Former Bishop of Ferns, Dr Brendan Comiskey, strongly denied last night he was "sacked" or forced by the Pope to resign.
"I was never directly or indirectly, at any time whatsoever, requested, or asked in writing, verbally or otherwise, to resign as Bishop of Ferns," he said.
Dr Comiskey broke his silence in response to renewed speculation surrounding the circumstances of his resignation last year in advance of a documentary due to be broadcast on BBC 2 tonight.
The programme is a follow-up to the Suing the Pope documentary aired last March about child sexual abuse in Co Wexford by the late Father Seán Fortune in the 1980s.
In tonight's programme, it is claimed Dr Comiskey did not leave his job voluntarily as he claimed in his resignation statement but was forced to go by the Vatican "for behaviour unbecoming of a bishop".
"Far from asking for or 'forcing' my resignation, both the Apostolic Nuncio and the Prefect of the Congregation of Bishops counselled me to reconsider my decision or, at least, take more time in arriving at it," said Dr Comiskey.
