Joy Cowley defends bishop who resigned

A high-profile Catholic woman says a bishop would not have had sex with a young woman unless he loved her. Joy Cowley, a celebrated children's author, told RNZ the sexual relationship that Charles Drennan has admitted to would have made him a better bishop. The Pope accepted Bishop Drennan's resignation from the Palmerston North diocese, and he has also stepped down from liaising with the Royal Commission into abuse. Joy Cowley wrote an online post defending the bishop and told reporter Phil Pennington Catholic women know most priests have sex, and she hopes the Drennan case pushes the Vatican towards scrapping mandatory celibacy.