SCOTLAND
Scottish Catholic Observer
Bishop Joseph Toal has written to every parish in Motherwell Diocese, where he currently serves as Apostolic administrator, asking Catholics there to support their priests and him in the respective tasks.
Referring to events involving Fr Matthew Despard, the parish priest at St John Ogilivie’s Church in Blantyre whose ministry he restricted last November, the Bishop for Argyll and the Isles writes that he had had no choice but to act.
“When I met with the diocesan priests after becoming Apostolic administrator in May last year I was made aware of how troubled and distressed they felt by the publication of Fr Matthew Despard’s [self-published] book, Crisis in the Priesthood,” the bishop says. “It has been necessary for me to support those whose integrity has been questioned in this publication, and to continue the canonical process initiated by Bishop [Joseph] Devine through which Fr Despard’s actions in publishing this book will be judged.”
Bishop Toal (above) goes on to say, after giving the matter much thought and prayer, he ‘decided that Fr Despard should be required to stand down from his parochial duties, live outside his parish, and not be permitted to carry out any public ministry while his case is being dealt with by the Scottish Inter-Diocesan Tribunal.’
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