The first bishop has resigned as a result of the child abuse scandal involving the Roman Catholic Church in Ireland.

Limerick's Bishop Donal Murray told the congregation of a mass he was celebrating that he was standing down. He said he humbly apologised to everyone who had been abused as a child.

His resignation follows the publication last month of a damning report into the scandal. It concluded Catholic leaders had systematically hidden cases of child abuse by the Irish clergy for 30 years. Since 1982, Bishop Murray has been one of the most prominent members of Ireland's Catholic hierarchy.

photo: St. John's Cathedral, Limerick (flickr / Wendy)