The Bishop of Galway, Rev Martin Drennan, was given seven minutes to “account directly to the holy father” about his views, actions or knowledge about decades of sexual and physical abuse by clergy, at a two day meeting with Pope Benedict XVI in Rome this week.

Bishop Drennan was one of 24 Irish bishops who met with the pontiff and seven leading members of the Curia at two sessions in the Vatican yesterday. A third session with the Pope began this morning at 8am and will end at 1pm.

Each Bishop was given about seven minutes to discuss with the pope the fallout from reports on clerical abuse, including the Ryan and Murphy reports.

Despite repeated calls from survivors of clerical abuse for bishop Drennan to resign following the publication of the Murphy Report, Bishop of Clogher Joseph Duffy said resignations were “not on the agenda” at the unprecedented meetings.

“Precise questions of resignation is not on the agenda of the bishops because that is not our prerogative,” Bishop Duffy said, reiterating what Bishop Drennan’s spokesperson had maintained last week.

Bishop Duffy added that each bishop had been invited “to account directly to the holy father”, and referred to “the failure of all of us, including bishops, for not doing what we were expected to do”. He said the meetings were serious and “not just a cosmetic exercise”.

The meetings were described by the primate of All Ireland, Cardinal Sean Brady, as “one step in a process ... which will lead to a journey of repentance, renewal and reconciliation”.

On the eve of the meetings, survivors of clerical abuse reiterated their view that Pope Benedict should remove Bishop Drennan from his position. Bishop Drennan’s spokesperson had no comment to make yesterday about the meetings but the bishop previously said that in his role as Auxillary bishop before he came to Galway he had not been fully informed of cases involving allegations against of abuse priests and that it was the then Archbishop Des Connell who made all major decisions.

He is one of five Auxillary bishops mentioned in the Murphy Report but the reference to him states that he correctly handled one particular case of allegations against one priest. The other four Auxillary Bishops have all tendered their resignations to the Vatican.

Bishop Drennan is due back in Galway later tonight or early tomorrow. The Pope has already declared that he is “disturbed and distressed” by the report and shares the “outrage, betrayal and shame” felt by the Irish people.