Australia: Bishop Morris blames a cabal of Catholics for his removal

Catholic Archbishop John Bathersby of Brisbane, Australia, confirmed that Pope Benedict XVI may have had good reason to remove Bishop William Morris from his see in the Diocese of Toowoomba in Queensland, but could not confirm details according to the Sydney Morning Herald.  Archbishop Bathersby said in a radio interview , "Bishop Bill is a person I know very well - a person who has done an enormous amount of work in the church." He added, "I feel sad about it all but I'm sure there must be a lot of reason in the decision the Pope has made."
 
Archbishop Bathersby said he believed Bishop Morris was good at his job. He admitted Rome did not consult him about the case and the decision to remove the bishop, but supports the action taken by the pontiff.
 
The Courier-Mail reports some Catholics say they may leave the Church over the dismissal. Priests across the Toowoomba diocese will meet and plan to help parishioners concerned about Bishop Morris' sudden removal. Fr. Jamie Collins said small parishes such as his were mourning the loss of the bishop.  "They are devastated by the news because Bishop Bill had a wonderful rapport with the smaller communities in the diocese," he said. "A lot of people feel hurt and devastated by what's happened, especially as he has always been so open and transparent in his own leadership. I think their faith will be affected in some way, but I think like Bill, they're not angry but sad. It has caused them to question their faith in Church leadership."
 
Another priest, who wished to remain anonymous, said he had been approached by Catholics who threatened to leave. For his part, Bishop Morris said it would be wrong for people to walk away. "The important thing is to keep going, working together and making sure there is true justice through transparency," he said.
 
The prelate referred to "temple police" - a group of about 15 parishioners and priests. "There's only about 15 of them and what they do is continually protest to Rome," Bishop Morris said. "Naturally the Vatican doesn't get letters from all the people who are happy," he said.