A former Church of Ireland bishop who resigned under a cloud after announcing that he was leaving his wife has died.
A former Church of Ireland bishop who resigned under a cloud after announcing that he was leaving his wife has died. The Rt. Rev. Peter Barrett, Bishop of Cashel & Ossory, died on 28 Oct 2015. He was 59. Bishop Barrett was ordained in 1981 and served his curacy in Limavadry, Co. Derry, and was Dean of Waterford when he was appointed bishop in 2003. Less than three years after his appointment the bishop said he had written to the Archbishop of Dublin, Dr John Neill, stating he was resigning his post following the breakdown of his 25 year marriage. It was later announced the bishop had had an affair with a married woman and the two were leaving their spouses to live together. “Above all it is to my wife and children, who have to bear the burdens of anger, disappointment and pain, that I express my profound sorrow,” Bishop Barrett wrote to his diocese in announcing his resignation. On 25 Feb 2006 Dr. Neill told the congregation of St Canice’s Cathedral in Kilkenny the bishop’s decision to resign was “not taken lightly. Nevertheless Bishop Peter could not sustain his ministry among you in view of the direction that his life has taken.”
