The Irish Times
December 23, 2010
PATSY McGARRY, Religious Affairs Correspondent
The remit of the Murphy commission should be extended to include all Catholic dioceses in the State, Fine Gael spokesman on children Charlie Flanagan has said. “It is clear from the litany of horrors that have already been revealed that a full national audit of all Catholic dioceses is required,” he said.
The Murphy commission investigated the handling of clerical child sex abuse allegations by church and State authorities in Dublin’s Catholic archdiocese and has just completed a similar investigation into Cloyne diocese.
Mr Flanagan was speaking yesterday in anticipation of the commission’s Cloyne report being handed over to Minister for Justice Dermot Ahern today.
News reports that it was to be handed over to the Minister yesterday were premature.
Reflecting on “what we already know of Cloyne, Ferns and the Dublin Archdiocese and from the Murphy and Ryan reports”, Mr Flanagan said: “The information which has emerged is too grave and the litany of abuse is too horrific for this to be avoided any longer.” He said “the culture within the church which allowed this abuse must be exposed and its countless child victims must be heard,” he said.
“Fine Gael believes the remit of the Murphy commission could be extended to cover other dioceses in the country. The Director of Public Prosecutions must also be furnished with all appropriate information.
“The veil of secrecy which facilitated the continued suffering of children at the hands of paedophile priests must be lifted for good,” he said.
However, and as matters stand, the commission is due to conclude its work by the end of this month when it will be wound up.
In January 2009 its remit was extended by Minister for Children Barry Andrews to include Cloyne. That followed the findings of Catholic church watchdog, the National Board for Safeguarding Children, that child protection measures in Cloyne were “inadequate and in some respects dangerous”.
Those findings were published on the Cloyne diocese website in December 2008.
The period covered by the Murphy commission investigation into Cloyne extended from January 1st, 1996 to February 1st, 2006. The Catholic Church’s Green Book /framework document, its first guidelines on child protection, was published in 1996.
It is understood the Cloyne report, the length of which is believed to be approximately 400 pages, will include findings involving all 19 priests who faced abuse allegations during the period investigated.
However, uncertainty remains over when the report will be published as it is considered likely the DPP may bring charges against one of the priests investigated.
That would mean the High Court could order that the relevant chapter be withheld until proceedings in the case are completed.
In March 2009 Bishop of Cloyne John Magee stood aside from diocesan duties and the Archbishop of Cashel, Dermot Clifford, was appointed by the Vatican as Apostolic Administrator to Cloyne.
Posts tonen met het label Ierland niet-residentieel. Alle posts tonen
Posts tonen met het label Ierland niet-residentieel. Alle posts tonen
donderdag, december 23, 2010
maandag, december 13, 2010
Defrocked priest charged with possession of child pornography
Sunday Tribune
Ali Bracken and Mark Hilliard
12-12-2010
12-12-2010
Defrocked Irish cleric Oliver O'Grady was yesterday charged with possession of thousands of pornographic images of children, some as young as two.
He was granted bail at Dublin District Court despite garda objections.
Judge James McDonnell heard that 65-year-old O'Grady was arrested at his Dublin hostel on Friday morning just after 7am. The material confiscated included images and videos on a USB key, an external hard drive and a laptop. Det garda Johanna Doyle told the court: "We are talking about thousands upon thousands of images of child pornography. Children from the age of two and three up to teenage boys and girls."
Defending solicitor Dara Robinson told the court that his client had difficult personal circumstances and did not have financial means. "His personal circumstances are very unfortunate; he is a highly educated man who has had a very serious fall from grace.
He has significant estrangement from his family and his social circumstances have changed."
The court heard the defendant rents a lock-up facility and a postbox in which to store his personal belongings.
O'Grady, with an address at ...Dublin , was formally charged at Pearse Street garda station at 3.13pm yesterday with possession of child pornography. Gardaí told the court that further charges are likely to follow.
The former priest, wearing a black jacket, black trousers and a blue sweater, remained silent throughout except when asked to clarify his name and address. Det garda Doyle told the judge that O'Grady has lived at various addresses in Ireland since his deportation from the US in 2001.
Gardaí strenuously objected to bail on the basis of how serious the charges were and that there were more to follow. However, Robinson argued that the court could only deal with the issue of bail on the basis of the charge before the court. Judge McDonnell consented to bail of €500 and told O'Grady that he must sign on twice daily at Harcourt Terrace garda station before his next court appearance next Friday.
De garda Doyle asked that a condition of bail be that O'Grady have no contact with children.
Judge McDonnell said this could not be implemented as O'Grady lives in a hostel.
O'Grady gave an undertaking not to seek travel documentation as the gardaí have confiscated his passport.
Chapter 19
Tony Walsh’s abuse of one boy from 1978 to 1983 was so extreme that he was sentenced this week to a total of 123 years. On Wednesday the High Court is expected to release an unpublished Murphy report chapter dealing with Walsh.
THE EXTENT OF Tony Walsh’s abuse of one young boy over the five years from 1978 to 1983, when the child, “David”, was aged between seven and 12, can be gleaned from the sentences imposed by Judge Frank O’Donnell in the Circuit Criminal Court last Monday: a total of 123 years.
Five of the 13 counts, for buggery, attracted sentences of 10, 12, 14, 16 and 16 years each.
The remaining counts, for indecent assault, brought sentences ranging from four to nine years.
As Walsh is to serve his sentences concurrently, 16 years is the maximum time he will spend in jail. It is the most severe sentence ever imposed on a clerical child sex abuser in the State.
(Four years were suspended, as a psychologist’s report said it was unlikely Walsh would offend again.)
With good behaviour Walsh could be out of jail in 2019.
Fr Brendan Smyth, probably Ireland’s most notorious clerical paedophile, was jailed for 12 years at the Circuit Criminal Court in July 1997. He died a month into his sentence.
Another notorious abuser, the Donegal priest Fr Eugene Greene, was released in 2008 after serving nine years of a 12-year sentence.
But there were elements to the Walsh case that make it stand out and that highlight the bravery and persistence of the now 38-year-old man who pursued it for 17 years, since he first went to the Garda, in 1993.
Walsh spent eight years trying to stop his trial, exhausting the judicial-review process. He failed. He had failed also in another case in 1997. Then, after a round-the-houses judicial review, also under free legal aid, he pleaded guilty and served time.
In David’s case Walsh did not plead guilty and forced a trial. The jury last month found him guilty, unanimously and after just 94 minutes, on the 13 counts.
The speed of the conviction was down to David himself, who, as Justice O’Donnell said on Monday, had been "an absolute stalwart" in his evidence to the court
...
High expectations: What is Chapter 19?
There is a general expectation that the High Court will publish the 29-page chapter 19 of the Murphy report next Wednesday.
Most of the report was published on November 26th last year.
It detailed findings of the Murphy Commission following its investigation of the handling by Catholic Church and State authorities of clerical child sex abuse allegations in the Dublin archdiocese, made between 1975 and 2004 and involving a sample of 46 priests.
Two chapters, 19 and 20, were withheld, as court proceedings were pending against two men who were the subject of each. That remains the case where chapter 20 is concerned.
With the jailing of Tony Walsh last Monday, however, the way now seems clear for publication of chapter 19, and of 21 other references to Walsh in the Murphy report.
"David" has spoken to the commission about his abuse by Walsh.
It is also known from the report itself that it investigated the church tribunal in Dublin that found in 1992 that Walsh should be laicised on foot of allegations of child sex abuse.
It states that "only two canonical trials took place over the 30-year period [investigated].
Both were at the instigation of [then] Archbishop Connell and the Commission gives him credit for initiating the two penal processes which led to the dismissal of Fr Bill Carney in 1990".
The report also says: "Archbishop Connell was one of the first bishops in the world to initiate canonical trials in the modern era. He did so in relation to . . . Fr Bill Carney in 1990."
The blank in the report indicates the missing name of Tony Walsh.
Sitting on the tribunal that laicised Walsh in 1992 were three canon lawyers: the recently retired bishop of Killaloe, Willie Walsh; the current Bishop of Dromore, John McAreavey; and Fr Paddy Corcoran.
Bishop Willie Walsh has said he understood at the time that the archdiocese had told the Garda about the tribunal findings.
It had not.
Neither did McAreavey, Corcoran or Bishop Éamonn Walsh, who was aware of the tribunal and its findings at the time.
Tony Walsh appealed the tribunal decision to Rome, and the ensuing process took a further three years.
In 1994, as that appeal progressed, Walsh sexually assaulted the 11-year-old grandson of a man whose funeral he attended dressed as a priest.
The boy’s parents contacted the Garda. Walsh received a one-year jail sentence for the offence in 1995.
By then Rome had commuted Walsh’s laicisation.
He would remain a priest but spend a decade in a monastery.
When Walsh was convicted in the courts Archbishop Desmond Connell flew to Rome and insisted that Walsh be laicised.
He was.
THE EXTENT OF Tony Walsh’s abuse of one young boy over the five years from 1978 to 1983, when the child, “David”, was aged between seven and 12, can be gleaned from the sentences imposed by Judge Frank O’Donnell in the Circuit Criminal Court last Monday: a total of 123 years.
Five of the 13 counts, for buggery, attracted sentences of 10, 12, 14, 16 and 16 years each.
The remaining counts, for indecent assault, brought sentences ranging from four to nine years.
As Walsh is to serve his sentences concurrently, 16 years is the maximum time he will spend in jail. It is the most severe sentence ever imposed on a clerical child sex abuser in the State.
(Four years were suspended, as a psychologist’s report said it was unlikely Walsh would offend again.)
With good behaviour Walsh could be out of jail in 2019.
Fr Brendan Smyth, probably Ireland’s most notorious clerical paedophile, was jailed for 12 years at the Circuit Criminal Court in July 1997. He died a month into his sentence.
Another notorious abuser, the Donegal priest Fr Eugene Greene, was released in 2008 after serving nine years of a 12-year sentence.
But there were elements to the Walsh case that make it stand out and that highlight the bravery and persistence of the now 38-year-old man who pursued it for 17 years, since he first went to the Garda, in 1993.
Walsh spent eight years trying to stop his trial, exhausting the judicial-review process. He failed. He had failed also in another case in 1997. Then, after a round-the-houses judicial review, also under free legal aid, he pleaded guilty and served time.
In David’s case Walsh did not plead guilty and forced a trial. The jury last month found him guilty, unanimously and after just 94 minutes, on the 13 counts.
The speed of the conviction was down to David himself, who, as Justice O’Donnell said on Monday, had been "an absolute stalwart" in his evidence to the court
...
High expectations: What is Chapter 19?
There is a general expectation that the High Court will publish the 29-page chapter 19 of the Murphy report next Wednesday.
Most of the report was published on November 26th last year.
It detailed findings of the Murphy Commission following its investigation of the handling by Catholic Church and State authorities of clerical child sex abuse allegations in the Dublin archdiocese, made between 1975 and 2004 and involving a sample of 46 priests.
Two chapters, 19 and 20, were withheld, as court proceedings were pending against two men who were the subject of each. That remains the case where chapter 20 is concerned.
With the jailing of Tony Walsh last Monday, however, the way now seems clear for publication of chapter 19, and of 21 other references to Walsh in the Murphy report.
"David" has spoken to the commission about his abuse by Walsh.
It is also known from the report itself that it investigated the church tribunal in Dublin that found in 1992 that Walsh should be laicised on foot of allegations of child sex abuse.
It states that "only two canonical trials took place over the 30-year period [investigated].
Both were at the instigation of [then] Archbishop Connell and the Commission gives him credit for initiating the two penal processes which led to the dismissal of Fr Bill Carney in 1990".
The report also says: "Archbishop Connell was one of the first bishops in the world to initiate canonical trials in the modern era. He did so in relation to . . . Fr Bill Carney in 1990."
The blank in the report indicates the missing name of Tony Walsh.
Sitting on the tribunal that laicised Walsh in 1992 were three canon lawyers: the recently retired bishop of Killaloe, Willie Walsh; the current Bishop of Dromore, John McAreavey; and Fr Paddy Corcoran.
Bishop Willie Walsh has said he understood at the time that the archdiocese had told the Garda about the tribunal findings.
It had not.
Neither did McAreavey, Corcoran or Bishop Éamonn Walsh, who was aware of the tribunal and its findings at the time.
Tony Walsh appealed the tribunal decision to Rome, and the ensuing process took a further three years.
In 1994, as that appeal progressed, Walsh sexually assaulted the 11-year-old grandson of a man whose funeral he attended dressed as a priest.
The boy’s parents contacted the Garda. Walsh received a one-year jail sentence for the offence in 1995.
By then Rome had commuted Walsh’s laicisation.
He would remain a priest but spend a decade in a monastery.
When Walsh was convicted in the courts Archbishop Desmond Connell flew to Rome and insisted that Walsh be laicised.
He was.
maandag, september 06, 2010
Oliver O’Grady has cost diocese in California over $30m in abuse compensation Priest forced siblings to abuse each other
September 5, 2010
The Sunday Tribune
The Sunday Tribune
Brother and sister receive $2m compensation for sexual assault by paedophile Oliver
Ali Bracken, Crime Correspondent
Defrocked priest Oliver O’Grady has cost diocese in California over $30m in abuse compensation
DEFROCKED Irish paedophile priest Oliver O’Grady forced a brother and a sister to perform sex acts on each other after he raped and sexually assaulted them in California over a number of years, the Sunday Tribune can reveal.
The brother and sister, who were aged seven and eight respectively when O’Grady began to abuse them in Presentation parish in California in the mid ’80s, were awarded $2m (€1.5m) in compensation in recent weeks.
The diocese of Stockton in California settled the case after a number of pre-trial hearings. In total, it is estimated that the diocese of Stockton has paid out over $30m (€23.3m) to victims of the convicted sex abuser.
Attorney Anthony De Marco, at the law firm Kiesel Boucher Larson in LA, took the civil action on behalf of the siblings.
“The abuse was as awful as you can imagine. O’Grady used to go into their classroom and take them out of class; they attended a Catholic elementary school. It was attached to a church and he would take them into the church to abuse them. He would abuse them in front of each other. He forced one child to watch while he abused the other. He even made them do things to each other. He coerced them to abuse each other,” De Marco told the Sunday Tribune.
“The abuse went on for a few years. He also abused them in their family home. It was rape and sexual assault in both cases. The abuse was horrific. They are coping as best they can, they have obviously had a lot of therapy. I think coming forward helped them and getting resolution is helping towards their healing. But nothing will take away the images in their minds. I have dealt with over 400 victims of sexual abuse in southern California and come across some truly horrific offenders. But when I read the Oliver O’Grady file, the level of callousness and disregard for children appalled me.”
O’Grady was deported to Ireland in 2000 after spending seven years in prison in the US for sexually abusing two boys. He still lives here. He has admitted to sexually abusing many children in depositions, but has only been convicted for abuse against two boys. Dozens of victims of the former cleric have since come forward.
The former priest obtained notoriety when he agreed to feature in a documentary discussing his sexual abuse of children. Deliver Us From Evil, which was nominated for an Oscar, was released in 2006 and many of O’Grady’s victims also featured in it, discussing the impact his abuse has had on their lives.
The documentary also explored how high-ranking clergy in California moved O’Grady from one parish to another over several years when allegations of sexual abuse began to emerge.
Ali Bracken, Crime Correspondent
Defrocked priest Oliver O’Grady has cost diocese in California over $30m in abuse compensation
DEFROCKED Irish paedophile priest Oliver O’Grady forced a brother and a sister to perform sex acts on each other after he raped and sexually assaulted them in California over a number of years, the Sunday Tribune can reveal.
The brother and sister, who were aged seven and eight respectively when O’Grady began to abuse them in Presentation parish in California in the mid ’80s, were awarded $2m (€1.5m) in compensation in recent weeks.
The diocese of Stockton in California settled the case after a number of pre-trial hearings. In total, it is estimated that the diocese of Stockton has paid out over $30m (€23.3m) to victims of the convicted sex abuser.
Attorney Anthony De Marco, at the law firm Kiesel Boucher Larson in LA, took the civil action on behalf of the siblings.
“The abuse was as awful as you can imagine. O’Grady used to go into their classroom and take them out of class; they attended a Catholic elementary school. It was attached to a church and he would take them into the church to abuse them. He would abuse them in front of each other. He forced one child to watch while he abused the other. He even made them do things to each other. He coerced them to abuse each other,” De Marco told the Sunday Tribune.
“The abuse went on for a few years. He also abused them in their family home. It was rape and sexual assault in both cases. The abuse was horrific. They are coping as best they can, they have obviously had a lot of therapy. I think coming forward helped them and getting resolution is helping towards their healing. But nothing will take away the images in their minds. I have dealt with over 400 victims of sexual abuse in southern California and come across some truly horrific offenders. But when I read the Oliver O’Grady file, the level of callousness and disregard for children appalled me.”
O’Grady was deported to Ireland in 2000 after spending seven years in prison in the US for sexually abusing two boys. He still lives here. He has admitted to sexually abusing many children in depositions, but has only been convicted for abuse against two boys. Dozens of victims of the former cleric have since come forward.
The former priest obtained notoriety when he agreed to feature in a documentary discussing his sexual abuse of children. Deliver Us From Evil, which was nominated for an Oscar, was released in 2006 and many of O’Grady’s victims also featured in it, discussing the impact his abuse has had on their lives.
The documentary also explored how high-ranking clergy in California moved O’Grady from one parish to another over several years when allegations of sexual abuse began to emerge.
dinsdag, januari 19, 2010
"Now I remember God bless me" *
The full text of a letter sent by Andrew Madden.
Archbishop of Dublin Diarmuid Martin.
Dear Archbishop Martin,
Thank you for your letter of 11th January 2010.
In 1983 the Catholic Church in Dublin decided that I was not suitable for entry into the priesthood.
Two years earlier the same Catholic Church had allowed Ivan Payne to continue as a priest despite knowing that he had sexually abused me for 2 1/2 years when I was aged 12-14 years.
The idea that anyone sexually abusing children was more suitable for the priesthood than I was totally devastated me at that time and a belief in God and his Church, which had survived Ivan Payne’s actions, came to an abrupt and painful end.
In November 2009 the Murphy Report was published. I was deeply saddened at the sexual abuse of children and I was furiously angry at how the Catholic Church had caused the further sexual abuse of children by covering up abuse in different ways.
My anger soon turned to rage when I saw Catholic bishops, including yourself, fail to articulately take responsibility for what your Church had done.
You spoke so well about the awfulness of what some priests had done and the suffering of those abused; but there was no real mention of the sexual abuse caused by Bishops who had covered up for priests.
I was also appalled, as I believe you may have been, by the behaviour of your fellow bishops as they did everything to try and hold onto office, four of them failing, but not before they had added insult to injury by a collective failure to immediately offer their resignations in acknowledgment of what they had done, or failed to do, and out of respect for the experiences of children sexually abused by Catholic priests in Dublin.
A Church whose leading members behave in this way is not a Church I want in my life, not even in name only.
A Church whose Bishops shielded paedophile priests is not a Church I want in my life.
A Church whose priests congregate to express support for those Bishops continuing in office in direct opposition to what many victims asked for is not a Church I want in my life.
A Church which finds Bishop Drennan acceptable in its Episcopal ranks, despite having been part of a Church in Dublin between 1997 and 2004 which covered up the sexual abuse of children is not a Church I want in my life.
A Church which baptises babies but is arrogant enough to tell young people, or their parents, that defection is not possible until they are aged 18 is not a Church I want in my life.
A Church which does not value gay and lesbian people as it does heterosexual people is not a Church I want in my life.
A Church which parades itself as a State when it wants to avoid accounting to the citizens of a country whose children it has abused is not a Church I want in my life.
No priest will ever preach to me standards his own Church doesn’t even try to live up to. No priest will ever comfort me when I am sick. No priest will hear my ‘sins’.
No priest will instruct me in penance. No priest will bless my relationship with my beautiful partner, Alan.
No priest will pray over my coffin when I am dead.
And no priest will bury me in ‘consecrated ground’.
Archbishop Martin, I believe you are a good man. I believe there are good priests, I know some of them. But that is not the same as saying I believe that the Catholic Church will ever change its ways or learn from what it has done.
Yours sincerely,
Andrew Madden
* Christopher Robin is saying his prayers
donderdag, december 03, 2009
Church and State relations
redactioneel commentaar
Irish Times
3-12-2009
THE BISHOPS named in the Dublin diocese report must be made accountable for their behaviour. There is, nevertheless, a danger that in focusing in particular on the position of Bishop Donal Murray, we may miss a central point. Ultimate responsibility for the way in which the safety of children was so recklessly ignored does not lie with any individual bishop. It does not lie even with the Irish hierarchy as a whole. It lies with the Vatican.
We know this because the approach to allegations of child abuse was consistent, not simply between bishops or across Irish dioceses, but around the world. There was a way of doing things – keeping the crimes secret and moving the abusers on to another parish until the whole pattern began to repeat itself. It does not absolve Donal Murray from personal responsibility to say that he was part of this system. Equally, however, the mindset behind the system would not be fundamentally altered by his resignation.
It is in the light of the primary role of the Vatican that we must see the unwillingness of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith and of the papal nuncio to respond to requests for information from the Murphy commission. The Taoiseach, in a painfully deferential statement in the Dáil, has endorsed these refusals as acts of “good faith” consistent with diplomatic norms. This submissiveness is entirely inappropriate to the leader of a republic, some of whose most vulnerable citizens have been grievously harmed by the policies and practices of the Holy See. It also shows either an unwillingness or an inability to grasp the nature of the scandal with which his Government is supposed to be dealing.
The Vatican does not do things lightly. When it refused to deal with the commission except through diplomatic contacts at the level of one state to another, it was not being precious. It was asserting a claim that is crucial to its efforts to avoid the consequences of its own policies. The insistence on being treated as a state rather than as a church is the key to its claim of sovereign immunity. The context for this claim is a case in the US in which the circuit court of appeals ruled that the Vatican could be sued by victims of an Irish priest. The US supreme court is currently considering whether to hear an appeal from the Vatican, which is hoping to avoid a wave of lawsuits from victims in the US.
It is quite disgraceful that the Taoiseach should play along with this manoeuvre by endorsing the Vatican’s behaviour towards the commission. If the Vatican is indeed to be regarded simply as a foreign state, then it is a state that has colluded in the commission of vile crimes against Irish citizens. Those citizens have a right to expect their Government to mount at the very least a strong formal protest such as the withdrawal of our Ambassador to the Holy See. And if it is not to be regarded as a state, then it should be seen as an organisation with deep roots in this society and therefore answerable to the Irish people for its conduct. Either way, the Taoiseach’s humbly supine posture is as insulting to the victims as it is humiliating to the Republic.
Irish Times
3-12-2009
THE BISHOPS named in the Dublin diocese report must be made accountable for their behaviour. There is, nevertheless, a danger that in focusing in particular on the position of Bishop Donal Murray, we may miss a central point. Ultimate responsibility for the way in which the safety of children was so recklessly ignored does not lie with any individual bishop. It does not lie even with the Irish hierarchy as a whole. It lies with the Vatican.
We know this because the approach to allegations of child abuse was consistent, not simply between bishops or across Irish dioceses, but around the world. There was a way of doing things – keeping the crimes secret and moving the abusers on to another parish until the whole pattern began to repeat itself. It does not absolve Donal Murray from personal responsibility to say that he was part of this system. Equally, however, the mindset behind the system would not be fundamentally altered by his resignation.
It is in the light of the primary role of the Vatican that we must see the unwillingness of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith and of the papal nuncio to respond to requests for information from the Murphy commission. The Taoiseach, in a painfully deferential statement in the Dáil, has endorsed these refusals as acts of “good faith” consistent with diplomatic norms. This submissiveness is entirely inappropriate to the leader of a republic, some of whose most vulnerable citizens have been grievously harmed by the policies and practices of the Holy See. It also shows either an unwillingness or an inability to grasp the nature of the scandal with which his Government is supposed to be dealing.
The Vatican does not do things lightly. When it refused to deal with the commission except through diplomatic contacts at the level of one state to another, it was not being precious. It was asserting a claim that is crucial to its efforts to avoid the consequences of its own policies. The insistence on being treated as a state rather than as a church is the key to its claim of sovereign immunity. The context for this claim is a case in the US in which the circuit court of appeals ruled that the Vatican could be sued by victims of an Irish priest. The US supreme court is currently considering whether to hear an appeal from the Vatican, which is hoping to avoid a wave of lawsuits from victims in the US.
It is quite disgraceful that the Taoiseach should play along with this manoeuvre by endorsing the Vatican’s behaviour towards the commission. If the Vatican is indeed to be regarded simply as a foreign state, then it is a state that has colluded in the commission of vile crimes against Irish citizens. Those citizens have a right to expect their Government to mount at the very least a strong formal protest such as the withdrawal of our Ambassador to the Holy See. And if it is not to be regarded as a state, then it should be seen as an organisation with deep roots in this society and therefore answerable to the Irish people for its conduct. Either way, the Taoiseach’s humbly supine posture is as insulting to the victims as it is humiliating to the Republic.
church engaged in damage limitation excersise
December 2, 2009
Irish Times
Abuse survivor Andrew Madden has accused the Catholic Church of attempting
to undermine the findings of the Dublin diocesan report and of engaging in a process of “damage limitation” since its publication.
Mr Madden, a victim of Fr Ivan Payne, said comments in recent days by Archbishop Diarmuid Martin, Bishop Eamon Walsh and Bishop Willie Walsh had caused considerable anger and deep distress” to those who had been sexually abused.
He added that he was shocked by the decision of priests and lay people to issue a statement in support of Bishop Donal Murray.
“In the 14 years since I first went public, I have never seen such people gather together and issue a similar statement in support of a single victim of child sexual abuse by a priest,” he said.
Mr Madden also said that he would not support a planned atonement ceremony at the Pro-Cathedral in Dublin. “I have now written to the organisers and told them not to bother, as any words expressed by bishops or anyone else at such a service would be utterly meaningless,” Mr Madden said.
The Rape Crisis Network has called for the urgent assessment of the relationship between the church and the State given the flawed structures of the institution of the church.
Executive director Fiona Neary said the Catholic Church continued to occupy a “special relationship” with the State, adding that officers of the church continue to preside over important committees and institutions.
“It is clear from the responses of the Catholic hierarchy to the Murphy report that the structures of the Catholic Church in Ireland remain incapable of delivering accountability, even in relation to the most serious of crimes. The structures and governance of the church are flawed and grossly inadequate.”
Mervyn Rundle, who was abused by Fr Tom Naughton, another of the priests named in the report, has backed calls for the resignation of Bishop of Limerick Donal Murray.
Speaking on the News at One on RTÉ Radio 1 yesterday, Mr Rundle said Bishop Murray should have done more to protect children like him from experiencing abuse.
“He absolutely should resign. The least he could do, the very least he could do,” Mr Rundle said.
Irish Times
Abuse survivor Andrew Madden has accused the Catholic Church of attempting
to undermine the findings of the Dublin diocesan report and of engaging in a process of “damage limitation” since its publication.Mr Madden, a victim of Fr Ivan Payne, said comments in recent days by Archbishop Diarmuid Martin, Bishop Eamon Walsh and Bishop Willie Walsh had caused considerable anger and deep distress” to those who had been sexually abused.
He added that he was shocked by the decision of priests and lay people to issue a statement in support of Bishop Donal Murray.
“In the 14 years since I first went public, I have never seen such people gather together and issue a similar statement in support of a single victim of child sexual abuse by a priest,” he said.
Mr Madden also said that he would not support a planned atonement ceremony at the Pro-Cathedral in Dublin. “I have now written to the organisers and told them not to bother, as any words expressed by bishops or anyone else at such a service would be utterly meaningless,” Mr Madden said.
The Rape Crisis Network has called for the urgent assessment of the relationship between the church and the State given the flawed structures of the institution of the church.
Executive director Fiona Neary said the Catholic Church continued to occupy a “special relationship” with the State, adding that officers of the church continue to preside over important committees and institutions.
“It is clear from the responses of the Catholic hierarchy to the Murphy report that the structures of the Catholic Church in Ireland remain incapable of delivering accountability, even in relation to the most serious of crimes. The structures and governance of the church are flawed and grossly inadequate.”
Mervyn Rundle, who was abused by Fr Tom Naughton, another of the priests named in the report, has backed calls for the resignation of Bishop of Limerick Donal Murray.
Speaking on the News at One on RTÉ Radio 1 yesterday, Mr Rundle said Bishop Murray should have done more to protect children like him from experiencing abuse.
“He absolutely should resign. The least he could do, the very least he could do,” Mr Rundle said.
Nothing has changed
By Dan Collins
2-12-2009
Irish Examiner
MARIE COLLINS, who was 13 years of age when she was raped in hospital by a priest, has said she is shattered by the silence of the Vatican and the response of the Church leadership in Ireland to the report on abuse in the Dublin diocese.
It is almost one week since the 720-page report of the Commission of Investigation into the Catholic Archdiocese of Dublin, and in that time, "nothing has changed".
"We have got the drawbridges pulled up, we have got closing of ranks; we have bishops who have not even bothered to read the report, and we have had all the apologies again about what these men did, the abusers. But we have had nothing that has said, ‘we the leadership of the Church are sorry for our actions’," Ms Collins said yesterday.
While the media has portrayed the 53-year-old Dublin mother as a very strong woman, "over the last few days, it’s the response of the Church and the way it has hit me, [shows] I am not really a strong woman".
She fought for 15 years for justice and it was a total of 25 years since she first reported her rape.
"I have really fought for the truth to come out because the Catholic Church was my church and I wanted it to see and to admit what had gone on," she said.
But since last Thursday, she said she had been decimated and shattered by the manner in which the Church leadership here dealt with the report’s horrific findings.
The harshest criticism from cardinals and archbishops had been that there were "failings" and she was "beginning to wonder if the 15 years was worth it – if there was any point at all. I am totally despairing".
Speaking on the RTÉ Liveline radio programme she added: "For someone like me it’s the end of the road. I have no more hope in the Catholic Church. To me it has hit rock bottom in Ireland… The Church and the leadership have got so far away from just basic Christianity, they have become devoid of humility."
Yesterday, Taoiseach Brian Cowen, said the Vatican acted "in good faith" and within diplomatic protocols.
Last night, Archbishop of Dublin Diarmuid Martin voiced his dissatisfaction with the response of bishops named in the report and said he will write to the other Church leaders to say their responses should be in relation to the people of the Dublin Archdiocese and not their own dioceses.
2-12-2009
Irish Examiner
MARIE COLLINS, who was 13 years of age when she was raped in hospital by a priest, has said she is shattered by the silence of the Vatican and the response of the Church leadership in Ireland to the report on abuse in the Dublin diocese.
It is almost one week since the 720-page report of the Commission of Investigation into the Catholic Archdiocese of Dublin, and in that time, "nothing has changed".
"We have got the drawbridges pulled up, we have got closing of ranks; we have bishops who have not even bothered to read the report, and we have had all the apologies again about what these men did, the abusers. But we have had nothing that has said, ‘we the leadership of the Church are sorry for our actions’," Ms Collins said yesterday.
While the media has portrayed the 53-year-old Dublin mother as a very strong woman, "over the last few days, it’s the response of the Church and the way it has hit me, [shows] I am not really a strong woman".
She fought for 15 years for justice and it was a total of 25 years since she first reported her rape.
"I have really fought for the truth to come out because the Catholic Church was my church and I wanted it to see and to admit what had gone on," she said.
But since last Thursday, she said she had been decimated and shattered by the manner in which the Church leadership here dealt with the report’s horrific findings.
The harshest criticism from cardinals and archbishops had been that there were "failings" and she was "beginning to wonder if the 15 years was worth it – if there was any point at all. I am totally despairing".
Speaking on the RTÉ Liveline radio programme she added: "For someone like me it’s the end of the road. I have no more hope in the Catholic Church. To me it has hit rock bottom in Ireland… The Church and the leadership have got so far away from just basic Christianity, they have become devoid of humility."
Yesterday, Taoiseach Brian Cowen, said the Vatican acted "in good faith" and within diplomatic protocols.
Last night, Archbishop of Dublin Diarmuid Martin voiced his dissatisfaction with the response of bishops named in the report and said he will write to the other Church leaders to say their responses should be in relation to the people of the Dublin Archdiocese and not their own dioceses.
Victims have challenged whole of society, says CofI archbishop
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
Irish Times
PATSY McGARRY
VICTIMS OF clerical child sex abuse have been praised by the Church of Ireland Archbishop of Dublin Most Rev John Neill for “having the courage to bring to light the dreadful experiences of their own childhood, the victims of abuse have challenged the whole of Irish society.”
They had “performed an invaluable service to those who might be at risk now or indeed into the future.”
Commenting on the Dublin diocesan report, he said it made for “horrific reading”. He continued “the very first and by far the most important response must be one of deep sorrow for and sympathy with the many people who have suffered deeply at the hands of those in whom they should have been able to place their trust.”
It was difficult for him “to comment on a report relating specifically to another Christian tradition,” he said but “nevertheless there is in every Christian and in every church the ability to sin against God and against our fellow women and men.
“Sadly the very structures of both church and of society which were there to protect the most vulnerable ended up merely protecting themselves.
“This does not excuse the betrayal of trust and the misuse of authority at every level.”
The tragedy was “that abuse and the secrecy surrounding it has ruined so many young lives. We are reminded of the words of Jesus: ‘If any of you put a stumbling block before one of these little ones who believe in me, it would be better for you if a great millstone were hung around your neck and you were thrown into the sea’ (Mark 9:42).”
He said “it is only with constant vigilance, coupled with honesty and openness that the evil of abuse can be countered.”
It was “in this spirit that I share with Archbishop Diarmuid Martin his determination that the needs of victims are uppermost and that there is no room for denial or cover-up.
“It is my prayer that, through the grace and power of God, victims will find healing, and also that trust will be afforded to the countless good and faithful priests, whose ministry has been undermined by the perpetrators both of abuse and of cover-up.”
Irish Times
PATSY McGARRY
VICTIMS OF clerical child sex abuse have been praised by the Church of Ireland Archbishop of Dublin Most Rev John Neill for “having the courage to bring to light the dreadful experiences of their own childhood, the victims of abuse have challenged the whole of Irish society.”
They had “performed an invaluable service to those who might be at risk now or indeed into the future.”
Commenting on the Dublin diocesan report, he said it made for “horrific reading”. He continued “the very first and by far the most important response must be one of deep sorrow for and sympathy with the many people who have suffered deeply at the hands of those in whom they should have been able to place their trust.”
It was difficult for him “to comment on a report relating specifically to another Christian tradition,” he said but “nevertheless there is in every Christian and in every church the ability to sin against God and against our fellow women and men.
“Sadly the very structures of both church and of society which were there to protect the most vulnerable ended up merely protecting themselves.
“This does not excuse the betrayal of trust and the misuse of authority at every level.”
The tragedy was “that abuse and the secrecy surrounding it has ruined so many young lives. We are reminded of the words of Jesus: ‘If any of you put a stumbling block before one of these little ones who believe in me, it would be better for you if a great millstone were hung around your neck and you were thrown into the sea’ (Mark 9:42).”
He said “it is only with constant vigilance, coupled with honesty and openness that the evil of abuse can be countered.”
It was “in this spirit that I share with Archbishop Diarmuid Martin his determination that the needs of victims are uppermost and that there is no room for denial or cover-up.
“It is my prayer that, through the grace and power of God, victims will find healing, and also that trust will be afforded to the countless good and faithful priests, whose ministry has been undermined by the perpetrators both of abuse and of cover-up.”
zondag, november 29, 2009
Limmerick, Donnal Murray: "cranks often make allegations" en Peter McCluskey "my God, why have you forsaken me"
En nog een Sinterklaas: Clerical Whispers
BM: Could I just say one thing, the worst thing that abuse does in some ways is that is undermines the faith of people.
As I've said in the letter that I have sent out to the priests,
the people who are abused are closer than they realise to the Lord on the Cross, saying "my God, my God, why have you forsaken me".
(afsluiting intervieuw Donnal Murray, Limmerick)
En dat vind ik een vreselijke opmerking.
Om dat een walgelijke uitspraak te vinden, Heer Murray, heb ik het weten van de rest van de smerigheid, “cranks often make allegations” uitkomsten van het Dublin onderzoek niet eens nodig!
Het zich dát realiseren door Peter McCluskey's, overlijden 1-4-2006 37 jaar oud, vader van 3 kinderen, zoon, echtgenoot en broer was daarvoor al meer dan genoeg, realiseerde ik me.
't Is goed om dat dankzij dat rorate weer terug te vinden. Het voor de hokjes benodigde consequent de goede labeltjes plakken is, zelfs op een weblog, nu eenmaal mijn grootste deugd niet.
BM: Could I just say one thing, the worst thing that abuse does in some ways is that is undermines the faith of people.
As I've said in the letter that I have sent out to the priests,
the people who are abused are closer than they realise to the Lord on the Cross, saying "my God, my God, why have you forsaken me".
(afsluiting intervieuw Donnal Murray, Limmerick)
En dat vind ik een vreselijke opmerking.
Om dat een walgelijke uitspraak te vinden, Heer Murray, heb ik het weten van de rest van de smerigheid, “cranks often make allegations” uitkomsten van het Dublin onderzoek niet eens nodig!
Het zich dát realiseren door Peter McCluskey's, overlijden 1-4-2006 37 jaar oud, vader van 3 kinderen, zoon, echtgenoot en broer was daarvoor al meer dan genoeg, realiseerde ik me.
't Is goed om dat dankzij dat rorate weer terug te vinden. Het voor de hokjes benodigde consequent de goede labeltjes plakken is, zelfs op een weblog, nu eenmaal mijn grootste deugd niet.
zondag, november 22, 2009
vrijdag, oktober 23, 2009
Child sex abuse report won't be made public for several weeks
22-10-2009
...
Lawyers acting for Justice Minister Dermot Ahern yesterday asked High Court judge Mr Justice Paul Gilligan to consider a new issue, which had not been brought to his attention when he heard the main case regarding publication of the report earlier this month.
The new issue is believed to concern potential criminal proceedings that could yet result from a current garda investigation, amid fears that elements in the report might jeopardise a possible prosecution.
Last week, Judge Gilligan ruled that all but one chapter, and 21 other references in the report relating to a particular priest, were to be excluded from publication in case it prejudiced criminal proceedings.
The ruling paved the way for the imminent publication of the vast bulk of the report.
But yesterday's intervention by Mr Ahern, following late night discussions on Tuesday with the Attorney General, the Director of Public Prosecutions and justice officials, will further delay publication of the long-awaited report.
The new matter had not been brought to Judge Gilligan's attention when he was asked, last July, for directions on whether the report could be published. The issue was also not raised at the three most recent hearings on the report.
The new issue is believed to concern potential criminal proceedings that could yet result from a current garda investigation, amid fears that elements in the report might jeopardise a possible prosecution.
Last week, Judge Gilligan ruled that all but one chapter, and 21 other references in the report relating to a particular priest, were to be excluded from publication in case it prejudiced criminal proceedings.
The ruling paved the way for the imminent publication of the vast bulk of the report.
But yesterday's intervention by Mr Ahern, following late night discussions on Tuesday with the Attorney General, the Director of Public Prosecutions and justice officials, will further delay publication of the long-awaited report.
The new matter had not been brought to Judge Gilligan's attention when he was asked, last July, for directions on whether the report could be published. The issue was also not raised at the three most recent hearings on the report.
Publication will point the way forward -- Martin
Irish Independant
The archbishop said he did not know when the report would be released, but added: "It's very interesting, this question was brought to the courts on September 8 and we are now six weeks on.
"It just goes to show that there is a very difficult balance that needs to be attained. My hope is, and I've said this on many occasions, the sooner the report comes out the better."
woensdag, oktober 14, 2009
Ruling on Dublin child sex abuse report ready
Irish Times 
October 14, 2009
PATSY McGARRY
Religious Affairs Correspondent
THE HIGH Court is to deliver its reserved judgment tomorrow morning on what content of the Dublin Archdiocese Commission of Investigation report may be published at this time.
The judgment will be delivered in public and follows in camera proceedings on the matter that took place on October 1st and 2nd last.
The report followed an investigation by the commission into how clerical child sex abuse allegations involving a sample of 46 priests were handled by Catholic Church authorities in Dublin between January 1st, 1975, and April 30th, 2004. Some of the cases involve men facing child-abuse charges.
Under section 38 of the the Commission of Investigation Act 2004, the Minister for Justice must seek directions from the High Court if it is felt publication of a commission report might prejudice criminal proceedings, pending or in progress.
On receipt of the report last July, Minister for Justice Dermot Ahern referred it to the Attorney General who, in turn, advised that it be referred to the High Court. In doing so the Minister said that he was anxious the matters it dealt with were “put into the public domain as quickly as possible”.
He expressed concern that nothing should be done that would harm the prospects of perpetrators of abuse being brought to justice.
Archbishop Diarmuid Martin of Dublin said last week his “personal preference would be for the report to come out quickly and in its integrity because, reading it in its integrity, the question emerges better”.
October 14, 2009
PATSY McGARRY
Religious Affairs Correspondent
THE HIGH Court is to deliver its reserved judgment tomorrow morning on what content of the Dublin Archdiocese Commission of Investigation report may be published at this time.
The judgment will be delivered in public and follows in camera proceedings on the matter that took place on October 1st and 2nd last.
The report followed an investigation by the commission into how clerical child sex abuse allegations involving a sample of 46 priests were handled by Catholic Church authorities in Dublin between January 1st, 1975, and April 30th, 2004. Some of the cases involve men facing child-abuse charges.
Under section 38 of the the Commission of Investigation Act 2004, the Minister for Justice must seek directions from the High Court if it is felt publication of a commission report might prejudice criminal proceedings, pending or in progress.
On receipt of the report last July, Minister for Justice Dermot Ahern referred it to the Attorney General who, in turn, advised that it be referred to the High Court. In doing so the Minister said that he was anxious the matters it dealt with were “put into the public domain as quickly as possible”.
He expressed concern that nothing should be done that would harm the prospects of perpetrators of abuse being brought to justice.
Archbishop Diarmuid Martin of Dublin said last week his “personal preference would be for the report to come out quickly and in its integrity because, reading it in its integrity, the question emerges better”.
zaterdag, oktober 10, 2009
Cloyne: Women claim clerical sex abuse
Last December, the chief executive of the National Board for Safeguarding Children, Ian Elliott, criticised child-protection practices in the Diocese of Cloyne as inadequate and dangerous in that they potentially exposed vulnerable children to further harm.Saturday, October 10, 2009
Mr Elliott said meetings held by the diocesan authorities to examine allegations of sexual abuse by five people against two priests in the diocese in 2004 and 2005 appeared to be more “focused on the needs of the accused priest” than addressing the needs of the children.
Irish Times
Two complaints of assaults by Cork priests in 1980s were reported to Gardaí this year, writes Southern Correspondent, BARRY ROCHE
GARDAÍ IN Co Cork have sent a file to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) following an investigation into complaints of clerical sexual abuse against two priests in the Diocese of Cloyne more than 20 years ago.
Two women in their 40s came forward independently this year and complained that they were sexually assaulted by two priests in the diocese in the late 1980s when they were both aged 17.
One woman alleged she was sexually assaulted by both priests while visiting the parochial house that the two men shared; the second woman alleged she was assaulted by one of the priests while visiting the same house.
The complaint made by one woman against one of the priests – who is now in his 70s and retired – brings to six the number of complaints that have been made against him by six different women over the last four years.
The first five of these complaints were investigated by gardaí and five separate files were prepared and sent to the DPP. However, in all five cases the DPP directed that there should be no prosecution.
The priest, who had attended voluntarily at a Garda station in Co Cork for interview in relation to some of the earlier complaints, again attended at the station voluntarily last month and was questioned about the most recent complaints.
The second priest, who is in his 50s, had not been the subject of complaints previously, and he stood down from pastoral duties this year when he learned that allegations of sexual assault had been made against him.
This priest also attended voluntarily at the same Garda station last month for interview by detectives, who questioned him about the complaints of sexual assault against him by the two women.
The Diocese of Cloyne issued a statement at the time he stood down saying he had agreed to go on administrative leave.
The diocese stressed in its statement that its focus was on child protection, and the complaint was being dealt with “in accordance with the standards and guidance document Safeguarding Children of the National Board for Safeguarding Children”.
Last December, the chief executive of the National Board for Safeguarding Children, Ian Elliott, criticised child-protection practices in the Diocese of Cloyne as inadequate and dangerous in that they potentially exposed vulnerable children to further harm.
Mr Elliott said meetings held by the diocesan authorities to examine allegations of sexual abuse by five people against two priests in the diocese in 2004 and 2005 appeared to be more “focused on the needs of the accused priest” than addressing the needs of the children.
Mr Elliott’s criticism was based on an examination of how the diocese handled complaints of sexual abuse made against two priests whom he identified as Fr A, who was accused of abusing a young boy; and Fr B, who was separately accused of abusing three young girls.
zondag, juli 26, 2009
Release date of abuse report is delayed
Suspect priests were shielded, report reveals
Irish Independant
THE long-awaited report on how Cardinal Desmond Connell and other members of the Catholic hierarchy in Dublin handled child sex abuse allegations has shocked senior officials in the Department of Justice.
Officials who have seen it say it is "damning" and "doesn't pull punches" as it documents how suspect priests were moved from one parish to the next, shielded from the rigours of the law, according to sources.
The report on child abuse in the Dublin archdiocese was submitted to the Minister for Justice last week but a publication date is uncertain. The Government has asked the Attorney General for legal advice on publishing the report because it names at least two priests who face prosecution on child abuse offences.
There are fears their trials may be prejudiced.
"The report is pretty damning of the Catholic hierarchy," said the source.
Dermot Ahern, the Minister for Justice, is believed to be studying the report this weekend, now that his controversial Criminal Justice Amendment Act has been signed into law.
"The minister wants the report to be published as soon as possible. There is a legal process in place and the last thing the minister wants to see is a trial being prejudiced because of premature publication of the report," said a spokesman for Mr Ahern.
The Commission of Inquiry into the Dublin archdiocese examined the responses of 19 bishops to the alleged sexual abuse of 450 children by Catholic priests.
There were so many cases of alleged child abuse that the commission focussed on a representative sample of 46 priests, investigating in detail how they were handled by church superiors.
Dr Diarmuid Martin, the Archbishop of Dublin, has warned that the report will shock and horrify the public once the contents become known. He has said that since 1940 more than 400 children had been abused by at least 152 priests in the Dublin area.
"It is likely that thousands of young people across Ireland were abused by priests in the period under investigation and the horror of that abuse was not recognised for what it is," he said.
The commission of inquiry was established in 2006 and was chaired by Circuit Court Judge Yvonne Murphy. The overall cost of the Commission of Investigation to date is €3.6m, a figure which covers administration, staffing costs and legal fees.
July 26, 2009
By John Burke
The report into clerical sex abuse in the Dublin Archdiocese will not be published before the end of August at the earliest, The Sunday Business Post has learned.
The report is understood to detail the widespread cover-up of child abuse in the archdiocese, with a number of abusers moved from one ministry to another after church figures were informed of complaints by parents and victims.
However, it is understood that the Commission of Investigation was surprised by the relatively small number of people who presented themselves for interview to the inquiry team during its investigations.
One source who has viewed sections of the report in a preliminary form described it as ‘‘harrowing’’, but said it was unlikely to have the same impact on the public as the Ryan report into clerical abuse in industrial schools and detention centres.
The inquiry team, headed by Judge Yvonne Murphy, sent copies of the report to Minister for Justice Dermot Ahern, Attorney General Paul Gallagher and Minister for Children Barry Andrews last week.
Ahern will not decide what action he may take in relation to publishing the report until he receives advice from Gallagher.
Two advocacy groups, the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre and One In Four, have written to Ahern asking him to delay publication of the report due to the pressure on their help services following the release of the Ryan report.
The Dublin Archdiocese Commission of Investigation was set up in March 2006. It has investigated how child sex abuse allegations against a representative sample of 46 priests were handled by 19 bishops in Dublin between January 1, 1975, and April 30, 2004.
The report contains separate chapters on each of the 46 clerics. Three chapters of the report relate to three clerics against whom criminal charges have been brought recently.
The three criminal cases are not expected to be concluded before early next year.
Among the government’s options are to obscure the names of the clerics and their parishes; to give them pseudonyms; or to publish 43 chapters of the report and delay the final three for later publication after the men’s cases have been processed through the courts.
Ahern has said he is anxious that the matters dealt with in the report ‘‘are put into the public domain as quickly as possible’’.
't Moet toch werkelijk niet gekker worden.
Nog effe, krijgen we het bericht dat de regering de moed niet op kan brengen die Diarmuid Martin had...
Wat een politicus.
En Here God, wat stinkt het!
Fernando Lugo had er zijn stage moeten gaan lopen...
Als het niet zo diep en diep tragisch was zou je in een onbedaarlijke rolling gaan:
de Kerk trapt de Staat de Kerk uit. En grijpt de macht. Over het onderwijs.
Nog iemand peultjes?
Irish Independant
THE long-awaited report on how Cardinal Desmond Connell and other members of the Catholic hierarchy in Dublin handled child sex abuse allegations has shocked senior officials in the Department of Justice.
Officials who have seen it say it is "damning" and "doesn't pull punches" as it documents how suspect priests were moved from one parish to the next, shielded from the rigours of the law, according to sources.
The report on child abuse in the Dublin archdiocese was submitted to the Minister for Justice last week but a publication date is uncertain. The Government has asked the Attorney General for legal advice on publishing the report because it names at least two priests who face prosecution on child abuse offences.
There are fears their trials may be prejudiced.
"The report is pretty damning of the Catholic hierarchy," said the source.
Dermot Ahern, the Minister for Justice, is believed to be studying the report this weekend, now that his controversial Criminal Justice Amendment Act has been signed into law.
"The minister wants the report to be published as soon as possible. There is a legal process in place and the last thing the minister wants to see is a trial being prejudiced because of premature publication of the report," said a spokesman for Mr Ahern.
The Commission of Inquiry into the Dublin archdiocese examined the responses of 19 bishops to the alleged sexual abuse of 450 children by Catholic priests.
There were so many cases of alleged child abuse that the commission focussed on a representative sample of 46 priests, investigating in detail how they were handled by church superiors.
Dr Diarmuid Martin, the Archbishop of Dublin, has warned that the report will shock and horrify the public once the contents become known. He has said that since 1940 more than 400 children had been abused by at least 152 priests in the Dublin area.
"It is likely that thousands of young people across Ireland were abused by priests in the period under investigation and the horror of that abuse was not recognised for what it is," he said.
The commission of inquiry was established in 2006 and was chaired by Circuit Court Judge Yvonne Murphy. The overall cost of the Commission of Investigation to date is €3.6m, a figure which covers administration, staffing costs and legal fees.
July 26, 2009
By John Burke
The report into clerical sex abuse in the Dublin Archdiocese will not be published before the end of August at the earliest, The Sunday Business Post has learned.
The report is understood to detail the widespread cover-up of child abuse in the archdiocese, with a number of abusers moved from one ministry to another after church figures were informed of complaints by parents and victims.
However, it is understood that the Commission of Investigation was surprised by the relatively small number of people who presented themselves for interview to the inquiry team during its investigations.
One source who has viewed sections of the report in a preliminary form described it as ‘‘harrowing’’, but said it was unlikely to have the same impact on the public as the Ryan report into clerical abuse in industrial schools and detention centres.
The inquiry team, headed by Judge Yvonne Murphy, sent copies of the report to Minister for Justice Dermot Ahern, Attorney General Paul Gallagher and Minister for Children Barry Andrews last week.
Ahern will not decide what action he may take in relation to publishing the report until he receives advice from Gallagher.
Two advocacy groups, the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre and One In Four, have written to Ahern asking him to delay publication of the report due to the pressure on their help services following the release of the Ryan report.
The Dublin Archdiocese Commission of Investigation was set up in March 2006. It has investigated how child sex abuse allegations against a representative sample of 46 priests were handled by 19 bishops in Dublin between January 1, 1975, and April 30, 2004.
The report contains separate chapters on each of the 46 clerics. Three chapters of the report relate to three clerics against whom criminal charges have been brought recently.
The three criminal cases are not expected to be concluded before early next year.
Among the government’s options are to obscure the names of the clerics and their parishes; to give them pseudonyms; or to publish 43 chapters of the report and delay the final three for later publication after the men’s cases have been processed through the courts.
Ahern has said he is anxious that the matters dealt with in the report ‘‘are put into the public domain as quickly as possible’’.
't Moet toch werkelijk niet gekker worden.
Nog effe, krijgen we het bericht dat de regering de moed niet op kan brengen die Diarmuid Martin had...
Wat een politicus.
En Here God, wat stinkt het!
Fernando Lugo had er zijn stage moeten gaan lopen...
Als het niet zo diep en diep tragisch was zou je in een onbedaarlijke rolling gaan:
de Kerk trapt de Staat de Kerk uit. En grijpt de macht. Over het onderwijs.
Nog iemand peultjes?
donderdag, juli 23, 2009
Niet eerder vertoond: Priests back archbishop over crisis. Vaticaan overweegt tijdelijke opheffing kloonverbod!
Priests in the archdiocese of Dublin have rallied to the support of Archbishop Diarmuid Martin for his "courage" in tackling the grave problem of clerical sexual abuse of children.
The vote of confidence in Archbishop Martin's "clear-thinking" leadership came as priests anxiously await publication either in full or in part of the report which was given on Tuesday to Justice Minister Dermot Ahern.
The council of priests which acts as an advisory body to Archbishop Martin has voiced its appreciation of his victim-centred approach to abuse complaints.
"The priests are delighted to have such a clear-thinking, courageous bishop in charge," said Fr Joe Mullan, the chairman of the council.
Fr Mullan recognised that some "individual priests may have personal issues with the archbishop, but as a body we are firmly behind him".
- John Cooney
The vote of confidence in Archbishop Martin's "clear-thinking" leadership came as priests anxiously await publication either in full or in part of the report which was given on Tuesday to Justice Minister Dermot Ahern.
The council of priests which acts as an advisory body to Archbishop Martin has voiced its appreciation of his victim-centred approach to abuse complaints.
"The priests are delighted to have such a clear-thinking, courageous bishop in charge," said Fr Joe Mullan, the chairman of the council.
Fr Mullan recognised that some "individual priests may have personal issues with the archbishop, but as a body we are firmly behind him".
- John Cooney
God, wat ben ik hier blij mee!
Wat begon met die krankzinnige nacht met het uitkomen van het Fernsrapport, zo pal na de destructie van het Philadelphia rapport, de domino dagen erop volgend; het kom uit je vergadering en kijk bij Ceauşescu en het weet je nog toen de Muur viel verbleekte.
Heer, dank U voor mijn eigenwijze snuffert waardoor ook ik mee mocht kijken!
Til je hoofd van tafel, Tutu, já het kan!
Til je hoofd van tafel, Tutu, já het kan!
Gardai to probe 100 new cases of abuse Wave of calls to hotline in the wake of Ryan report horrors
July 22 2009
GARDAI investigating allegations against clerical child abusers are now pursuing almost 100 fresh complaints.
The new lines of inquiry emerged from the telephone "hotline" set up by gardai in the wake of the publication of the Ryan report in May.
The breakthrough in the garda study of the Ryan findings was revealed last night as Justice Minister Dermot Ahern received a copy of the report on child abuse in the Dublin Archdiocese.
That report contains around 450 cases of abuse and will be referred by the minister to Attorney General Paul Gallagher for his advice on publication.
The dedicated Ryan contact line was established for anyone who wanted to provide information arising out of the findings.
So far, the special garda team has received about 140 calls. Some of the callers wanted details of the progress made on complaints that had already been filed.
But senior officers disclosed last night that in almost 100 other cases, they had opened new lines of inquiry and those complaints were now being actively followed up.
An estimated 60pc of the fresh complaints involve sexual abuse of children by members of religious orders while the rest refer to physical assaults.
Gardai will prepare a file on each individual investigation for the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), who will determine if criminal charges should be brought against the alleged abuser. Some of the clerics named in allegations received on the "hotline" are now dead.
Officers said they were conscious of the historic nature of many of the allegations and were anxious to complete their inquiries as quickly as possible. They hope to have sent files to the DPP on a substantial percentage of their inquiries by the late autumn.
The decision to set up the "hotline" was made by Garda Commissioner Fachtna Murphy following discussions with Justice Minister Dermot Ahern.
The phone number is 01 6663612 and is being manned during office hours from Mondays to Fridays. Interested persons can also write to the Offices of the Assistant Commissioner, National Support Services, Harcourt Square, Dublin 2, marking the envelopes, "Ryan report".
Meanwhile, Mr Ahern indicated yesterday evening that the Dublin Archdiocese report was likely to be referred to the High Court. "It will be up to the court to decide whether to refer it to the DPP, the Garda Commissioner, or anyone else. That's laid out in the legislation," the minister said.
Prejudicial
He pointed out that if it were possible to publish the entire report without lessening its contents, it would be sent automatically to the gardai.
But under the legislation he had to follow certain procedures as the report might contain material prejudicial to criminal proceedings.
"If there is anything of that nature in it, I would obviously have to discuss it with the Attorney General, and if there is anything prejudicial, we would have to ask the High Court for a direction, pending publication," he added.
It was his desire to publish the report as soon as possible but he did not want to do anything that "would cause people to get off, if they were supposed to be brought before the courts".
One of the most notorious serial priest paedophiles expected to be named in the Dublin Archdiocese report is the late Fr Noel Reynolds, who abused more than 100 children.
He had access to generations of children since 1967 when he was appointed secretary of the Diocesan Commission on Religious Instruction in Vocational Schools, and later as a Diocesan Inspector of Primary Schools.
He was appointed administrator on Inishbofin island, off the Galway coast, in 1984. Serious complaints about his behaviour with children go back to 1995 when he was parish priest in Glendalough, Co Wicklow, but he was not removed from there until two years later when he was appointed chaplain to the National Rehabilitation Hospital in Dun Laoghaire.
After the 'Prime Time' programme, 'The Sins of the Cardinal', Cardinal Desmond Connell, apologised to the hospital for not informing the authorities there of previous complaints.
- Tom Brady, Senan Molony and John Cooney
GARDAI investigating allegations against clerical child abusers are now pursuing almost 100 fresh complaints.
The new lines of inquiry emerged from the telephone "hotline" set up by gardai in the wake of the publication of the Ryan report in May.
The breakthrough in the garda study of the Ryan findings was revealed last night as Justice Minister Dermot Ahern received a copy of the report on child abuse in the Dublin Archdiocese.
That report contains around 450 cases of abuse and will be referred by the minister to Attorney General Paul Gallagher for his advice on publication.
The dedicated Ryan contact line was established for anyone who wanted to provide information arising out of the findings.
So far, the special garda team has received about 140 calls. Some of the callers wanted details of the progress made on complaints that had already been filed.
But senior officers disclosed last night that in almost 100 other cases, they had opened new lines of inquiry and those complaints were now being actively followed up.
An estimated 60pc of the fresh complaints involve sexual abuse of children by members of religious orders while the rest refer to physical assaults.
Gardai will prepare a file on each individual investigation for the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), who will determine if criminal charges should be brought against the alleged abuser. Some of the clerics named in allegations received on the "hotline" are now dead.
Officers said they were conscious of the historic nature of many of the allegations and were anxious to complete their inquiries as quickly as possible. They hope to have sent files to the DPP on a substantial percentage of their inquiries by the late autumn.
The decision to set up the "hotline" was made by Garda Commissioner Fachtna Murphy following discussions with Justice Minister Dermot Ahern.
The phone number is 01 6663612 and is being manned during office hours from Mondays to Fridays. Interested persons can also write to the Offices of the Assistant Commissioner, National Support Services, Harcourt Square, Dublin 2, marking the envelopes, "Ryan report".
Meanwhile, Mr Ahern indicated yesterday evening that the Dublin Archdiocese report was likely to be referred to the High Court. "It will be up to the court to decide whether to refer it to the DPP, the Garda Commissioner, or anyone else. That's laid out in the legislation," the minister said.
Prejudicial
He pointed out that if it were possible to publish the entire report without lessening its contents, it would be sent automatically to the gardai.
But under the legislation he had to follow certain procedures as the report might contain material prejudicial to criminal proceedings.
"If there is anything of that nature in it, I would obviously have to discuss it with the Attorney General, and if there is anything prejudicial, we would have to ask the High Court for a direction, pending publication," he added.
It was his desire to publish the report as soon as possible but he did not want to do anything that "would cause people to get off, if they were supposed to be brought before the courts".
One of the most notorious serial priest paedophiles expected to be named in the Dublin Archdiocese report is the late Fr Noel Reynolds, who abused more than 100 children.
He had access to generations of children since 1967 when he was appointed secretary of the Diocesan Commission on Religious Instruction in Vocational Schools, and later as a Diocesan Inspector of Primary Schools.
He was appointed administrator on Inishbofin island, off the Galway coast, in 1984. Serious complaints about his behaviour with children go back to 1995 when he was parish priest in Glendalough, Co Wicklow, but he was not removed from there until two years later when he was appointed chaplain to the National Rehabilitation Hospital in Dun Laoghaire.
After the 'Prime Time' programme, 'The Sins of the Cardinal', Cardinal Desmond Connell, apologised to the hospital for not informing the authorities there of previous complaints.
- Tom Brady, Senan Molony and John Cooney
dinsdag, juli 21, 2009
What Went Wrong? How Will We Fix It?”. Archbishop warns against State control of education
DEAGLÁN de BRÉADÚN, Political Correspondent in Glenties
Irish Times
Monday, July 20, 2009
THE STATE would be on “dodgy ground” if it took over the entire health and education system from the church, the Catholic Archbishop of Dublin, Most Rev Diarmuid Martin, has said.
Addressing the opening session of the 29th MacGill Summer School and Arts Week in Glenties, Co Donegal last night, he said: “A State which simply delegated a wide part of its social responsibilities to a church had gotten it wrong. A State which takes over the entire package is on equally dodgy ground.”
The archbishop was speaking on the theme “The Irish Economy – What Went Wrong? How Will We Fix It?”.
rest artikel
En die flauwe kul die er op RK Nieuwsnet staat?
email aan RKNieuwsnet
ter informatie
nav "Aartsbisdom Dublin publiceert rapport seksueel misbruik door priesters."
Door de onwaarschijnlijke onzin hierin, RK Nieuwsnet onwaardig, spreekt uit dit artikel een dermate minachting dat het bijzonder schokkend is.
Zo eenvoudig is het bedonderen van publiek dus.
Maar je kunt altijd nog zeggen dat Verwegistan héél ver weg was:
Wir haben es nicht gewusst.
Goed katholieke traditie gebleken.
Blijkt uit de rapporten. En de berichtgeving.
Maar da's dan wel een traditie die óók de Kerk om zeep brengt.
bron RK Nieuwsnet
Irish Times
Monday, July 20, 2009
THE STATE would be on “dodgy ground” if it took over the entire health and education system from the church, the Catholic Archbishop of Dublin, Most Rev Diarmuid Martin, has said.
Addressing the opening session of the 29th MacGill Summer School and Arts Week in Glenties, Co Donegal last night, he said: “A State which simply delegated a wide part of its social responsibilities to a church had gotten it wrong. A State which takes over the entire package is on equally dodgy ground.”
The archbishop was speaking on the theme “The Irish Economy – What Went Wrong? How Will We Fix It?”.
rest artikel
En die flauwe kul die er op RK Nieuwsnet staat?
email aan RKNieuwsnet
ter informatie
nav "Aartsbisdom Dublin publiceert rapport seksueel misbruik door priesters."
Door de onwaarschijnlijke onzin hierin, RK Nieuwsnet onwaardig, spreekt uit dit artikel een dermate minachting dat het bijzonder schokkend is.
Zo eenvoudig is het bedonderen van publiek dus.Maar je kunt altijd nog zeggen dat Verwegistan héél ver weg was:
Wir haben es nicht gewusst.
Goed katholieke traditie gebleken.
Blijkt uit de rapporten. En de berichtgeving.
Maar da's dan wel een traditie die óók de Kerk om zeep brengt.
Door het goede nieuws niet te willen zien!
Gebrek aan verantwoordelijkheid. Angst en minachting.
Ongelooflijke onzin! En nog in strijd met het Credo ook.
bron RK Nieuwsnet
zondag, april 12, 2009
Stap voor stap. Archbishop asks forgiveness for child sex abuse priests
- By John Cooney
Saturday April 11 2009
THE Catholic Archbishop of Dublin Diarmuid Martin yesterday called for God's forgiveness of priests who have abused children.
It was his second reference during Holy Week to the scale of the child abuse which is expected to rock the Dublin diocese to its foundations when it is revealed in a report next month.
The Archbishop made his remarks as he led the Good Friday Way of the Cross procession in Dublin's Phoenix Park.
At the Chrism Holy Thursday Mass, he predicted that a shocking report by the Commission of Investigation into clerical sex abuse in the Dublin archdiocese would reveal that thousands of children were abused by priests in the 30 years from 1975 to 2004.
Yesterday, Dr Martin mentioned indirectly the biggest scandal in the history of the Dublin diocese, when he prayed to the Lord to be merciful towards those who had in any way abused the authority and trust placed in them.
"Restore and heal all who have been abused or betrayed," he added.
"Restore relationships of integrity and respect and truthfulness."
Dr Martin also prayed for the 300,000-plus people who have lost jobs, homes and security in the recession, and called for a renewal of Irish culture and society which would be rooted in "a spirit of solidarity and responsibility and care for others".
Retired priest in Cloyne diocese interviewed over alleged abuse
BARRY ROCHE, Southern Correspondent
Friday, April 10, 2009
GARDAÍ INVESTIGATING allegations of clerical sex abuse in the diocese of Cloyne are to prepare files for the DPP after interviewing a retired priest about allegations that he abused two young females.
The priest, who is in his 70s, yesterday attended voluntarily at Mallow Garda station in north Cork where he was interviewed by detectives for several hours about allegations of abuse made against him by two women.
The women came forward separately in the past three months.
They made formal complaints to gardaí investigating allegations of clerical sex abuse in the diocese of Cloyne that they were sexually abused by the priest in the early 1970s.
One of the woman alleged that she was sexually assaulted by the priest while in her mid-teens in the early 1970s. The other woman alleged she was sexually assaulted in the early 1970s while she was aged in her early 20s.
Yesterday’s interviewing of the retired priest comes in the wake of controversy over the manner in which the Bishop of Cloyne, Dr John Magee, handled previous allegations of clerical sex abuse by two priests in the diocese.
Cloyne priests feeling positive for future
3 april 2009
Up to 100 priests of the Diocese of Cloyne gathered this week to discuss the fall-out from the mishandling of abuse claims in the diocese and to map a way forward, this paper has learnt.
The meeting, ...was convened by Archbishop Dermot Clifford, who was appointed Apostolic Administrator for the Cloyne diocese in March by Pope Benedict.
The meeting was also attended by Bishop Denis Brennan of Ferns and a small delegation from that diocese.
According to sources at the meeting, priests were invited by layman Martin Kennedy acting as facilitator to articulate their experiences of recent events in the diocese.
The feedback was described as ''an open and honest discussion''after which the gathering broke up into small groups and reported back to the facilitator.
The mood of the meeting was described by one priest who was present as ''very helpful and welcome.''
He added: ''The opportunity for Cloyne priests to voice their opinions and feelings was necessary prior to any discussion of the deeper issues of those affected by child sexual abuse.''
Issues of continued outreach to victims of abuse and cooperation with the State Inquiry were dealt with in the afternoon when the delegation from Ferns addressed the gathering led by the Bishop of Ferns, Denis Brennan.
"The purpose of this was to assist priests in considering what is now required as a continued priority, building on what is already there and moving onto what is best practice today," said a priest who asked not be be named, adding, "I went home feeling better than when I arrived."
It is believed this is one in a range of events which will occur in the weeks and months ahead and it appears the model that was used in Ferns is being considered for guidance.
Dublin Diocese holds more abuse meetings
Jan 15, 2009,
Dublin’s Archbishop Diarmuid Martin has embarked on a number of meetings this week to consult with parish pastoral councils in anticipation of the report of Dublin Inquiry. The report, prepared by Ms Justice Yvonne Murphy, is expected to be published later this month and is investigating the handing of a “representative sample” of allegations of abuse by priests of the Archdiocese from 1940, made between January 1975 and May 2004.
In a letter to all parishes, Dr. Martin invited the Chairman of each parish pastoral council to attend a series of meetings over the next two weeks in anticipation of the report. The move follows a similar series of meetings held before Christmas to brief priests on the diocese’s preparation for the publication of the report.
As reported in The Irish Catholic late last year Dr. Martin has described, in correspondence, the scale of abuse by priests in Dublin as “staggering”. More than 400 people are known to have suffered abuse by priests serving in the Dublin Archdiocese.
Dr. Martin also requests that each parish’s child protection officer attends the meeting and strongly encourages priests to accompany their parish representatives.
A diocesan source confirmed to The Irish Catholic that the meetings were part of the Archbishop’s policy of keeping people involved very step of the way. “We’ve already held very productive meetings with the priests, and now it is his (Dr Martin’s) hope that these new meetings with the parish councils will allow people to feel prepared for when the report actually comes out”.
The Archbishop is not planning to have a letter read at all Masses in the wake of the report, but, is hoping that every parish can prepare an appropriate response. The Irish Catholic understands that parish representatives attending these meetings will be encouraged to hold a special meeting of their parish council at which people will be invited to attend.
The Commission to Investigate was established in November 2005 and was due to report within eighteen months. However, the Department of Justice has granted several extensions to the Commission. The final report is due before the end of this month.
donderdag, april 09, 2009
Irish revolution; Final Journey
This is the Place of Betrayal.
Roll back the stones
behind madonna blue walls.
Make visible the tree.
Above percussion of engines
from gloom of catacombs,
through a glaze of prayer,
stumble of chanting,
make visible the tree,
its branches ragged
with washed-out linens
of a bleached out shroud.
In this shattered landscape,
sharpened tongues
of sulphur-yellow bulldozers
slice through wombs
of blood-soaked generations.
This is the place where Veronica,
forsaken,
stares and stares
at a blank towel.
Patricia Burke Brogan
10 March 2009
A Public Sculpture to honour Galway’s Magdalen women was unveiled on International Women’s Day, - Sunday 8th March at 1.00pm on the corner of Forster St and Bóthar Breandán O Eithir Forster Street, Galway City, facing the site of the former Convent of Mercy’s Magdalen laundry, demolished in 1991.
The carved limestone sculptural figure of a women lifting a veil from her head entitled “ Final Journey” is by the local artist and stone mason Mick Wilkins and features inscribed poetry by playwright and poet Patricia Burke Brogan, who is internationally known for her award-winning play “Eclipsed” about the Magdalen Women.
The sculpture permanently marks the city and Galway’s memory of the women who endured life in the laundry and the heroic steps they took to overcome their oppression.
rest artikel
Apology to victims of abuse in institutions was right, says Ahern
March 26, 2009
Homily Notes of
Most Rev. Diarmuid Martin
Archbishop of Dublin and Primate of Ireland
Holy Thursday, Pro-Cathedral, 9TH April 2009
...
A year of Evangelisation is not just a series of events and programmes from which you pick or choose at random. The Gospel reading reminds us that a Year of Evangelisation is realising in our times the Year of the Lord which Jesus announced. A Year of Evangelisation takes on meaning if we can say on each day of the year: “today the scripture is being fulfilled in your hearing”, through my ministry and through the ministry of the entire Church.The Archdiocese of Dublin is facing challenges of a kind that it has not experienced for many years. The Report of the Commission on Child Sexual Abuse will shock us all. It is likely that thousands of children or young people across Ireland were abused by priests in the period under investigation and the horror of that abuse was not recognised for what it is. The report will make each of us and the entire Church in Dublin a humbler Church.
...
Roll back the stones
behind madonna blue walls.
Make visible the tree.
Above percussion of engines
from gloom of catacombs,
through a glaze of prayer,
stumble of chanting,
make visible the tree,
its branches ragged
with washed-out linens
of a bleached out shroud.
In this shattered landscape,
sharpened tongues
of sulphur-yellow bulldozers
slice through wombs
of blood-soaked generations.
This is the place where Veronica,
forsaken,
stares and stares
at a blank towel.
Patricia Burke Brogan
10 March 2009
A Public Sculpture to honour Galway’s Magdalen women was unveiled on International Women’s Day, - Sunday 8th March at 1.00pm on the corner of Forster St and Bóthar Breandán O Eithir Forster Street, Galway City, facing the site of the former Convent of Mercy’s Magdalen laundry, demolished in 1991.
The carved limestone sculptural figure of a women lifting a veil from her head entitled “ Final Journey” is by the local artist and stone mason Mick Wilkins and features inscribed poetry by playwright and poet Patricia Burke Brogan, who is internationally known for her award-winning play “Eclipsed” about the Magdalen Women.
The sculpture permanently marks the city and Galway’s memory of the women who endured life in the laundry and the heroic steps they took to overcome their oppression.
rest artikel
Apology to victims of abuse in institutions was right, says Ahern
March 26, 2009
FORMER TAOISEACH Bertie Ahern has described his apology to the victimsCHRISM MASS 2009
of child abuse in State institutions as “one of the best decisions” he made in
government.
The apology was made in May 1999. It led to the setting up of the Commission to Inquire into Child Abuse, which is due to report in May, and to the Residential Institutions Redress Board, which has paid out €825 million to almost 10,800 former residents of such institutions. The final bill is likely to be about €1.1 billion.
Mr Ahern visited the Aislinn Centre in his constituency yesterday to present Further Education and Training Awards Council (Fetac) certificates to victims of abuse who studied over the last number of years. The visit was to mark 10 years since the apology was given. Mr Ahern was greeted warmly by his audience, which was mainly comprised of those who had been in such institutions.
He said he had come under strong pressure for legal and financial reasons not to
apologise to the victims of abuse, but had taken the decision to do it anyway.
“There were plenty of people telling me not to do it and there were
compelling arguments, financial and legal, why we should say nothing, but they
did not hold water with me.” He said warnings that compensation for victims
would be expensive was “not an incorrect assumption”, but it was worth doing
anyway.
“Just to take that as the basis of it would have left all these people, and the hundreds and thousands who were in England, with shattered lives. It was a costly decision, but it was still the right thing to do.”
He defended the controversial decision to cap the contribution of the religious institutions at €128 million. “If you were to add up what the religious gave to the State, the State owes the religious far more.”
He had been persuaded by abuse survivor Christine Buckley to issue the apology.
Dear Daughter, Ms Buckley’s account of her time in the notorious Goldenbridge
orphanage, was made into an RTÉ documentary in 1996. It shocked the nation and galvanised other victims into seeking redress for what happened to them.
“I think her sincerity and passion for justice made a lasting impression on me and my colleagues,” Mr Ahern said. “She was a great source of knowledge and counsel to me in making sure the government sought to do the right thing and to help those who had the terrible misfortune, as many had, to suffer child abuse.”
Ms Buckley said she had first contacted Mr Ahern about the issue in the 1990s, while he was opposition leader. “He said when he got into power that we would make history. That is exactly what happened.”
Mr Ahern said institutional child abuse was a “scandal of monumental proportion” and successive governments had ignored it.
“There was a reluctance to admit that as a State and a society we failed many of the children of the nation in allowing them to be incarcerated in places where they
were not cherished, but poorly treated.”
Homily Notes of
Most Rev. Diarmuid Martin
Archbishop of Dublin and Primate of Ireland
Holy Thursday, Pro-Cathedral, 9TH April 2009
...
A year of Evangelisation is not just a series of events and programmes from which you pick or choose at random. The Gospel reading reminds us that a Year of Evangelisation is realising in our times the Year of the Lord which Jesus announced. A Year of Evangelisation takes on meaning if we can say on each day of the year: “today the scripture is being fulfilled in your hearing”, through my ministry and through the ministry of the entire Church.The Archdiocese of Dublin is facing challenges of a kind that it has not experienced for many years. The Report of the Commission on Child Sexual Abuse will shock us all. It is likely that thousands of children or young people across Ireland were abused by priests in the period under investigation and the horror of that abuse was not recognised for what it is. The report will make each of us and the entire Church in Dublin a humbler Church.
...
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