Marie Collins, a victim of clerical abuse, has said that the Pope’s refusal to accept the resignations of two bishops named in the Murphy report is an “insult to the people of Dublin.”

She said the Pope should explain why Bishops Eamonn Walsh and Raymond Field are allowed to remain in office.

"They want the faithful in the church to respect the bishops and the Pope, but they are showing no respect toward us. There has to be a proper, official statement because this is just too important to be slipped out the way it has," she told the Irish Independent.

The Pope’s decision on the matter was revealed in a letter Diarmuid Martin, the Archbishop of Dublin, sent earlier this week to priests in the city.

Contrast to his decision on Bishops Walsh and Field, the Pope did accept the resignation of Bishop Him Moriarty.

"The resignation of Bishop Moriarty was accepted and he was in the exact same position as the two auxiliary bishops, that is very strange,” said Collins.

She added that Bishop Moriarty was "very sincere and very honourable" when he stepped down, but the other two bishops fought to ensure their resignations weren't accepted.

The three bishops handed in their resignations after Archbishop Martin called on those named in the Murphy report to take responsibility.

Said Collins: "The message that is going out to the other bishops is 'don't do as Archbishop Martin did, don't be accountable, open and transparent'. It's just putting us right back to where we were before. Nothing has changed at the top, all the messages from the Pope about taking responsibility were just that -- words."

Both the Vatican and Dr Martin have refused to comment.