THE disgraced former Catholic bishop, Dr Roderick Wright, paid a brief public penance in his cottage garden yesterday before asking for the right to live happily or at least untroubled by reporters ever afterwards.
Balancing his contrition with blame for the media and gratitude for messages of support, the runaway head of the diocese of Argyll and the Isles chose a sunlit morning in Kendal, Cumbria to try to scotch his five weeks of fame.
Standing by his partner, Ms Kathleen Macphee, who vanished with him from Oban in early September, the former bishop promised marriage but dodged questions about his teenage son by another past parishioner.
He also spoke warmly about the beneficial effect of the couple's trauma on strengthening their love, adding that in one sense" that made the five weeks' upheaval all worth it.
The 56 year old priest used a similar phrase in an admission that "in a sense" he had betrayed the Catholic Church, to which he sent "a message of heartfelt sorrow for the sadness and pain caused".
Speaking against the rumble of traffic on the Windermere road, he confirmed that he would cease to have "an active role as a priest", but intended to live a quiet life in Kendal with his wife and would never leave the church.
Mr Wright added. "We apologise especially to our families who have suffered so much, not only because of the manner of our leaving but because of the intense pressure placed upon them by the media."
Similar apologies went to the Catholic church, "especially the priests and people of Argyll and the Isles", coupled with heartfelt thanks to those who had sent messages of support.
The response from Catholic authorities in Scotland, where the episode has caused anger and intense embarrassment, was terse. A church spokesman, Father Tom Connolly, said. "We have absolutely nothing to say regarding the situation of the former Bishop Wright since he has not been in contact with this office. We are not in the habit of discussing another person's business through the media. If he wants the church officials to say something, he should approach us and not the media.
The return of the fugitives, and attendant TV vans cluttered with satellite dishes, to the Cumbrian market town caused some astonishment in streets around Mountain View, where the bishop and Ms Macphee who left her three children in Scotland rented their grey stone mid-terrace cottage after flitting from Argyll. Both had left the house, with its tangles of lavender on the front path, in the company of News of the World representatives after being recognised and traced by the media a month ago.
The couple have now decided to attempt a fresh start in the town, the tourist Gateway to the Lakes", banking on a News of The World exclusive, an interview in yesterday's Glasgow Herald and the garden press conference to end media interest.
Ms Macphee (41) stood by his side but said little until questions were raised about her three children.