Bishop Murray expected to resign

According to sources in the Vatican and Ireland, the Irish bishops were informed of the move on Wednesday afternoon.

Both Cardinal Sean Brady and Archbishop Diarmuid Martin had reportedly been meeting with bishops around the country to discuss the ongoing crisis.

Bishop Murray's resignation comes weeks after retired Bishop Dermot O'Mahony quit as patron of The Irish Pilgrimage Trust.

They are the first clergymen to stand down following the Murphy report.

It is understood Bishop Murray of Limerick arranged to tender his resignation in the Vatican after pressure mounted from within the hierarchy, including calls from Cardinal Brady for him to do the right thing.

His mishandling of child abuse cases against priests in Dublin was in one case inexcusable, the inquiry found.

The Editor of The Irish Catholic, Garry O'Sullivan said: "To resign for a mistake made almost 20 years ago shows the seriousness with which Bishop Murray has taken the Murphy Report's demonstration of his failure, which it deemed inexcusable."

Bishop Murray had travelled to the Vatican and his resignation had been expected for some time.

But according to Irish Catholic sources, he did not delay his resignation in Rome and was prepared to resign earlier.

In a letter read out at weekend Masses across Limerick earlier this month, Bishop Murray asked for people to pray for him.

"Bishop Murray is acutely aware of the pain and anguish that has been experienced and expressed," the letter said.

Mr O'Sullivan said that Archbishop Martin now needed The Vatican to "act in terms of the responsibility and accountability of other bishops.

"It is unfair on the Archbishop of Dublin to be burdened with trying to exact accountability from others on his own."

"This is not just a Church issue, it is an issue for us as a Republic," he added.

Last week, the Pope said he was deeply disturbed and distressed by the findings of the Murphy report and planned to write a letter to the Catholics of Ireland.