Irish bishop resigns over ill health

Pope Francis on Tuesday accepted the resignation of an Irish bishop who said he was stepping down for poor health, three years after he had admitted to protecting a priest accused of child abuse. The Holy See said in a brief statement that Lee was relieved of his functions under paragraph 2 of article 401 of the Code of Canon Law, which covers both serious offenses such as paedophilia and corruption, and resignations on health grounds. William Lee, the bishop of Waterford and Lismore, said he had resigned on health grounds, making no mention of the abuse allegations. "As you are aware in July 2011 I was diagnosed with serious illness and, since diagnosis, I have been under medical care," he said. "Recently the medical advice to me has been that, in the interests of my health, I should retire from the office of Bishop of Waterford and Lismore," he added. "Accordingly, I have in the past few weeks submitted my letter of resignation as Bishop of Waterford and Lismore to Pope Francis. The Holy Father has considered my request and graciously accepted my resignation." Ireland, a predominantly Catholic country, has been rocked by a string of official reports on child sex abuse stretching back decades, and on Church leaders' complicity in covering it up. The Irish bishop publicly apologised in 2010 after admitting that his response to child abuse allegations in the mid-1990s was "seriously inadequate". Faced with multiple claims of abuse by a priest in his diocese, Lee arranged for the man to undergo a specialist assessment but failed to remove him from ministry until 1995. "I particularly regretted that I had not sought the immediate withdrawal of the priest from all ministry and that others associated with the new ministry were not informed that allegations had been made," Lee said at the time. "I sincerely apologise and am deeply sorry for the inadequacies of my earlier actions in this case." The priest was withdrawn from all ministry by February 1996, when further complaints were made against him, Lee said. Michael Kelly, editor of the Irish Catholic newspaper, told AFP Tuesday’s resignation leaves three dioceses in Ireland awaiting a new bishop. "It allows Pope Francis the opportunity to very much make his mark on the type of men he wants to be bishops in Ireland," he said.