Willie Walsh (bishop)
Encyclopedia
William Walsh (16 January 1935 (age 77)) is an Irish Catholic prelate who is the bishop emeritus of Killaloe. He served as ordinary from 1995 until his retirement in 2010.
, Rome
.
He was ordained priest in Rome in 1959, earning him a JCD
degree. After ordination he completed his studies in Canon Law
at the Pontifical Lateran University
in Rome
. On his return to Ireland he taught for a year at Coláiste Einde, Galway and joined the staff of St. Flannan's College, Ennis in 1963.
In 1988 he was appointed curate at Ennis Cathedral and became administrator there in 1990. He has been pastorally involved with ACCORD (formerly the Catholic Marriage Advisory Council) since its foundation in the Killaloe diocese. He has worked with Marriage Tribunals at diocesan, regional and national levels. He has pursued a life-long interest in sport and has been involved in coaching hurling teams at colleges, club and county grades.
He succeeded as bishop of Killaloe on 2 October 1994 having served as Coadjutor Bishop of Killaloe from 21 June 1994 until he succeeded to the see.
He was good friends with Henry Heras
.
.
”.
.
that almost completely excludes Protestants from its Eucharist. He has said that he has never suggested to Church of Ireland members that they were not welcome to receive the sacrament in his churches.
, he said it would be “a second injustice [in addition to the abuse of children] if the religious
alone were singled out to carry all the blame. All adults share some responsibility (for what went on then), but they didn’t want to know.” http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2009/1114/1224258814964.html
on 26 November 2009 Bishop of Limerick
, Donal Murray
was heavily criticsed for his actions during his time as an Auxiliary Bishop
of Dublin. Bishop Walsh, has said calls for the resignation of Bishop of Limerick Donal Murray were based on a “gross misreading” of the Murphy report on the Dublin diocese
and warned against a desire “to get a head on a plate”. http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2009/1201/1224259804745.html
Bishop Walsh said he was “quite uncomfortable with this kind of public trial. I’d have to ask, is it about healing for survivors or is it about the desire that we need to get a head on a plate?” He admitted in a radio interview, that he hadn’t had time to examine the report in detail “but I do know, I do know for a fact, some of the interpretation put on that and being placed against Bishop Murray is a misreading of the report. I do know that from somebody who has read in detail the report and I am satisfied with that.” ,
On 8 December Bishop Walsh, said that the crisis in the Church was also a time of opportunity to remove what was wrong in the past. He added: “Every crisis is also an opportunity, an opportunity for serious change, to begin again, to renew our faith, our hope and indeed our love.”
Bishop Walsh wept openly after a parish priest declared the people’s love for him at the blessing and dedication of a new Adoration Chapel in Shannon. Fr Tom Ryan told Walsh “we love you”, and thanked the bishop for his 15 years of inspirational leadership, not just in the diocese of Killaloe, but across the Irish Church
.
Bishop Walsh called on Cardinal
Desmond Connell
to issue a statement following the fallout from the Murphy report. On 26 November, the day the Murphy report was published, Cardinal Connell released “a personal statement” noting that it had been “severely critical of the diocesan response (to abuse allegations), particularly in my earlier years in office”. Cardinal Connell expressed his “distress and bewilderment” that priests could behave in such a way. He also wished “to express without reservation my bitter regret that failures on my part contributed to the suffering of victims in any form” and apologised to those hurt and asked forgiveness.
submitted his resignation to the Congregation for Bishops
, but is expected to remain as Bishop of the diocese until a replacement is appointed.
At a civic reception to honour his work as bishop of Killoe in March 2010, Bishop Walsh received a standing ovation said for all of Irish bishops, “it is a very difficult time, and all of us are at risk from possibly some mistake made anything from 20 to 50 years ago”. Bishop Walsh added: “All of you councillors appreciate that your position can be hazardous when it comes around to election time and our own positions are hazardous for more serious and sad reasons at the moment.” Reflecting on his time as bishop, Bishop Walsh said: “I found it a heavy responsibility but . . . tried to be open and honest and transparent at all times and I hope that I managed to get to the end of it.” Dr Walsh said he was “very honoured and chuffed” to be granted the civic reception “in a town . . . that has given me so much”. In a surprise for the bishop at the start of the reception, his colleagues in the over-70s Forever Young choir filed into the chamber and sang songs to honour the Tipperary man.
On 18 May 2010, was age induced resignation of Bishop Walsh was accepted by Pope Benedict XVI
and Fr Kieran O’Reilly, S.M.A. was named as the bishop of Killaloe. The speed of the appointment is notable as it normally takes closer to a year to name a new diocesan ordinary
.
opinions were expressed by Bishop Walsh in an Irish Times interview conducted by journalist Kathy Sheridan. Walsh's expressed viewpoints on key issues such as homosexuality, birth control and family planning, the ordination of women as priests, celibacy within the priesthood and the existence of the afterlife.
Walsh asserts to have been “stunned” upon hearing about Pope Paul VI
’s Humanae Vitae
encyclical, a document published to reaffirm traditional Roman Catholic teaching on family planning in 1968. “That was a watershed. Up to that time, I think, practically all Catholics accepted that, whether they disobeyed Catholic teaching or not, the teaching was right. It was there that the questioning began.”
.
Walsh himself believed "John"'s story, saying that Father T was "the worst offender in that he started it. But the other two did worse". The three priests had been in the same class at the Maynooth seminary
, and "John" alleged that his attempt to complain about them to the then College President, Michael Ledwith
, had been brushed off. The 2005 McCullough Report
had investigated and dismissed claims of homosexual behaviour at the College.
Career
He is a native of Roscrea, Co. Tipperary and was born in 1935. He was educated at Corville National School, Roscrea and St. Flannan's College, Ennis. He studied for the priesthood at St. Patrick's College, Maynooth and the Pontifical Irish CollegePontifical Irish College
The Pontifical Irish College is a Roman Catholic seminary for the training and education of priests, in Rome.-Foundation and early history:Towards the close of the sixteenth century, Pope Gregory XIII had sanctioned the foundation of an Irish college in Rome, and had assigned a large sum of money...
, Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
.
He was ordained priest in Rome in 1959, earning him a JCD
Doctor of Canon Law
Doctor of Canon Law is the doctoral-level terminal degree in the studies of canon law of the Roman Catholic Church.It may also be abbreviated I.C.D. or dr.iur.can. , ICDr., D.C.L., D.Cnl., D.D.C., or D.Can.L. . Doctor of both laws are J.U.D...
degree. After ordination he completed his studies in Canon Law
Canon law
Canon law is the body of laws & regulations made or adopted by ecclesiastical authority, for the government of the Christian organization and its members. It is the internal ecclesiastical law governing the Catholic Church , the Eastern and Oriental Orthodox churches, and the Anglican Communion of...
at the Pontifical Lateran University
Pontifical Lateran University
The Pontifical Lateran University is a university by pontifical right based in Rome, Italy. The university also hosts the central session of the Pontifical John Paul II Institute for Studies on Marriage and Family...
in Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
. On his return to Ireland he taught for a year at Coláiste Einde, Galway and joined the staff of St. Flannan's College, Ennis in 1963.
In 1988 he was appointed curate at Ennis Cathedral and became administrator there in 1990. He has been pastorally involved with ACCORD (formerly the Catholic Marriage Advisory Council) since its foundation in the Killaloe diocese. He has worked with Marriage Tribunals at diocesan, regional and national levels. He has pursued a life-long interest in sport and has been involved in coaching hurling teams at colleges, club and county grades.
He succeeded as bishop of Killaloe on 2 October 1994 having served as Coadjutor Bishop of Killaloe from 21 June 1994 until he succeeded to the see.
He was good friends with Henry Heras
Henry Heras
Henry Heras was a Spanish Jesuit priest, archeologist and historian in India.-Education:...
.
Ordinaton of women
Bishop Walsh has openly challenged the Pope with regards to Vatican policy on a number of occasions, including in November 2009 on the subject on the papal ban of discussion on the ordination of womenOrdination of women
Ordination in general religious usage is the process by which a person is consecrated . The ordination of women is a regular practice among some major religious groups, as it was of several religions of antiquity...
.
Spirit of Vatican II
He is quoted as to saying that he wished to see "another Pope John XXIII", who invited discussion on controversial issues.Tridentine Mass
In a 2009 speech he said that he “lacks any enthusiasm for the Latin MassLatin Mass
The term Latin Mass refers to the liturgy of the Roman Catholic Mass celebrated in Latin.The term is frequently used to denote the Tridentine Mass: that is, the Roman-Rite liturgy of the Mass celebrated in accordance with the successive editions of the Roman Missal published between 1570 and 1962...
”.
Homosexuality
Although the Church maintains a consistent stance of opposition, Walsh has expressed polar emotions of sadness about the Catholic Church's attitudes to homosexualityHomosexuality and Roman Catholicism
In Roman Catholicism, homosexual acts are considered contrary to natural law and sinful, while homosexual desires are considered "disordered" but not themselves sinful. The Catholic Church considers human sexual behavior to be sacred, when properly expressed...
.
Divorced Catholics
He was reportedly critical of the Church's policy of refusing the Eucharist to couples who have re-married.Clerical celibacy
The insistence on priests remaining celibate also needed to be discussed, he said.Closed communion
On another occasion, he challenged the Church's rule of closed communionClosed communion
Closed communion is the practice of restricting the serving of the elements of Holy Communion to those who are members of a particular church, denomination, sect, or congregation...
that almost completely excludes Protestants from its Eucharist. He has said that he has never suggested to Church of Ireland members that they were not welcome to receive the sacrament in his churches.
Ryan Report
Referring to the Ryan reportCommission to Inquire into Child Abuse
The Commission to Inquire into Child Abuse is one of a range of measures introduced by the Irish Government to investigate the extent and effects of abuse on children from 1936 onwards. It is commonly known in Ireland as the Ryan Commission , after its chair, Justice Seán Ryan...
, he said it would be “a second injustice [in addition to the abuse of children] if the religious
Religious order
A religious order is a lineage of communities and organizations of people who live in some way set apart from society in accordance with their specific religious devotion, usually characterized by the principles of its founder's religious practice. The order is composed of initiates and, in some...
alone were singled out to carry all the blame. All adults share some responsibility (for what went on then), but they didn’t want to know.” http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2009/1114/1224258814964.html
Murphy Report
After the release of the Murphy ReportMurphy Report
The Murphy Report is the brief name of the report of an investigation conducted by government of Ireland into the Sexual abuse scandal in the Catholic archdiocese of Dublin...
on 26 November 2009 Bishop of Limerick
Roman Catholic Diocese of Limerick
The Diocese of Limerick is a Roman Catholic diocese in mid-western Ireland. It is one of six suffragan dioceses in the ecclesiastical province of Cashel and is subject to the Archdiocese of Cashel and Emly. The diocese is in the secular province of the same name - Munster...
, Donal Murray
Donal Murray
Donal Brendan Murray was the Roman Catholic Bishop of Limerick from 1996 to 2009. He had previously served as an Auxiliary Bishop of the Dublin diocese-Early life and ordination:...
was heavily criticsed for his actions during his time as an Auxiliary Bishop
Auxiliary bishop
An auxiliary bishop, in the Roman Catholic Church, is an additional bishop assigned to a diocese because the diocesan bishop is unable to perform his functions, the diocese is so extensive that it requires more than one bishop to administer, or the diocese is attached to a royal or imperial office...
of Dublin. Bishop Walsh, has said calls for the resignation of Bishop of Limerick Donal Murray were based on a “gross misreading” of the Murphy report on the Dublin diocese
Diocese
A diocese is the district or see under the supervision of a bishop. It is divided into parishes.An archdiocese is more significant than a diocese. An archdiocese is presided over by an archbishop whose see may have or had importance due to size or historical significance...
and warned against a desire “to get a head on a plate”. http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2009/1201/1224259804745.html
Bishop Walsh said he was “quite uncomfortable with this kind of public trial. I’d have to ask, is it about healing for survivors or is it about the desire that we need to get a head on a plate?” He admitted in a radio interview, that he hadn’t had time to examine the report in detail “but I do know, I do know for a fact, some of the interpretation put on that and being placed against Bishop Murray is a misreading of the report. I do know that from somebody who has read in detail the report and I am satisfied with that.” ,
On 8 December Bishop Walsh, said that the crisis in the Church was also a time of opportunity to remove what was wrong in the past. He added: “Every crisis is also an opportunity, an opportunity for serious change, to begin again, to renew our faith, our hope and indeed our love.”
Bishop Walsh wept openly after a parish priest declared the people’s love for him at the blessing and dedication of a new Adoration Chapel in Shannon. Fr Tom Ryan told Walsh “we love you”, and thanked the bishop for his 15 years of inspirational leadership, not just in the diocese of Killaloe, but across the Irish Church
Roman Catholicism in Ireland
The Catholic Church in Ireland is part of the worldwide Catholic Church, the Christian Church with full communion with the Pope, currently Benedict XVI...
.
Bishop Walsh called on Cardinal
Cardinal (Catholicism)
A cardinal is a senior ecclesiastical official, usually an ordained bishop, and ecclesiastical prince of the Catholic Church. They are collectively known as the College of Cardinals, which as a body elects a new pope. The duties of the cardinals include attending the meetings of the College and...
Desmond Connell
Desmond Connell
Desmond Connell is a cardinal in the Roman Catholic Church. He is a former Archbishop of Dublin and Primate of Ireland. He was born in Dublin....
to issue a statement following the fallout from the Murphy report. On 26 November, the day the Murphy report was published, Cardinal Connell released “a personal statement” noting that it had been “severely critical of the diocesan response (to abuse allegations), particularly in my earlier years in office”. Cardinal Connell expressed his “distress and bewilderment” that priests could behave in such a way. He also wished “to express without reservation my bitter regret that failures on my part contributed to the suffering of victims in any form” and apologised to those hurt and asked forgiveness.
Retirement
In January 2010, Bishop Walsh celebrated his 75th birthday, and according to Canon LawCanon law
Canon law is the body of laws & regulations made or adopted by ecclesiastical authority, for the government of the Christian organization and its members. It is the internal ecclesiastical law governing the Catholic Church , the Eastern and Oriental Orthodox churches, and the Anglican Communion of...
submitted his resignation to the Congregation for Bishops
Congregation for Bishops
The Congregation for Bishops is the congregation of the Roman Curia which oversees the selection of new bishops that are not in mission territories or those areas that come under the jurisdiction of the Congregation for the Oriental Churches who deal with the Eastern Catholics, pending papal...
, but is expected to remain as Bishop of the diocese until a replacement is appointed.
At a civic reception to honour his work as bishop of Killoe in March 2010, Bishop Walsh received a standing ovation said for all of Irish bishops, “it is a very difficult time, and all of us are at risk from possibly some mistake made anything from 20 to 50 years ago”. Bishop Walsh added: “All of you councillors appreciate that your position can be hazardous when it comes around to election time and our own positions are hazardous for more serious and sad reasons at the moment.” Reflecting on his time as bishop, Bishop Walsh said: “I found it a heavy responsibility but . . . tried to be open and honest and transparent at all times and I hope that I managed to get to the end of it.” Dr Walsh said he was “very honoured and chuffed” to be granted the civic reception “in a town . . . that has given me so much”. In a surprise for the bishop at the start of the reception, his colleagues in the over-70s Forever Young choir filed into the chamber and sang songs to honour the Tipperary man.
On 18 May 2010, was age induced resignation of Bishop Walsh was accepted by Pope Benedict XVI
Pope Benedict XVI
Benedict XVI is the 265th and current Pope, by virtue of his office of Bishop of Rome, the Sovereign of the Vatican City State and the leader of the Catholic Church as well as the other 22 sui iuris Eastern Catholic Churches in full communion with the Holy See...
and Fr Kieran O’Reilly, S.M.A. was named as the bishop of Killaloe. The speed of the appointment is notable as it normally takes closer to a year to name a new diocesan ordinary
Ordinary
In those hierarchically organised churches of Western Christianity which have an ecclesiastical law system, an ordinary is an officer of the church who by reason of office has ordinary power to execute the church's laws...
.
Irish Times Interview, November 2010
On 6 November 2010, controversial and potentially hereticalHeresy
Heresy is a controversial or novel change to a system of beliefs, especially a religion, that conflicts with established dogma. It is distinct from apostasy, which is the formal denunciation of one's religion, principles or cause, and blasphemy, which is irreverence toward religion...
opinions were expressed by Bishop Walsh in an Irish Times interview conducted by journalist Kathy Sheridan. Walsh's expressed viewpoints on key issues such as homosexuality, birth control and family planning, the ordination of women as priests, celibacy within the priesthood and the existence of the afterlife.
Walsh asserts to have been “stunned” upon hearing about Pope Paul VI
Pope Paul VI
Paul VI , born Giovanni Battista Enrico Antonio Maria Montini , reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church from 21 June 1963 until his death on 6 August 1978. Succeeding Pope John XXIII, who had convened the Second Vatican Council, he decided to continue it...
’s Humanae Vitae
Humanae Vitae
Humanae Vitae is an encyclical written by Pope Paul VI and issued on 25 July 1968. Subtitled On the Regulation of Birth, it re-affirms the traditional teaching of the Catholic Church regarding married love, responsible parenthood, and the continuing proscription of most forms of birth...
encyclical, a document published to reaffirm traditional Roman Catholic teaching on family planning in 1968. “That was a watershed. Up to that time, I think, practically all Catholics accepted that, whether they disobeyed Catholic teaching or not, the teaching was right. It was there that the questioning began.”
"John"'s allegations
An anonymous complainant, "John" alleged that he had been raped by three priests, Fathers T, U and V, in the early 1980s, and had been told by Bishop Walsh in 2005 to report the incidents to the police. Walsh had paid "John" €20,000 personally, and €45,000 out of Killaloe diocesan funds in 2008-09, ".. though he never formally sought compensation", and promised to seek a further €30,000 from the diocese and the alleged offending priests in 2010. It is unclear to what extent Walsh felt sorry for "John", whom he described as "a decent person", or whether the money was paid to some extent as hush moneyHush money
Hush money is an informal term for financial incentives or rewards offered in exchange for not divulging information.Hush Money may also refer to:* Hush Money , a 1921 silent film directed by Charles Maigne...
.
Walsh himself believed "John"'s story, saying that Father T was "the worst offender in that he started it. But the other two did worse". The three priests had been in the same class at the Maynooth seminary
St Patrick's College, Maynooth
St Patrick's College, Maynooth is the "National Seminary for Ireland" , and a Pontifical University, located in the village of Maynooth, 15 miles from Dublin, Ireland. The college and seminary are often referred to as Maynooth College. The college was officially established as the Royal College...
, and "John" alleged that his attempt to complain about them to the then College President, Michael Ledwith
Michael Ledwith
Miceal Ledwith was Catholic priest of the Diocese of Ferns in County Wexford from 1967 to 2005. After a promising academic start he was promoted rapidly and served for a time as President of St Peter's Diocescan College in Wexford...
, had been brushed off. The 2005 McCullough Report
McCullough Report
The McCullough Report is a report published by the Irish Roman Catholic bishops in June 2005 following allegations of homosexual sexual abuse between seminarians and staff at St Patrick's College, Maynooth in Ireland. The report looked at how the College responded to the allegations, and found that...
had investigated and dismissed claims of homosexual behaviour at the College.