Toowoomba, Australia, May 13, 2011 / 07:38 am
Australia’s bishops say they back Pope Benedict’s decision to remove renegade Bishop William Morris from his post in Toowoomba, in the Brisbane region of the country.
“It was judged that there were problems of doctrine and discipline, and we regret that these could not be resolved. We are hopeful that Bishop Morris will continue to serve the Church in other ways in the years ahead,” the bishops said in a letter to the interim administrator appointed by the Pope in Toowoomba.
The Vatican removed Bishop Morris, 67, on May 2, following several years of negotiations aimed at getting him to correct his abuses of Church doctrine and liturgy.
The letter on behalf of the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference was signed by conference president Archbishop Philip Wilson and was sent to the apostolic administrator, Bishop Brian Finnigan. Archbishop Wilson was a present during Bishop Morris’ meeting with the Pope at the Vatican on June 2009.