The Catholic Church has claimed the makers of the BBC documentary Suing the Pope misinterpreted canon law in their assertion that former Bishop Brendan Comiskey of Ferns was forced to resign.
In a programme, due to be broadcast on BBC2 tomorrow night, it is claimed Dr Comiskey did not leave his job voluntarily, as he claimed in his resignation statement, but was forced to go by the Vatican "for behaviour unbecoming of a bishop".
Tomorrow night's programme is a follow-up to the Suing the Pope documentary aired last March about child sexual abuse in the diocese of Ferns.
The original documentary revealed the full extent of the abuse of several young boys by the late Father Seán Fortune in Co Wexford in the 1980s and the subsequent cover-up of that abuse by the hierarchy, including Bishop Comiskey.
Dr Comiskey resigned 10 days after the programme was aired. In his resignation statement he said his continuation in office "would be an obstacle to healing" for those who had been abused. He denied he had been put under pressure by any of his superiors to resign.
However in Suing the Pope tomorrow the director and reporter of the programme, Ms Sarah Mcdonald, maintains Bishop Comiskey was "sacked" by the Pope.
Ms Mcdonald refers to the statement issued by the Vatican, last April, announcing that the Pope has accepted Dr Comiskey's resignation in accordance with a particular section of the code of canon law.
This section states: "A diocesan bishop who, because of illness or some other grave reason, has become unsuited for the fulfilment of his office, is earnestly requested to offer his resignation from office."
A church spokesman said yesterday the programme makers were taking "a particular reading of the code of canon law" to suit their purposes.
This part of the code was a generic statement, he said, which was attached to all such resignation acceptances and Bishop Comiskey was not "specifically earnestly requested" to resign.
The spokesman added he was not aware of any pressure being brought on the bishop to resign. "I cannot find any basis for this suggestion," he said.
Speaking from London last night, Ms Mcdonald said Bishop Comiskey had been "disingenuous" in his resignation statement.
"The Catholic Church can say whatever it likes, but he was pushed. If someone is earnestly asked to resign, it's a sacking.
"He was asked to go and, let's face it, he was the first ever bishop asked to resign because of protecting paedophiles," she said.
Tomorrow night's programme features Mr Colm O'Gorman, who was abused by Fr Fortune, revisiting Ferns. The support group for victims of abuse established by Mr O'Gorman in Britain - One in Four - is in the process of opening an Irish office, and will be offering counselling and therapy services in the coming weeks.
