Bishop of Clonfert John Kirby is to stand down as chairman of Trócaire. A recent review of child protection in his diocese found he had dealt “inappropriately” with abuse allegations there.
In a statement, Trócaire said the bishop had briefed its board at a recent meeting on that review and “subsequent publicity that surrounded this”.
It said Bishop Kirby “acknowledged the grave mistakes he had made in the early 1990s and reiterated that he takes full responsibility for them. He also acknowledged that his remarks in an interview had caused offence to survivors and he repeated the apology that he had made in an earlier letter to the people of his diocese.” Board members “acknowledged and welcomed Bishop Kirby’s statement in this regard”.
The bishop told them his term as chairman ended next year and he had asked Cardinal Seán Brady to identify his successor.
