra Times, November 5, 2011

Church's Ruling Draws Ire of Bishop

By Graham Downie
Canberra Times
November 5, 2011

http://www.canberratimes.com.au/news/local/news/general/churchs-ruling-draws-ire-of-bishop/2347897.aspx

Auxiliary Catholic bishop of Canberra and Goulburn Pat Power has publicly criticised the church over its forced retirement of Toowoomba Bishop Bill Morris.

After their recent Ad Limina (to the doors or threshold) visit to Rome, Australia's Catholic bishops said, ''We return to Australia determined to do whatever we can to heal any wounds of division, to extend our fraternal care to Bishop Morris, and to strengthen the bonds of charity in the Church in Australia.''

In a letter to his parishioners on the weekend of April 30-May 1, Bishop Morris said he was leaving unwillingly after upsetting the Vatican and the Pope. The conflict focused on his Advent Pastoral Letter of 2006 in which he said ordaining women and married men could redress a priest shortage in Australia.

In a letter first written in August in response to concerns by a group of Toowoomba Catholics and recently published online by Eureka Street, a publication of Jesuit Communications, Bishop Power said, ''At the outset, I wish to express my deep disappointment at the treatment Bishop Morris has received. Like you, I see him and the whole diocese as being victims of a great miscarriage of justice ...

''Surely in a healthy church we should be able to 'speak the truth in love'. I do not believe any of us are doing justice to the mission of Jesus when we neglect to name the issues which are haemorrhaging the church at the moment.

''Our current woes around sexual abuse should provide important lessons here. It is not insignificant that Bishop Morris provided excellent leadership in this domain locally, nationally and internationally.''

Bishop Power said he was a close friend of Bishop Morris and shared his vision for the church today.

''I have been aware for a number of years of his problems with the Holy See. I have admired the way in which he has loyally done everything possible to remain in communion with the Pope as the successor of Peter. I admired how step by step he tried to have an honest conversation with Vatican officials and finally with the Pope himself. I do not believe that he always felt that there was genuine reciprocity in the dialogue.''

Bishop Morris said in a letter of November 12, 2009 to the Pope, he (Morris) had pointed out that defects in the process, distortion of facts and a lack of care for the truth, which had characterised this whole process, could not be of God when the truth was not respected and exactness was not preserved.

''I was also told by Pope Benedict that I am too practical and it is the will of God that I resign,'' Bishop Morris said.

On Wednesday Bishop Power said, ''I felt the need to speak out for a brother bishop who I have admired greatly.''

Bishop Morris had been talking about the challenges in a big diocese such as his and the issues they faced. Since his forced retirement, many people had contacted Bishop Power.

A spokesman for the Archbishop of Canberra and Goulburn, Mark Coleridge, said the archbishop had no comment. The chairman of the Australian Bishops Conference and Archbishop of Adelaide, Philip Wilson, is still overseas and unavailable to comment.