Abuse: why did the Vatican remain quiet?
Friday, 27 November 2009
The paedophile priest Brendan Smyth is led from the Four Courts in Dublin after being sentenced to 12 years in July 1997
enlarge
Print
Email
Victims campaigners have reacted with anger and disbelief after it emerged the Vatican and papal nuncio in Ireland ignored repeated requests from investigators for information on clerical sexual abuses cases.
Judge Yvonne Murphy, who carried out a devastating report into clerical sexual abuse within the Dublin Archdiocese, revealed her investigation received no co-operation from the Vatican or its Irish diplomatic representative despite a number of requests.
The report said that in September 2006, the commission wrote to the Vatican’s Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith seeking information on reports of clerical child sex abuse sent to it by the Dublin Archdiocese over a 30-year period. It also sought information on the document ‘Crimen |Sollicitationis’, which deals with clerical sex abuse. The congregation did not reply.
It then wrote to the papal |nuncio in Dublin in February 2007 requesting that he forward |documents in his possession relevant to the commission’s terms of reference. The papal nuncio did not reply.
Earlier this year the commission again wrote to the papal nuncio enclosing extracts from its draft report which referred to him and his office, as it was required to do. Again, there was no reply.
John McCourt, who suffered sexual, physical and emotional abuse at the hands of nuns at the Termon Bacca boys’ home in Londonderry for 10 years, said he was disgusted by the level of obstruction those in the higher echelon of the Catholic Church went to and supported calls for inquiries to be held into all the dioceses in Ireland. Mr McCourt said this revelation not only angered him but it also shocked him.
“First of all I am angered and secondly given the place that Ireland actually holds in the Catholic Church and the elevated position that popes through generations have given Ireland in its example of the Catholic faith, I think it’s an absolute disgrace,” he said.
“If we are talking about finding some saving grace in the church about a restoration of confidence in the Church then the people who are at the helm of a diocese or higher, the people who are responsible for saying something should admit something went wrong. I am just shocked and angered and I totally support the call that was made yesterday for an inquiry to be held in all dioceses.”
The introduction to yesterday’s report highlighted the case of Fr Brendan Smyth, a Norbertine priest who was jailed in 1994 for 74 cases of indecent and sexual assault. It stated that the case was the catalyst which led to the development of guidelines for dealing with clerical child abuse.
There have also been calls for inquiries to be held into dioceses throughout Ireland.
Earlier this year it emerged the Irish Government asked the Commission of Investigation to extend its work to deal with the Co Cork diocese of Cloyne after a separate report conducted by the National Board for Safeguarding Children in the Catholic Church in Ireland revealed that poor management at the diocese had exposed “vulnerable young people to further harm”.
Bishop John Magee, who is originally from Newry, resigned as Bishop of Cloyne in March this year after weeks of public scrutiny over the diocese’ handling of child sex abuse allegations.
The Catholic Church in Ireland apologised to victims and admitted it stole the childhoods of hundreds and failed them again when they had the courage to come forward.
The Archbishop of Dublin, Dr Diarmuid Martin, issued an |unequivocal apology to victims of clerical abuse in the Republic for the systematic cover-up of hundreds of child sex abuse cases.
Post a comment
Limit: 500 characters
View all comments that have been posted about this article
Offensive or abusive comments will be removed and your IP address logged and may be used to prevent further submissions. In submitting a comment to the site, you agree to be bound by BelfastTelegraph.co.uk's Terms of Use.
Posts submitted in UPPERCASE letters will be rejected.
Comments
59 Comments
Ulysses32, your silence is deafening. We await your wisdom, and excuses. No doubt Kincora will be compared to this planet wide outrage.
Posted by William | 01.12.09, 01:14 GMT
Strange to see "Sean from County Down" & "Ulysses32" not making comments on this subject. Is it only all things Protestant/Unionist/Loyalist that you have a narrow mindedness opinion about. Maybe there is something underlying in this story that are still having trouble dealing with, a little too close to home i ponder...........................
Posted by Lest we forget | 30.11.09, 07:44 GMT
Anon- I think the word you are looking for is "succour".
But I do take your point, although I am not sure I agree with your interpretation.
Posted by Dave, East Belfast | 28.11.09, 16:57 GMT
time to leave the catholic church it through its actions is no longer graced with god, a church which systematicly hides abuse of children is not religious
Posted by liam | 28.11.09, 07:31 GMT
The church will always be above the Government, probably because it's richer.
As soon as religious people actually take a step back and seriously assess their beliefs in talking snakes and virgin mothers - then we'll be getting somewhere.
Until then, kids, get used to it - because religion is here to stay.
Posted by P Wilson | 28.11.09, 03:12 GMT
It is so typical to see the guilty parties in these gross crimes being protectec by the powers that be. I am amazed that although Canon law is not fully recognised by this state that the politicians and the courts would protect these hideous monsters from being named and shamed and why does the catholic church not take responsibility for putting these paedophiles and barbarians in such a sacrosanct position. I also noticed recently that the Minister for justice (injusticed) wrote off all the complaints from the women who worked in the Magdalen laundries, he claimed these establishments were not state run. My question to this is, IS IT BECAUSE THE COMPLAINANTS WERE WOMEN AND NOT MEN or does it really make no difference because after all "POWER CORRUPTS, ABSOLUTE POWER CORRUPTS ABSOLUTELY"
Posted by Anne | 28.11.09, 01:43 GMT
bless me father for i have sinned! well thats a cracker its the way i tell em!
Posted by barry | 28.11.09, 01:08 GMT
well maybe ian paisley wasnt that far wrong.
Posted by margaret | 28.11.09, 01:05 GMT
sorry, i have to respond to barry and his coments (these type of people) barry mate these people were orfants abandoned by they parents in times of trouble who could not cope! entrusted to the church and their god. and you talk about these type of people-- get a grip you moron.
Posted by michael donaldson | 28.11.09, 01:01 GMT
this just gets better by the minute, i know read that they took out an insurance policy to cover legal costs. well i certanly think the insurance company should look at fraud under non-disclosure of material facts before they pay out .isuggest fraud .
Posted by michael | 28.11.09, 00:55 GMT
this vile organisation ,what a digrace and to think of the tens of thousands of good people who put their trust in them. and christ crucified for us only to be raped by those evil people who represented him. this is worse than hitler. the antichrist is and has been amonsg us for many years.his face is shining bright for all to see and i am not religous but this has shaken me to stone. no forgifiness ever they took the most vulnerable and inocent this world has to offer and destroyed them. cannot and will not forgive.
Posted by michael | 28.11.09, 00:22 GMT
Barry
A bit like the Stormont regime up to 1972 and the Unionist people of "Ulster" you'll no doubt agree.
Posted by Fair Play | 27.11.09, 23:45 GMT
The time has come for Christians to step down from their arrogant position that they have a supreme book and they are righteous.
God has never been proven
Faith means "the absence of fact"
The bible has no basies of truth
The religious feel they are righteous but they have no evidence that they are.
WAKE UP. There is no God, no evidence for a God and you have no right to proclaim that you have a right.
Arrogance = Religion = I AM RIGHT
Posted by Seb Gerkle | 27.11.09, 23:12 GMT
I had the misfortune of going to a Christian Brothers school as a child in Ireland and saw first hand the cruelty and sadism of some of the so called teachers.
When i tried to tell my parents about it the answer was "You must have deserved it" No one could believe men of God would be so vile so it was just put down to youthful exaggeration. Thank God the truth is finally coming out.
One good thing to come out of my Catholic upbringing is that it taught me to be very suspicious of the Catholic church and its hierarchy, a suspicion that I'm sorry to say has been proven well founded.
Maybe now people will wake up and force change on this outdated self serving excuse for a religion.
Posted by gerard | 27.11.09, 22:53 GMT
It is time to call time on the Catholic church! Infiltrated by people whose sole intentions were to have access to young boys! 98% of the victims of abuse were boys! There are good priests out there but alas they have not come public in condeming these vile predators in their company. It seems the Catholic church has been the victim of a Satanic cult!! The police should close all these churches and check out who is living in the parish house after all when there is abuse in nurserys they are closed!
Posted by Maggie Long | 27.11.09, 22:39 GMT
All the people of Ireland must know who commit the abuse crimes in entire Ireland as well as all that covered up these crimes.All violaters must have their day in court. Then the law suits for full damages at the same rate as paid in the USA. The media must fully keep the public informed.
Posted by phl | 27.11.09, 22:32 GMT
Sounds like they were hoping against hope that the problem would go away.
Posted by david wayne osedach | 27.11.09, 22:21 GMT
I'm a protestant who was watching the news and I could'nt stop crying, To me this is the biggest sin against god, to hurt and make children suffer. by those who are suppose to look after children nourish them and protect them....You are all in my thoughts.
Posted by sandra | 27.11.09, 21:02 GMT
Some years ago Sixty Minutes did a piece on corporal punishment in Irish schools. A young boy was badly beaten by a Christian Brother. When the family went to the local Priest to complain. He denounced them from the pulpit. Their neighbours ostracised them. They had to move to England. So do not blame the faimilys. Maybe neighbours need to be kinder to each other.
Posted by sheilah | 27.11.09, 20:51 GMT
Hunt them down, with no mercy. Religion ? Doing God's work ? Give me Dawkins and Darwin - they don't abuse innocent children, cover it up, and then think that an apology will suffice. Sick, sick, sick These people should be removed from society - permanently. Need any volunteers ??
Posted by Anyonebutunited | 27.11.09, 20:11 GMT
59 Comments