Catholic bishop resigns after claiming to have brought "shame" on his diocese

Disgrace: Kieran Conry has resigned as a bishop

A Catholic bishop has resigned from his post, 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 today which said he had "been unfaithful to his promises as a Catholic priest". The statement, which will be read in all churches of the diocese this 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." Mr Conry, 63, was accused of writing a love letter to the parishioner during an affair six years ago. He is also understood to have become close to the married mother after her marriage hit a crisis last year. Earlier this year he denied having a sexual relationship with her but admitted she had twice stayed at his home in Pease Pottage, West Sussex.

 Bishop Of Arundel Kieran Conry seen leaving his home in Kent and out shopping at his local waitrose with a mystery woman

A Sunday newspapaper claimed he wrote a letter that read: “Dear, Dear XXXX It’s all right to say that (your husband) did bad things, but you knew that he didn’t love you. You know (I hope) that I did. And I did, and do.”

When confronted about his resignation, he allegedly told the paper: ‘This has nothing to do with your enquiries. It is totally unrelated. “This relates to a relationship of six years ago. So be careful what you write.” The bishop is known as a leading moderniser in the Church. This month he said priests should put up with noisy children during services to encourage more families to attend church. And last year he was criticised by conservative churchgoers for meeting a group of Catholic homosexuals. 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.”
The resignation has echoes of a previous scandal that rocked the Catholic church. Roderick Wright resigned as bishop of Argyll and the Isles in 1996 after having an affair with divorcee Kathleen McPhee, a nurse in Fort William. He had advised Frances Shand Kydd, the mother of ­Princess Diana, before she was accepted into the Catholic church. After the scandal of his affair with the mum of three became public, it was then revealed that he had fathered a son with another parishioner in 1981.

After quitting his post, Mr Wright then married Mrs McPhee and they emigrated to New Zealand. However, he suffered from liver cancer and died in May 2005, aged 64. Mr Conry, originally from Coventry, studied for the priesthood in Rome, was ordained in July 1975. From 1993 to 2000 he was involved with training counsellors for Catholic Marriage Care, according to his biography. He edited an official journal for bishops between 1994 and 2001. He was consecrated as fourth bishop  of Arundel and Brighton at Arundel ­Cathedral in June 2001.