Never Again; bishop admitted that the Catholic Church did not have adequate systems

Never again
By Andrew Greaves , 3-05-07

One of Lancashire's most senior clergymen has assured parents that mistakes made in the past will not be repeated.
Patrick O'Donoghue, the Bishop of Lancaster, was speaking just days after former Preston priest Father Edmund Cotter, 60, pleaded guilty to three specimen charges of indecent assault at Preston Crown Court.

The bishop admitted that the Catholic Church did not have adequate systems in place when dealing with priests accused of sexual abuse in the past.

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Bishop Patrick said in the past the Church had a tendency to accept that any misdemeanours were isolated incidents and would often just move the priest to another parish.

He said: "In the past the priest who has committed the offence has usually apologised and we have frowned upon their actions but found them another position in a different parish. This is where we have been guilty in the past.

"We are very distraught when this kind of thing happens because not only does it call all priests into question, it also shatters a trust that parents put in Catholic Church and its workers in the community, the school yard, the youth club or wherever."
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