In response to the promise of the Australian bishops to bring the issue of Bishop Morris’ termination of appointment as Bishop of Toowoomba to their visit to Rome last month, they produced a statement noting multiple meetings with Cardinal Marc Ouellet, Prefect of the Congregation for Bishops, and Cardinal William Levada, Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.

The statement said that the bishops gained a “more adequate understanding of what was done by the Holy See in an attempt to resolve the difficulties with Bishop Morris, which concerned not only matters of Church discipline but also of Church doctrine definitively taught, such as on the ministerial priesthood.”

“What was at stake was the Church’s unity in faith and the ecclesial communion between the Pope and the other Bishops in the College of Bishops. Eventually Bishop Morris was unable to agree to what this communion requires and at that point the Pope acted as the Successor of Peter, who has the task of deciding what constitutes unity and communion in the Church.” the statement added.

They committed to “return to Australia determined to do whatever we can to heal any wounds of division, to extend our fraternal care to Bishop Morris, and to strengthen the bonds of charity in the Church in Australia.”

The National Catholic Reporter reported that Archbishop Wilson said that the meeting was “an indication of the seriousness with which the Roman authorities in the dicasteries here want to enter into dialogue with the Australian bishops in looking at these issues.”

“What we have to do is look at what the consequences have been, what we need to do now to bring healing and guidance to the Catholic people of Australia, do all we can to maintain a proper collegial relationship with Bishop Morris and find ways in which he can continue his ministry as a bishop in our midst, although he’s no longer bishop of Toowoomba,” the archbishop said.

Meanwhile, Andrew Hamilton in Eureka Street (Oct 24 2011) noted that “the issues raised by Morris’ dismissal were not about the Pope’s right to act, but about whether his decision was wise and prudent in the manner of its making. It was not about the authority to govern but about the exercise of governance.”

“The reason why many people questioned the decision was that the best standards of governance in Western democracies are characterised by transparency, natural justice, and due process. It is common experience, not least in the treatment of asylum seekers, that when these are lacking, decisions are often made that do not respect the human dignity of those affected.” he said.

See Bishop Morris’ reply to the Australian Bishops online.