Bishop of Kerry says he was embarrassed to kiss Pope's ring

The Bishop of Kerry has claimed that he was surprised as he stooped to kiss Pope Benedict’s ring during the visit of the Irish bishops to the Vatican. 

Speaking to the Kerryman newspaper Dr Bill Murphy said he was surprised with the protocol but he followed his fellow bishops who bowed to kiss the papal ring. 

"When it came to my turn, the person before me did it and I kissed his ring as well even though I was rather embarrassed by it."  He said when he previously met Pope Benedict and his predecessor, Pope John Paul II, he was greeted with a handshake. 

Bishop Murphy said he was sure the pope would also have preferred to avoid the ancient kissing of the ring custom when he met the bishops in Rome.

”Some people still try to kiss a bishop’s ring but, obviously, it’s out of touch with modern thinking," Bishop Murphy stated. 

The bishop, meanwhile, has rejected claims from abuse survivors that the meeting in Rome was nothing more than a charade.  He said the gathering was "very serious and significant" and he conceded the Catholic Church might have been at fault for not lowering the "exaggerated and unrealistic expectations" of the public in advance. 

The bishop said he is confident that Pope Benedict will offer a very sincere and profound apology to abuse victims in a letter he expects will be received in Kerry within the next three weeks. 

Bishop Murphy said the Irish bishops were shown a draft copy of the pope’s letter and had made several comments on it that will be taken into consideration by Pope Benedict as he finalises his letter.

by Sean Ryan