AN EXTRAORDINARY general meeting (egm) of Ireland’s Catholic bishops will take place at Maynooth on Friday in anticipation of the forthcoming pastoral letter from Pope Benedict to the faithful of Ireland.
It is the fourth egm of the Irish Bishops’ Conference since the resignation of Bishop Brendan Comiskey in March 2002.
Such meetings took place in April 2002 and after the Ferns report, in October 2005, as well as in January 2009 after publication of the National Board for Safeguarding Children report on child protection in the Cloyne diocese.
It is not known whether Bishop of Kildare Leighlin Jim Moriarty or Dublin auxiliary bishops Éamonn Walsh and Ray Field will attend but it is thought unlikely. Bishop Moriarty offered his resignation to the pope on December 23rd last. Bishops Walsh and Field offered theirs on Christmas Eve.
It has yet to be confirmed by the Vatican that the resignations have been accepted.
Former bishop of Limerick Donal Murray, whose resignation was accepted on December 17th, is not expected to be present. Bishop of Galway Martin Drennan is believed likely to be there.