Tearful Walsh apologises for 'head on a plate' remark
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THE Bishop of Killaloe Dr Willie Walsh broke down and cried on live radio yesterday after saying that he didn't want to pass judgment on others.
Dr Walsh broke down after stating: "Part of my nature is never really to judge anyone else. Part of the reason for that is that I am only too conscious of my own frailty and failures, so I don't want to pass judgment on anyone else."
An under-pressure Dr Walsh was responding to the fallout from his remarks on RTE radio, on Monday, when he warned against a desire to get "a head on a plate" over calls for the resignation of the Bishop of Limerick, Dr Donal Murray.
Yesterday, on Clare FM's 'Morning Focus' programme, presenter John Cooke was forced to take an early ad break to allow a weeping Dr Walsh compose himself.
Dr Walsh revealed that he has received a lot of phone calls from clerical sex abuse victims after his comments on Monday -- objecting to what he said.
"I'm very sorry for that and I apologise unreservedly for any hurt that I have caused, particularly to any victim," he said.
"The important thing here is the people who have suffered so much, and who are still carrying hurt," Dr Walsh added.
He admitted his remark about a "head on a plate" was "an unfortunate phrase".
He said: "What I thought I was calling for was a fair hearing, a balanced hearing.
"Obviously, other people think very differently. Other people saw that in some way maybe my condoning a failure to deal with this issue. I don't condone any failures to deal with this issue, but obviously, it came across the wrong way and caused hurt to some people."
"For that I apologise unreservedly; it is the last thing I would want to do."
Dr Walsh was away on business for the remainder of yesterday and was unavailable for further comment.
- Gordon Deegan
Irish Independent
