AUSTRALIA
The Courier-Mail
December 31, 2015
Daryl Passmore
The Courier-Mail
A BRISBANE bishop has quit after being accused of not being honest in giving evidence at the sexual abuse royal commission.
Auxiliary Bishop Brian Finnigan — one of the city’s three most powerful Catholic Church figures — had his resignation accepted by Pope Francis yesterday.
In a letter to fellow clergymen, he made no direct reference to his appearance before the commission earlier this month. But he wrote: “In a pastoral career spanning more than 40 years, there have been disappointments and challenges.
“From those whom I may have disappointed, I seek forgiveness.’’
Bishop Finnigan was slammed by counsel assisting the Royal Commission, Angus Stewart SC, two weeks ago for lacking compassion and not being candid in his evidence about his knowledge of paedophile priests in the 1980s.
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