Coventry Catholic Bishop Quits after Bringing "Shame" on Diocese

By Jenny Waddington
Coventry Telegraph
September 29, 2014

http://www.coventrytelegraph.net/news/coventry-news/coventry-catholic-bishop-quits-after-7849559

The Rt Rev Kieran Conry

A Catholic bishop from Coventry has resigned from his post after claiming to have brought ‘shame’ on his diocese and the church.

The Rt Rev Kieran Conry, who is Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Arundel and Brighton, covering Surrey and Sussex, issued a statement on Saturday which said he had “been unfaithful to his promises as a Catholic priest”.

The statement, which was read in all churches of the diocese over the weekend, said: “I am sorry to confess that, going back some years, I have been unfaithful to my promises as a Catholic priest.

“I would like to reassure you that my actions were not illegal and did not involve minors.

“As a result, however, I have decided to offer my resignation as bishop with immediate effect and will now take some time to consider my future. I want to apologise first of all to the individuals hurt by my actions and then to all of those inside and outside the diocese who will be shocked, hurt and saddened to hear this.

“I am sorry for the shame that I have brought on the diocese and the Church and I ask for your prayers and forgiveness.”

Originally from Coventry, Mr Conry was brought up in a council house on Cannon Hill Road, near Canley cemetery.

The son of a working-class Irish family, he attended All Souls’ Junior School, near Hearsall Common, and was ordained in July 1975 at All Souls’ Church by Archbishop George Patrick Dwyer of Birmingham.

He was appointed administrator of St Chad’s Cathedral in 1990, and from 1988 to 1993, Mr Conry was a member of the National Conference of Priests, and its vice chairman from 1992 to 1993. He was also chairman of the Birmingham City Centre Churches from 1992 to 1993.

Mr Conry was director of the Catholic Media Office in London, the press office of the Bishop’s Conference of England and Wales, and also editor of Briefing, the Bishop’s official journal, between 1994 and 2001, it said.

He was consecrated as fourth bishop of Arundel and Brighton at Arundel Cathedral in June 2001. Following Mr Conry’s announcement, Cardinal Vincent Nichols, president of the Bishops’ Conference, said: “This is a sad and painful moment.

“It makes clear that we are always a Church of sinners called to repentance and conversion and in need of God’s mercy.

“All involved in this situation are much in my prayers today.”