Cloyne answers

‘People are shocked but we have all known for years’By Jennifer Hough
Thursday, July 14, 2011

At first glance, the mood in the harbour town of Cobh yesterday was like that on any other glorious summer’s day.

The waterfront was bustling, and busloads of tourists gathered outside the magnificent cathedral, taking pictures and marvelling at the spectacular views across the bay.

But behind the sunny facade, and away from the attractions, local people were all too aware of another story of their town.

For many, it was a black day due to the publication of the Cloyne report, outlining years of abuse under the watch of their bishop — Dr John Magee.

Although Cobh was his home for many years, many did not want to talk about what had occurred. Others admitted they were rushing home to watch the 3pm broadcast about the damning report into child abuse in the diocese.

In Jack Doyle’s pub, a group of men watching the TV coverage of the report expressed outrage that victims were not getting justice.

"Everyone was afraid of the priests and if you said anything against them you got a clip around the ear," said one.

"But now it has all come out and victims have told their stories, still nothing is happening.

By the time they get around to charging them they will be dead and gone."

Passing by St Colman’s Cathedral, across from Bishop Magee’s former home, was Helen Khan, who lived in Britain for about 30 years but has since returned to Cobh. She recalled that, even when she was a child, the bishop had always seemed as though he was above the people.

"He was never for the people, and if you are not for the people you are not for the children," she said.

"People are shocked and disgusted at what has happened, but we have all known for years.

"I remember when it was reported first, half the people got up and walked out of the church and never came back."

Ms Khan said there was no doubt the church had been damaged by the revelations.

Other people spoke only on the condition of anonymity, saying it was a disgrace that most of the abusers outed in the report have never been brought to justice. and how sad it was that children had suffered such awful traumas.

One local said he was not surprised to hear of allegations against the bishop himself.

"I’m sure my own parents knew what was going on back then, but you couldn’t say anything," he said.

"They were on the top and you were on the bottom and they had the power.

There was always rumours about the bishop so it’s not surprising."

Papal visit now looks doomed after Cloyne backlash hits Church

By Michael Lavery and Cormac Murphy
Friday July 15 2011

Proposals for a Papal visit to Ireland next summer are likely to be shelved in the wake of the Cloyne report.

The State and the Catholic Church remained on a collision course after the chairman of Fine Gael called for the Pope's representative in Ireland to be expelled.

It was also suggested that the Government could close our embassy to the Holy See as public anger grows over the failure of Bishop John Magee to publicly apologise for the scandal.
Asked for his reaction to calls for the Papal Nuncio to be expelled, Justice Minister Alan Shatter said the direct interference by another state in preventing the application in Ireland of child protection guidelines is unacceptable.
However, he stopped short of saying the Papal Nuncio should be expelled in light of the findings of the Cloyne Report.
"I very much understand the view expressed by Charlie Flanagan. I think there are a number of people who would have a great deal of sympathy with that view," Mr Shatter told Newstalk.
"I believe the first step is that the Papal Nuncio provides to the Tanaiste the answers that are being sought. My central concern in this is that we truly protect children," he added.
The minister said there was a great deal of shock and outrage in Government, and right across all political parties

Government plans to jail priests for up to five years if they fail to report information on child sex abuse, even if it was obtained in the confession box, put it in direct conflict with the traditional teachings of the Church. A Catholic Bishops spokesman said the seal of confession "places an onerous responsibility on the confessor/priest, and a breach of it would be a serious offence to the rights of penitents".

Separately, Fr PJ Madden of the Association of Catholic Priests, said the seal was "above and beyond all else" and could not be broken, even if a penitent confessed to a crime.

Taoiseach Enda Kenny backed the tough new laws to compel priests to report paedophiles to gardai.

"The law of the land should not be stopped by a crozier or a collar," Mr Kenny said. He was replying to a question from journalists as to whether the traditional Catholic seal of the confessional would be exempted from the law.

Complaints
He described as "absolutely disgraceful" the attitude of the Vatican to complaints of child sex abuse in the Cloyne diocese.

Minister for Children Frances Fitzgerald will publish new guidance on child protection rules today, along with a HSE plan to implement the rules consistently across the State.

Papal Nuncio Archbishop Giuseppe Leanza was yesterday summoned to the Department of Foreign Affairs and told to get answers from the Vatican on damning revelations in the report that it allowed priests to ignore the law.

Tanaiste and Foreign Affairs Minister Eamon Gilmore said he warned the Archbishop about the new law of five years jail for anyone who does not alert authorities about crimes against a child.
"I told him I believed that a response was required and I look forward to receiving it."

The hardline Government stance followed revelations in the Cloyne report that Bishop John Magee and the Vatican encouraged the concealment of child abuse allegations.

Pressure continued to mount today for Bishop Magee to come out of hiding and answer questions publicly about the Cloyne report. Some sources suggested he was visiting the southern states of the US.
He has not been seen at his home in Mitchelstown, Co Cork, in several weeks.