The Catholic Church's child protection agency has severely criticised the former Bishop of Hexham for putting children at risk by promoting a priest who had “displayed a clear pattern of grooming behaviour over the years”.
Bishop Robert Byrne, who resigned in December after just three years and almost a decade before his retirement age, was also excoriated for his friendship with a convicted paedophile whom he tried to bring into his home and for whom he sought work in the diocese.
The 57-page review of safeguarding procedures into the diocese by the Catholic Safeguarding Standards Agency (CSSA) following his resignation found that existing practices met “minimum requirements”.
