A spokesman for Bishop of Galway Dr Martin Drennan has said he will not resign his position following criticism over his handling of cases of child abuse while he was Auxilliary Bishop of Dublin.
Dr Drennan did not attend the Ash Wednesday masses in Galway Cathedral today as he was travelling back to the west from Rome.
Bishop Drennan had been an Auxiliary Bishop of Dublin for seven of the years investigated by the Murphy Commission.
In relation to the position of Dr Drennan, whose resignation has been sought by victims’ groups, Cardinal Seán Brady said yesterday that the issue was one for the Holy See and not for this week’s two-day meeting.
Earlier this month, a letter was sent to Pope Benedict by abuse victims in Dublin calling on him to remove Dr Drennan, as he “still refuses to accept any responsibility for his part in supporting a culture of cover up during his time in Dublin”.
The letter urged the pope to accept “without any further delay” the offers of resignation from bishops James Moriarty, Eamonn Walsh and Raymond Field.
The letter, sent in advance of the pope’s planned meeting with the Irish bishops in Rome, was signed by victims of clerical abuse Andrew Madden and Marie Collins, as well as the executive director of One in Four, Maeve Lewis.
