Older Comments 2
Remote User:
Date:
01 Sep 2011
Time:
10:26:22
Comments
Probe into HSE help to homeless children...... The Children’s Ombudsman is to
speak with homeless children to see if the HSE is safeguarding their welfare.
Emily Logan announced the consultation process yesterday amid concerns in her
office that the HSE is overusing and extending a provision of the Childcare Act
that places out-of-home children in an emergency intervention service. Ms Logan
said she wants to hear from as many out-of-home children as possible in the
coming months. Out-of-home children are defined as those who sleep rough, whose
usual night residence is a public or private shelter, emergency lodging or B&B
that lacks the other characteristics of a home and/or intended for a short stay.
In 2008, 718 children — 351 boys and 367 girls — were housed in crisis
intervention services, which is a specific service for Dublin, Kildare and
Wicklow. Under Section 5 of the Childcare Act, if a child is homeless but not in
care, it "shall take such steps as are reasonable to make available suitable
accommodation". Ms Logan cited one case in which a girl was in this situation
for 10 months without many of the provisions that would be available to a child
in the care system proper, such as a care plan, allocated social worker or
access to aftercare. "There is an overuse and extended use of Section 5 of this
act. We should look at how they [the HSE] are using this emergency provision."
Ms Logan told the HSE of her intention to investigate the matter in May. The HSE
responded with a commitment to address concerns. The Office of the Children’s
Ombudsman (OCO) has since shelved the investigation but will use the
consultation process to speak with children about their experience of being out
of home, while the HSE will report to Ms Logan on their steps to improve its use
of the provision. The OCO has the option of pursuing an investigation and Ms
Logan said the consultation process would take a few months. *www.oco.ie… By
Noel Baker, Thursday, September 01, 2011
Remote User:
Date:
01 Sep 2011
Time:
10:28:00
Comments
Ex-clergyman is accused of having indecent photograph of children........ A
former Methodist minister charged with making and possessing an indecent
photograph of children has appeared in court in Coleraine. William Alan Macaulay
(51) a former chaplain to Magilligan jail and a youth sports coach - from
Ballynacree Drive, Balnamore, Co Antrim - faces two charges. The first is that
between April 23, 2010 and November 10, 2010 he made an indecent photograph or
pseudo-photograph of children, and the second that between the same dates he had
in his possession an indecent photograph or pseudo-photograph of children. He
has yet to enter pleas to the charges. Macaulay was previously listed on the
Adopt A Child charity website as a representative in Ireland. But the website
now tells web viewers to contact the UK office. No-one is listed for Ireland.
Macaulay's case was adjourned for one month at North Antrim Magistrate's Court
in Coleraine yesterday. He did not speak during the short hearing. It has
emerged Macaulay was heavily involved in coaching youth sports in the past. He
played a role in player development at Ballymoney Hockey Club but is understood
to be no longer with the club. A club spokesperson said: "We are not in a
position to comment on these allegations as they are still the subject of legal
proceedings." In a statement the Methodist Church in Ireland said: "Mr Macauley
(sic) has resigned as a minister of the Methodist Church in Ireland. "He has not
functioned as the Methodist Chaplain to Magilligan Prison since November 2010.
"During the time of the investigation into the allegations against Mr Macauley
the Methodist Church, along with Mr Macauley, has co-operated fully. "We would
ask that Mr Macauley and his family be given privacy during this difficult time
and invite others to join with us in upholding them in our prayers." Macaulay is
married with children and his wife attended Coleraine Courthouse with him on his
first appearance last month but he appeared alone yesterday. Bail terms imposed
on Macaulay last month state: • He must only reside at an address approved by
investigating police and social services; • He must not have any contact or
association with any child or young person under 18 except in the presence of
that child's parents/guardians and with approval of social services. This
excludes unavoidable everyday contact; • He must not seek or undertake any
employment or training, whether for payment or otherwise, which is likely at any
time to allow him unsupervised contact with a child under the age of 18 years; •
He must not access any computer that does not have 'covenant eyes' software
installed and allows police to examine activity records and usage as required; •
He must not take, send, receive or store any photographic image or video
recording. He will appear before North Antrim Magistrate's Court in Coleraine
again on September 28....Thursday, 1 September 2011
Remote User:
Date:
01 Sep 2011
Time:
10:29:17
Comments
Five fresh claims of child sex abuse at Carrignavar school..... Five new
allegations of child sexual abuse at a Cork school were received by the
Missionaries of the Sacred Heart in the past month, according to the order. The
complaints were all lodged since Senator Mark Daly used Seanad privilege in July
to disclose how the order had failed to properly supervise Fr Donnacha Mac
Carthaigh, former principal of the Sacred Heart College in Carrignavar, Co Cork.
Fr Mac Carthaigh was on restricted ministry after seven complaints of abuse were
lodged against him between 1986 and 2008. The complaints refer to the period
when it was a boys’ boarding school. It has been a co-educational day school
since the 1990s. Garda sources have revealed that in recent weeks, stations
nationwide were contacted by ex-pupils with concerns about past abuse. The HSE’s
director of children and family services, Gordon Jeyes, has said he is to
investigate child welfare at the former boarding school. The National Bureau of
Criminal Investigation is also investigating. The National Board for
Safeguarding Children in the Catholic Church is investigating the order’s
handling of abuse complaints. Last night, a spokesman for the order said: "It is
our intention that all survivors of child sexual abuse will be offered
appropriate help and support through the proper agencies. We encourage those who
wish to come forward to contact the Towards Healing helpline." *Towards Healing:
1800 30352; HSE freephone helpdesk: 1800 742 800; Harbour: 1800 234 116; Cork
Sexual Violence Centre 1800 496 496; One in Four 01 662 4070..... By Claire
O’Sullivan and Sean O’Riordan , Thursday, September 01, 2011
Remote User:
Date:
01 Sep 2011
Time:
10:30:15
Comments
Confessional secrets....... A Former Catholic priest in Queensland, Australia,
went to confession more than 1,500 times to admit sexually abusing boys. He was
told to go home and pray. In a 2003 affidavit, then 68-year-old Michael Joseph
McArdle, who was jailed for six years in October of that year, claimed to have
made confession about his paedophile activities to about 30 priests over a
25-year period. He noted: “As the children would leave after each respective
assault, I would feel an overwhelming sense of sadness for them and remorse, so
much so it would almost be physical. I was devastated after the assaults, every
one of them. So distressed would I become that I would attend confessionals
weekly and on other occasions fortnightly and would confess that I had been
sexually assaulting young boys.” He said the only assistance or advice he was
given was to undertake penance in the form of prayer. He claimed that after each
confession, “it was like a magic wand had been waved over me.” McArdle’s
affidavit would appear to contradict a widespread view in Ireland that child sex
abusers are unlikely to admit such abuse to a priest in the confessional. Common
sense would suggest that priest abusers particularly, and as above, would be
likely to avail of the seal of the confessional as they seek forgiveness for
what they have done and maybe even help in controlling their impulses. More is
required in such cases of the confessor priest than penance, prayer and
sympathy. In that context it was unfair and disproportionate of the Catholic
primate Cardinal Séan Brady last Sunday to portray proposed new child protection
legislation, which would make it mandatory in all cases to report child abuse,
as an attack on freedom of religion. In Knock, he said “the inviolability of the
seal of confession is so fundamental to the very nature of the Sacrament that
any proposal that undermines that inviolability is a challenge to the right of
every Catholic to freedom of religion and conscience”. Minister for Justice Alan
Shatter has said that new child protection legislation would apply to doctors
and priests, even where this information is revealed in the confessional.
Minister for Children Frances Fitzgerald has said on the matter that “if there
is a law in the land, it has to be followed by everybody. There are no
exceptions, there are no exemptions.” In this newspaper yesterday she said “what
is required is a positive piece of legislation which will encourage a culture
where child protection is taken seriously” and that such legislation would
“require a careful teasing out”. It will. That is what all sides should now be
about. Freedom of religion is an important principle in a pluralist society but
all should remind themselves that the most important issue here is the
protection of children. Other jurisdictions deal with the issue of
priest-penitent privilege in various ways. With goodwill, it ought to be
possible here to negotiate through conflicting rights and freedoms in the
primary interest of children. Thursday, September 1, 2011
Remote User:
Date:
01 Sep 2011
Time:
10:32:41
Comments
CAN YOU HELP?....Northern Ireland police to search 50 sites for schoolgirl
Arlene's body..... The detective leading the investigation into the murder of
teenager Arlene Arkinson has revealed that around 50 sites are to be searched
over the coming months. Tearful siblings of the 15-year-old gathered at the
remote rural spot near Castlederg in Co Tyrone yesterday where she was last seen
alive 17 years ago in a blue Metro. The hopes of the family now lie with
Detective Superintendent Raymond Murray, his team and a specialist victim
recovery dog, nine-year-old working spaniel, Leo, plus a back-up dog. Det Supt
Murray and his team yesterday began the first of dozens of planned searches
which will take place over the next few months in undisclosed areas across the
region. Speaking at the scene of the search in a picturesque spot near Ederney
off the Scraghy Road, he said that to date there had been more than 80 searches
for Arlene’s remains. He added that the new search — the first for several years
— would “look at it from 2011 techniques and training”. Mr Murray said: “We have
a panel of three of the most experienced police search advisers and they have
come back and said there is more scope for searching here. We are looking at at
least 48 sites and we intend to do this in phases of two weeks. “The appeal has
been going for a long time, 17 years, and virtually every year somebody new does
come forward at some stage with a new snippet of information.” He added that
there would not be lots of police officers combing the search areas. “The best
way to search is driven by the victim recovery dogs,” he said. “We have two dogs
working. The main one is a spaniel with a lot of operational experience who has
successfully recovered remains. The searches will be assisted by a police
officer back-up team.” He also confirmed that the new searches were not driven
by any new information from the man charged but acquitted with Arlene’s murder,
convicted rapist and child murderer Robert Lesarian Howard.... Help the
search.... A special telephone line has been set up for anyone who wants to
provide information as the search resumes for Arlene Arkinson’s remains. The
incident room number is 028 7137 9793. Police have made three specific appeals:
? Did you see a blue Metro in the area of Scraghy Road in the early hours of
August 14, 1994? ? Did you see any suspicious activity during the early hours of
August 14 in the wider Scraghy/Castlederg area? ? Did you see Arlene in
Castlederg in early hours of August 14?...... By Brendan McDaid, Thursday, 1
September 2011
Remote User:
Date:
02 Sep 2011
Time:
12:50:38
Comments
O’Callaghan told abuse victims he did all he could........ The child protection
tsar in Cloyne wrote to clerical abuse victims to tell them he had done
everything he could to help them obtain justice — even though the Cloyne report
revealed the opposite to be true. A letter from Monsignor Denis O’Callaghan,
seen by the Irish Examiner, shows how he wrote to a victim in 2009 to tell her
that "in all my dealings with you I acted properly and professionally and within
my role as delegate for clerical sex abuse". However, the Murphy report,
published this summer, found that Mgr O’Callaghan systematically "stymied" the
implementation of Church protocols on child protection. He was asked to step
down from his child protection role in late 2008 after Bishop John Magee was
handed the damning National Board for Safeguarding Children in the Catholic
Church report. The victim who received the letter said: "Him and Magee should be
behind bars for all they did to stop our investigations. I was so upset and
frustrated when I wrote to him; so upset with him and Magee not doing what they
were supposed to do. Their lies and collusion have just furthered the abuse.
Will it ever end?" Last week, Mgr O’Calla-ghan admitted he should have resigned
rather than continue in a job where he disagreed with the child protection
guidelines he was expected to enforce. In recent days, he has also attempted to
justify his decision to ignore the requirement to report abuse allegations to
the civil authorities on the grounds that, "for most of those priests accused in
Cloyne, the complaints alleged incidents dating back over 30 or 40 years".
Archbishop of Cashel and Emly and Apostolic Administrator of Cloyne Dr Dermot
Clifford was so angered by Mgr O’Callaghan’s latest statement that he asked him
to stop talking to the media. Mgr O’Callaghan told the Irish Catholic last week
he often had sympathy for the alleged abuser. "I winced when understandably
angry people [victims] expressed the wish that an accused priest would burn in
hell." In a previous statement he admitted he was often overly concerned with
providing pastoral care to the accused priest. By Claire O’Sullivan,Friday,
September 02, 2011
Remote User:
Date:
02 Sep 2011
Time:
12:51:34
Comments
Cardinal and minister should end phoney war - Garry O'Sullivan...... Is there
some way to ask both Cardinal Seán Brady and Minister Frances Fitzgerald to
refrain from what essentially is a phoney war? Of course, what the Cardinal said
at Knock is true, confession is an inviolable and ''sacred and treasured'' rite
but that speech has only served to push Minister Fitzgerald into a further
reiteration of her intention to bring in a broad based mandatory reporting
policy. For her part, Minister Fitzgerald wants no hiding place for people who
abuse children. No one could find fault with that. For too long we've had
ministers for children who promised much but were light on delivery. So while
both the cardinal and the minister are right and good intentioned, the obvious
inability to sit down and talk with each other to find common ground is a
serious problem and is not going to serve the cause to which both are committed
-- the protection of children. A Church/State conflict over the confessional
seal will not serve either party. Could both of them actually focus on the 99.9
per cent of the problem which exists outside of the confessional in order to try
and make some progress on this deeply ingrained issue in our society? Few
abusers admit to child abuse and few confess it and none will confess it if the
priest is forced to go to the gardai¨. So why make this the dominant issue?
Cardinal Brady has enough to worry about with the Raphoe audit coming out soon,
and possibly leading on to Derry and who knows where after that. For the
minister, she should be looking at the HSE and other State bodies who have been
criticised in all the abuse reports and yet no one has had to resign. She should
also look at the reality that child sexual abuse is occurring every day in our
society and that it is Catholics, non-Catholics and post-Catholics who are
involved. A phoney war instead of what needs to be a real and engaging debate,
to which we all should be party, runs the risk of becoming a further farce
through an unnecessary focus in what will emerge as a red herring -- that might
be suiting the agendas of those who would wish to perpetuate a phoney war, than
have a moment based on shared full truth (State and Church) and find
resolutions. So come on, minister, and come on, cardinal! Open your diaries and
sit down and talk. What is -- or is not -- already in the files of Churches,
voluntary groups and State organisations and agencies, is the crux of the
matter. The Church has mandatory reporting for 15 years now (whatever
deficiencies occur in some cases) -- who else has? And while we are at it, will
the proposed mandatory law be retrospective and in that case, it may give us all
a chance to see what has been really happening on the sidelines of this debate
since Brendan Smyth in 1994. How many citizens have remained silent about the
96pc of abuse that goes largely unheard of? Safeguarding Children in Ireland --
pro-child or anti-Catholic? It's time for a fuller debate. By Garry O'Sullivan,
1 September 2011
Remote User:
Date:
02 Sep 2011
Time:
12:52:35
Comments
Time to welcome a pilgrim pope........ We can only hope the Taoiseach’s speech
after the Cloyne report did not cost us the chance of a visit for now, writes
John Waters……. A forthnight ago in Madrid, the morning after Pope Benedict XVI
said Mass in front of two million young people for World Youth Day, a squad of
journalists from one of the leading Spanish dailies descended on the aerodrome
at Cuatro Vientus, where the event had taken place. They walked around looking
at the ground, sifting among the detritus of the previous day’s happenings. They
were searching for beer cans, used condoms, evidence of drug use among the young
people who had gathered to greet the pope. They found nothing to satisfy them.
Before the visit, the media had been promoting the grievances of a tiny group of
secularist malcontents, protesting on the spurious ground the visit was at the
expense of the Spanish taxpayer. Now, the journalists searched for something by
which to reinterpret what had occurred. All that day, despite temperatures of
nearly 40 degrees, hordes of young people sang and danced as they waited for the
pope. On his arrival, they greeted him with much affection. Later, as Pope
Benedict began his homily, there was a change in the weather. All day, firemen
had sprayed water over the growing crowds to keep the young people cool. The
rain that came now left nothing or nobody unsaturated. For a short time there
was confusion. The pope abandoned his homily, and it became unclear whether the
event could continue. Then he spoke again. He said the Lord had sent the rain as
a gift. He told the young people they would encounter trials in their lives much
worse than this rain, but should not be fearful because they would be
accompanied always. “Your faith is stronger than the rain,” he said. Then, with
the storm raging, the pope knelt before the Blessed Sacrament, and the two
million young people assembled in Cuatro Vientus lapsed into silence. Seasoned
policemen afterwards said they had never seen anything like it. Had a storm like
this hit a rock concert or a football match, they agreed, there might have been
a catastrophe. Here, there was silence, stillness, before something immense and
seemingly immeasurably attractive. For seven years, Spain had been in the
clutches of a regime that sought to squeeze the mysteriousness out of civic
reality; but, still, the children of that era, and their contemporaries from
around the world, could recognise something more hopeful than what politicians
call progress and more beautiful than what journalists call freedom. Mercifully,
as with the pope’s British visit last September, enough reporters carried enough
of the facts for something of the true picture to emerge above the peevish
official narrative that has persisted for more than six years. This has insisted
Benedict XVI could never be as loved as his predecessor – being too austere, too
cerebral, too reactionary and obsessed with dogma. Wherever he goes, Benedict
XVI is embraced by crowds that swell with each voyage. Speaking through the
megaphone of his enemies, he delivers the clearest analyses of the difficulties
of seeing clearly in a world shrouded in the fog of unreason. He speaks to
people of their deepest desires and they respond by opening their hearts with a
confidence that defies all expectations. It seemed strange that, when he went to
Britain last year, the pope did not stop off awhile here. Perhaps someone told
him that what was once the most Catholic country in Europe has lately become the
most anti-Catholic. Another telling had it that he had planned to come for the
Eucharistic Congress next June. From speaking to people in the know, I gather
any such prospect has been scuppered by the Taoiseach’s recent speech, in which
he criticised the Vatican and so completely misrepresented the pope’s attitude
to the civil power as to leave open the possibility of some previously
unsuspected malice. But one source, whom I trust implicitly, was not so sure:
“The speech has made a visit diplomatically impossible, but the pope is not a
diplomat,” he told me. “He is a man who knows his own mind absolutely.” At the
superficial level of Irish public discourse, the idea that the pope might be
deterred from coming is likely to be greeted with glee. Deeper down, in the
silent soul of Ireland, the loss of such an opportunity for renewal and healing
will be greatly felt. Time after time, we have watched this pope confound his
enemies and provoke responses that were not – could not have been – predicted.
Many of us have observed his quiet insistence on reiterating his perceptions of
modern society, and wished for something of such insight from other quarters.
Many Irish people would welcome the provocation such a visit would offer, as a
way, at the very least, of breaking with present patterns. On balance, it seems
the ugliness of Ireland Past will continue to exclude any possibility of a
transformative event such as the pope’s presence has unleashed in other places.
Friday, September 2, 2011
Remote User:
Date:
03 Sep 2011
Time:
09:41:58
Comments
Vatican response to Cloyne report expected shortly........ The Holy See’s formal
response to the Government regarding the Cloyne report is likely to be released
shortly, perhaps early next week, according to Vatican sources. Although Vatican
senior spokesman Fr Federico Lombardi was unable to indicate a precise date, the
Vatican Insider website yesterday suggested a 15-page report had been finished
and its release was “imminent”. There are a number of indications pointing to
the report’s publication in the coming days. When Tánaiste Eamon Gilmore
demanded a Vatican response to the findings of the Cloyne report in a meeting on
July 14th with the papal nuncio, Archbishop Giuseppe Leanza, the Holy See’s
initial reaction was to suggest the formal reply would be made by the end of
August. Originally it had been hoped to have the document prepared even sooner,
but that plan was changed after the Taoiseach’s outspoken and unprecedented
attack on the Vatican on July 20th. In the Dáil speech, Enda Kenny spoke of “the
dysfunction, disconnection, elitism – and the narcissism – that dominate the
culture of the Vatican to this day”. Taken aback by that vehement attack, the
Holy See decided it would not rush into a response but would await the end of
the August holiday period so all relevant parties could be consulted. The repose
has required contributions from four Vatican departments: the Congregations of
the Doctrine of the Faith, of Bishops, of Clergy and of the Institutes of
Consecrated Life. It has also required contributions from Archbishop Leanza and
the Secretariat of State. The nuncio has returned to Dublin in order to consign
the response to the Government. This is expected to be his last formal function
as nuncio to Ireland, as he has already been appointed papal nuncio to the Czech
Republic. There have been no advance indications as to what precisely the reply
will contain. However, based on previous Vatican documents such as the pope’s
letter to the Irish people last year, it is almost certain the Holy See will
reject the Taoiseach’s criticisms, arguing that the Irish clerical sex abuse
crisis owes much more to Irish episcopal mismanagement and incompetence than to
Vatican interference. By Paddy Agnew in Rome, Saturday, September 3, 2011
Remote User:
Date:
03 Sep 2011
Time:
09:43:06
Comments
Clerical sex abuse involves 'tiny' minority....... Clerical Sexual abuse needs
to be reported on in correct proportion to the “tiny” minority of the population
affected, delegates at a child protection lecture heard yesterday. Addressing
media coverage of child protection services, Dr Helen Buckley, senior lecturer
in the school of social work and social policy in Trinity College Dublin, said
serious scandals such as that in the Catholic diocese of Cloyne attracted huge
media focus disproportionate to child sex abuse cases in general. “A lot of the
[media] activity in the past few months concerns Cloyne, and while it is very
serious, it’s quite tiny,” Dr Buckley said. “I feel there’s a danger because
clerical sex abuse touches such a nerve in this country, and the [child
protection] system could become skewed. It needs to be seen in proportion,” she
said. Recently appointed to the Health Service Executive’s advisory committee on
children and family services, Dr Buckley voiced concern at the proposed
introduction of mandatory reporting of cases of child abuse. “People need to be
trained to know what is to be reported. I’m not sure the politics of this
recognises the unintended outcomes it might bring. [The Government] needs to
think out precisely how that will be handled so it works properly to protect
children.” Dr Buckley delivered her lecture at the first open day at Bessborough
Care Centre, Blackrock, in Cork, which offers services for pregnant women and
mothers in crisis. Up to 120 social workers, health professionals and members of
the public attended the lecture. The centre focuses on keeping children safe and
empowering women, children and families to improve their quality of life. Dr
Buckley said there needed to be a “public articulation of commitment” to care
for children in society, as Irish people tended not to challenge parents or
strangers when they saw a child placed in a vulnerable position. Reform of the
child protection system was imminent and wel- come, she said, but the system
would never have enough capacity. “It’s not just a question of resources, it’s
about what is right for children and families. It’s not right to take a child
from a family unless absolutely necessary.” Opportunities for the provision of
more inclusive child protection already exist and need to be utilised, Dr
Buckley told delegates. “Resources should be put into schools to help children
there. In Ireland we are not good at making the most of our resources.” The
executive said yesterday it was appointing an additional counsellor in Donegal
for adults with a history of childhood abuse. It said it was responding to
concerns and distress following revelations in the case of Michael Ferry, who
was recently jailed for 14 years for child sex abuse. Louise Roseingrave,
Saturday, September 3, 2011
Remote User:
Date:
03 Sep 2011
Time:
09:43:52
Comments
Anger at HSE child protection hold-ups...... A central database recording
details of children in state care will not be ready until late next year at the
earliest. It comes more than two years after the scandal of children dying in
state care first broke, and the delay in establishing it has been criticised as
"incredibly slow" by child care experts. The Health Services Executive (HSE) was
forced to admit last year that it did not know how many children had died while
in care as there was no centralised system in place. A lengthy trawl through
social workers' files eventually revealed that 188 children and young people who
were known to be at risk, or who were in care, had died in the preceding decade.
However, hopes that a permanent database would be rolled out shortly were dashed
after the HSE confirmed to the Irish Independent that it would not make a final
decision on who would create the system until April next year and the database
would not be rolled out until the second half of 2012. Fergus Finlay, chief
executive of Barnardos, said setting up the database was "incredibly slow". "We
all remember the controversy when the HSE had to manually trawl through
thousands of records in order to answer the crucial question of how many
children had died in state care. That kind of information should have been
available at the touch of a button," he added. He said that while he welcomed
the start of the tendering process, he urged everyone involved to "get on top of
it and make it a priority". The database will hold details on all children in
state care as well as children about whom social workers have concerns. It will
contain information about their health, education and legal status and all case
notes. It is expected that around 1,800 HSE staff will initially have access to
the database and the system will have to be able to handle as many as 450 users
at the same time. The database will be available 24 hours a day, 365 days a
year. Donna Lamb, whose 19-year-old nephew Danny Talbot died while in an HSE
aftercare programme, asked how many children would die before child protection
was taken seriously in Ireland. Removed: "The sooner child care is removed from
the HSE, the better," she said last night. "We get families ringing us who are
facing the same struggles we faced years ago with Danny. We were making up to 30
calls a day trying to get help." Following the publication by the Ombudsman for
Children of a damning review of the State's Children First guidelines, the HSE
said its National Child Care Information System was being "prioritised". A
spokeswoman for the HSE said, in keeping with government policy, all major ICT
projects in the public sector had to be peer reviewed at all key decision
points. She said that, post procurement, a period of user-testing would be
required and it was expected the system would be deployed in phases starting in
the second half of next year. By Breda Heffernan, Saturday September 03 2011
Remote User:
Date:
03 Sep 2011
Time:
20:51:01
Comments
Ratzinger responds to Irish Taoiseach's condemnation of Vatican's attempts to
pervert the course of justice in Ireland concerning the abuse of thousands of
children by clergy:
http://www.news.va/en/news/cloyne-holy-see-response-in-full
Remote User:
Date:
04 Sep 2011
Time:
09:17:59
Comments
Sunday Independent Sept. 2011 - The Archbishop of Dublin Dr Diarmuid Martin has
admitted that "a cabal" protecting clerical sex abusers may be operating at the
highest levels in the Catholic Church. Dr Martin said: "There may be a cabal in
Cloyne. They may have friends in other parts of the Irish Church. They may have
friends in Irish society. There may be friends in the Vatican."
http://www.independent.ie/national-news/clerical-abusers-shielded-by-cabal-2866203.html
Remote User:
Date:
04 Sep 2011
Time:
09:50:38
Comments
Vatican: We didn’t interfere in Cloyne sex abuse cases....... The Vatican today
denied that it sought to interfere with Irish civil law in response to
accusations of the ‘downplaying the rape of children’ led by Taoiseach Enda
Kenny........ A statement said that it has significant reservations about the
speech made by the Taoiseach and said that the accusation that the Holy See
attempted to “frustrate an inquiry in a sovereign democratic republic is
unfounded”. It had in no way hampered or sought to interfere with in any inquiry
into child sex abuse cases in the Diocese of Cloyne and it had not sought to
interfere with Irish civil law or impeded the civil authorities in the exercise
of its duties, the statement said. It pointed out that there was no evidence
cited in the Cloyne Report to support the claim that its supposed intervention
had contributed to the undermining of the child protection framework and
guidelines of the State. A 20 page response from the Vatican has been received
by Tanaiste Eamon Gilmore. The Cloyne Report found how the Cork diocese failed
to report nine out of fifteen complaints made against priests between 1996 and
2005. It also revealed how the former Bishop John Magee misled a previous
inquiry and gave a false account of how he was handling allegations The
Taoiseach’s speech in the Dail on July 20 last was recognised at home and abroad
as a historic condemnation of the Vatican for attempting to cover up the sexual
abuse of children. The uncompromising tone of his address sent shockwaves
through the Catholic hierarchy and the Vatican. Ireland has traditionally had a
subservient relationship with the Holy See. In an unprecedented departure from
previously diplomatic church-State relations, Mr Kenny directly accused the
Catholic hierarchy of down-playing the rape of children to protect its own power
and reputation. He highlighted how the recent report into abuse in the Cloyne
diocese highlighted the "dysfunction, disconnection, elitism . . . the
narcissism . . . that dominate the culture of the Vatican to this day". He said:
"The rape and torture of children were downplayed or 'managed' to uphold
instead, the primacy of the institution, its power, standing and 'reputation'."
Responding to Mr Kenny's speech, an emotional Archbishop of Dublin, Dr Diarmuid
Martin, later described some of his fellow bishops as being part of a "cabal"
who refuse to recognise the rules of the church. And he called for the Catholic
Church's child abuse watchdog to be given powers to compel bishops to co-operate
with audits into dioceses. Mr Kenny’s speech was widely welcomed by victims of
clerical abuse, who have reacted with dismay to Rome's muted denials that clergy
were told not to report abuse claims. After delivering the strongest speech in
his tenure as Taoiseach -- and possibly his career -- Mr Kenny spoke
passionately about how "the revelations of the Cloyne Report have brought the
Government, Irish Catholics and the Vatican to an unprecedented juncture".
"Clericalism has rendered some of Ireland's brightest, most privileged and
powerful men, either unwilling or unable to address the horrors cited in the
Ryan and Murphy reports," he added. Mr Kenny hit out at the Vatican's reaction
to the harrowing evidence given by victims of clerical abuse, which he said was
"parsed and analysed by a canon lawyer". The Taoiseach said he agreed with Dr
Martin that the church needed to publish all similar reports as soon as
possible. Speaking afterwards, Dr Martin appeared to fight back tears as he
spoke of how he was angry, ashamed and appalled by the behaviour of bishops who
shielded abusers from gardai. "I find myself today asking ... can I be proud of
the church, what I am seeing, I have to be ashamed of these things and I have to
be ashamed because of what is being done to victims and what has been done to
people in the church," he said. "Those who felt they were able to play tricks
with norms, they have betrayed those good men and so many others in the church
who are working today and I am angry, ashamed and appalled by that," he added.
Independent Reporters, Sunday September 04 2011
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Date:
04 Sep 2011
Time:
09:53:06
Comments
Colum Kenny: Vatican lays blame at door of local church...... “The Holy See has
failed to acknowledge it could have done more to halt sex abuse, writes Colum
Kenny Yesterday's response by the Vatican to the Cloyne Report and to the Irish
Government's criticism of Rome is at its most convincing when responding to some
of what Taoiseach Enda Kenny said in the Dail. But it is weakest when trying to
explain away its own opinion on guidelines that were adopted by Irish bishops to
deal with sex abuse. The Vatican makes clear its condemnation of sex abuse as a
crime, and points out that it has disciplined thousands of priests in recent
years for sexual misconduct. But it lays the blame for what happened in Cloyne
squarely at the doorstep of the local church in Cloyne. The 25-page statement
contains no self-criticism of the role of Rome itself. The Vatican was clearly
irritated by what it sees as an unfair use by Enda Kenny of a quotation from a
document signed by Pope Benedict XVI before he became pontiff. Rome complains
that the Taoiseach "made no attempt to substantiate" his allegation that the
Holy See had attempted to frustrate inquiries into sex abuse by the sovereign,
democratic, Irish republic "as little as three years ago". Rome claims strongly
that such allegations are a lie ("belied" is the politer word used). Quite
convincingly, the Vatican quotes a full paragraph from a document issued by Rome
in 1990 from which Taoiseach Enda Kenny took just a sentence in his angry Dail
speech on July 20 last. Rome does so to show that the present Pope was not then
referring to the position of the Catholic Church in civil society but to the
interior hierarchical structures of the Catholic Church itself. The then
Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger's statement that, "Standards of conduct appropriate to
civil society or the workings of a democracy cannot be purely and simply applied
to the church" was never intended to be a declaration of civil disobedience. The
Vatican protests that it has developed guidelines in recent years that are
adequate for dealing with the problem of sexual abusers within the church, once
those guidelines are properly applied. It points to a local Irish failure to
enforce such guidelines as the cause of the problem in Cloyne. And the Vatican
goes to some length to justify in a legalistic fashion an opinion of Rome's
Congregation for the Clergy that was conveyed to Ireland in 1997 as Irish
bishops seemed to be adopting a united policy on child protection (known as the
"framework document"). Many members of the public formed the impression that
this framework was going to be enforced across all Irish dioceses. And Irish
bishops at the time did little or nothing to dispel that illusion. However, the
Vatican now reminds the public of something that the Sunday Independent has
pointed out on a number of occasions in recent years. That is that the Catholic
Church at the top is run in a direct line from the Pope to individual bishops
who have great power to determine policy in their own dioceses so long as what
they do is consistent with guidelines from Rome. The hierarchy in Maynooth
ultimately has little power over individual bishops. It was always going to be
the case that individual bishops might choose not to adopt or apply the
framework document. But the Vatican claims that in Ireland, in fact, no bishop
did reject the framework document and says that the Cloyne Report was simply
incorrect in stating that the bishops sought official recognition for it from
Rome. It was not a failure to adopt that policy document but a failure to
enforce it on the ground that led to problems in the treatment of sex abuse
complaints in Cloyne. The Vatican admits that a letter in which its papal nuncio
in Ireland described the policy of the Irish bishops on abuse as "not an
official document" was one that "could be open to misinterpretation". However,
it spoils even this mild admission by adding that it could only be
misinterpreted if "taken out of context". Coming from one of the world's most
politically experienced organisations, this admission does not adequately
respond to the real impact of such an intervention by the papal nuncio and the
Congregation for the Clergy. And while defending the document from its
Congregation of the Clergy that stated the correct position in canon law, Rome
still leaves open the possibility that not every aspect of the framework
document or of subsequent policies adopted by Irish bishops is necessarily
compatible with the rights of an accused person in canon law. Although this
document does not address head-on the issue of whether or not a priest in
confession must report information about sexual abuse to the authorities, it
does convincingly demonstrate that Rome's opposition to blanket mandatory
reporting is shared by a majority of those who responded to an official Irish
Government consultation on the matter. Yesterday's document quotes relevantly
from Fine Gael ministers in an earlier Dail to support its position. The Vatican
points out that over 200 submissions on mandatory reporting were received by the
Government, including from representatives of the medical, social service,
educational and legal areas, and the majority expressed reservations. In fact,
it is still by no means clear that the Government's new rules on reporting will
undermine the secrecy of the confessional as Justice Minister Alan Shatter's
proposals already allow for reasonable exceptions. What the Vatican does not
manage to do in yesterday's statement is to engage with the Irish experience in
a way that acknowledges that it might have done more, or that Rome's
intervention in respect of earlier guidelines from Irish bishops was damaging in
practice while perhaps justified in principle. Sunday September 04 2011
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Date:
04 Sep 2011
Time:
09:54:51
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Garda probe of child abuse set to shock......... A National audit by gardai of
clerical sex abuse is expected to reveal a huge volume of complaints against
priests dating back 80 years when it is completed within months. The audit is
being conducted by the gardai's sexual crime unit, in conjunction with the
Health Service Executive, in the wake of the religious child abuse scandals
revealed in the Ryan and Murphy reports. Sources said the audit was at a "very
advanced" stage and could be completed in two months. It will count all
allegations of sexual abuse against priests "proven or otherwise" that were
reported to gardai and health, church and other authorities since the foundation
of the State. Gardai began the massive trawl of the force's own records more
than nine months ago and have worked closely with the HSE. They have unearthed
complaints against priests and religious dating back to the 1930s and 1940s,
according to the source. The audit may also shed light on the response of the
State authorities, which have been found wanting in numerous inquiries into
clerical abuse. The Murphy Report on clerical abuse in the Dublin Archdiocese
blamed gardai for facilitating the cover-up of clerical sex abuse by failing to
adequately investigate. It found that some gardai considered clergy to be
outside the remit of An Garda Siochana. One garda referred complaints against
priests to the archdiocese, rather than investigating them. The garda sexual
crime unit is investigating whether members of the force, along with senior
figures in the clergy, broke the law by shielding child abusers. However, it is
understood that detectives are struggling to find a relevant law that they may
have broken, as most of the alleged offences pre-date the existing legislation.
The national audit of clerical abuse will attempt to establish, for the first
time, the scale of child sexual abuse by priests throughout the country and over
decades. Given that several reports in recent years have revealed alarming
volumes of abuse in individual diocese, the findings are likely to be shocking.
The Dublin Archdiocese revealed that child sex abuse allegations were made
against 102 priests between January 1975 and 2004. The Ryan Report on the
treatment of children in religious residential institutions said there were more
than 800 abusers in more than 200 Catholic institutions. The more recent Cloyne
Report examined allegations of abuse against 19 priests, 15 of which should have
been reported to the authorities. An investigation of clerical abuse in the
Donegal diocese of Raphoe by the church's own independent watchdog, the National
Body for Safeguarding Children, is expected to be published shortly. The
National Board for Safeguarding Children, the church's own child-protection
body, is also conducting audits across each diocese. There was fury last month
when it revealed that some church authorities had withheld 292 complaints which
should have been reported to the audit. In the year from April 2010 to March
2011, they reported only 53 complaints, whereas the actual number of complaints
was 272. Minister for Children Frances Fitzgerald said that the audits could
result in new inquiries into clerical abuse. By Maeve Sheehan, Sunday September
04 2011
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Date:
04 Sep 2011
Time:
10:16:05
Comments
Does the Pope and his friends in the Vatican thinks that a National Audit by
Gardai of Clerical Sex Abuse in Ireland which is expected to reveal a huge
volume of complaints against priests dating back 80 years when it is completed
within months is also going to be grossly exaggerated just like the Cloyne
Report? Damage limitation is what the Catholic Church is all about with no
regard to the innocent children that their clerics abused. Just a little
reminder to them that “PAEDOPHILA” within their ranks did not start yesterday.
Remote User:
Date:
04 Sep 2011
Time:
19:59:13
Comments
Vatican rejects cover-up claims over Cloyne report....... “The Vatican said it
was 'sorry and ashamed' over the scandal but that Mr Kenny's claims were
'unfounded”......... The Vatican has rejected claims by Irish PM Enda Kenny that
it sabotaged efforts by Irish bishops to report child-molesting priests to
police. It follows the damning Cloyne Report that showed how allegations of
clerical sex-abuse in Cork had been covered up. In a speech to parliament in
July, Mr Kenny accused the Church of putting its reputation ahead of abuse
victims. The Vatican said it was "sorry and ashamed" over the scandal but said
his claims were "unfounded". "The Holy See is deeply concerned at the findings
of the commission of inquiry concerning grave failures in the ecclesiastical
governance of the diocese of Cloyne," said the Vatican, in a detailed response
to the allegations. "The Holy See... in no way hampered or sought to interfere
in any inquiry into cases of child sex abuse in the Diocese of Cloyne."
"Furthermore, at no stage did the Holy See seek to interfere with Irish civil
law or impede the civil authority in the exercise of its duties."
'Misinterpretation:' Mr Kenny had told the Irish parliament that the report into
how allegations of sex abuse by priests in Cork had been covered up showed
change was urgently needed. "The rape and torture of children were downplayed or
'managed' to uphold instead the primacy of the institution, its power, standing
and 'reputation'," he said. Parliament then passed a motion deploring the Holy
See for "undermining child protection frameworks" after a letter to Irish
bishops appeared to diminish Irish guidelines on reporting sex abuse by
referring to them as "study guidelines". The Vatican then recalled its special
envoy in Dublin, Papal Nuncio Giuseppe Leanza, to discuss the impact of the
report. But the Holy See's response, published on Saturday, said Mr Kenny's
blistering accusations were based on a misinterpretation of a 1997 Vatican
letter expressing "serious reservations" about the Irish bishops' 1996 policy
requiring bishops to report abusers to police. "In a spirit of humility, the
Holy See, while rejecting unfounded accusations, welcomes all objective and
helpful observations and suggestions to combat with determination the appalling
crime of sexual abuse of minors," said the statement. Following the publication
of the Vatican document, Enda Kenny said he would have to read and study the
document before he released a detailed statement. The Taioseach, however, said
he did not regret his Dail speech which criticised the Vatican in the wake of
the Cloyne report. Abuse allegations: Released in July, the 400-page Cloyne
Report found that Bishop John Magee - who stood down in March 2009 after serving
as bishop of Cloyne since 1987 - had falsely told the government and the health
service that his diocese was reporting all abuse allegations to authorities. It
also found that the bishop deliberately misled another inquiry and his own
advisors by creating two different accounts of a meeting with a priest suspected
of abusing a child - one for the Vatican and the other for diocesan files. It
discovered that, contrary to repeated assertions on its part, the Diocese of
Cloyne did not implement the procedures set out in the Church protocols for
dealing with allegations of child sex-abuse. It said the greatest failure was
that no complaints, except one in 1996, were reported to the health authorities
until 2008. It said the disturbing findings were compounded by the fact that the
commission found that the Vatican's response to the Church guidelines was
entirely unhelpful and gave comfort and support to those who dissented from the
guidelines. It said this was "wholly unacceptable". Cardinal Sean Brady, leader
of Ireland's four million Catholics, said the time that it took the Vatican to
respond to the Cloyne report, and the thoroughness of its reply, showed how
seriously it took the issue. "I believe it will contribute to the healing of
those who have been hurt and also to a closer working together of all concerned
with the safeguarding of children," he said in a statement. Speaking after the
publication of the Vatican's reponse, Colm O'Gorman, a survivor of clerical
abuse said the Irish state had to address how it dealt with allegations of child
sex abuse. "Enda Kenny is going to have to demonstrate the integrity to follow
through on the spirt of what he said and to properly address enormous
deficiencies, and there are very significant deficiencies in Irish law and
practice when it comes down to child protection," he said "But that doesn't
excuse the Vatican for the central role that it played, not just in Ireland but
across the world in how these cases were to be handled." BBC News Sunday 4
September 2011
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Date:
05 Sep 2011
Time:
09:42:14
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Vatican ‘fails to confront abuse culture’........ The extraordinary war of words
between the Government and Vatican intensified last night as ministers insisted
Rome had given comfort to those trying to cover up the Cloyne child-abuse
scandal. After Dublin Archbishop Diarmuid Martin demanded the Taoiseach be more
specific in his assertion that the Vatican has deliberately frustrated abuse
investigations, Enterprise Minister Richard Bruton insisted that the Church
hierarchy in Rome was still failing to confront its part in the culture of
abuse. "The reports in Cloyne indicated that there was a continuing failing
right up until recently, that is what the Taoiseach was referring to," Mr Bruton
told RTÉ. "The Cloyne report clearly indicates that views emanating from the
Vatican may have been a factor in what happened, and I think that also is a
clear finding and the Vatican has to respond to that." Archbishop Martin said
Enda Kenny needs to clarify what he meant when he told the Dáil in July that the
Vatican was trying to undermine investigations into clerical child sex-abuse
allegations three years ago, otherwise it would look as if "agendas" were in
play. "It’s a very specific allegation. It is important that the Taoiseach, or
whoever was speaking on his behalf, can say what was meant by this, so that we
can move forward, not having suspicions that there are other agendas we don’t
know about," he said. The archbishop’s demands came as the Vatican issued a
25-page response to the Government, rejecting Mr Kenny’s criticisms of the Holy
See in the wake of the publication of the Cloyne report. In a landmark speech to
the Dáil in late July, Mr Kenny said: "For the first time in Ireland, a report
into child sexual abuse exposes an attempt by the Holy See to frustrate an
inquiry in a sovereign, democratic republic as little as three years ago, not
three decades ago. "And in doing so, the Cloyne report excavates the
dysfunction, elitism... the narcissism that dominates the culture of the Vatican
to this day." In its response, the Vatican rejected accusations that it hampered
or interfered with the inquiry into Cloyne cover-ups. "In particular, the
accusation that the Holy See attempted ‘to frustrate an inquiry in a sovereign,
democratic republic as little as three years ago, not three decades ago’, which
Mr Kenny made no attempt to substantiate, is unfounded," the Vatican said. The
response said the allegations were based on an incorrect reading of a 1997
Vatican letter expressing "serious reservations" about the Irish bishops’ 1996
policy requiring bishops to report abusers to gardaí. Cloyne was the fourth
major report into clerical child sex abuse and cover-ups in Ireland to be
released since 2005. The Government has said it needs time to study the Vatican
statement before responding to it in detail. By Shaun Connolly, Monday,
September 05, 2011
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Date:
05 Sep 2011
Time:
09:43:27
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Letter to bishops caused controversy..... The Vatican became embroiled in the
latest Irish Church scandal after revelations about a 1997 letter from the then
papal nuncio Archbishop Luciano Storero to Irish bishops, a year after reporting
guidelines were enforced to enhance child protection. The correspondence stated
that the bishops’ policy was "merely a discussion document" and that the Vatican
had serious moral and canon reservations about mandatory reporting of clerical
abuse. But the Vatican says that taken out of context, the comments in the
letter to Irish bishops "could be open to misinterpretation, giving rise to
understandable criticism". It said the description of the bishops’ policy as a
study document was not a dismissal of the serious efforts being undertaken to
address the child abuse problem. It said senior Church figures wanted to ensure
that "nothing contained in it would give rise to difficulties should appeals be
lodged to the Holy See". The Holy See also denied that bishops sought
recognition from Rome for its so-called framework document. "In the light of the
findings of the Cloyne report, the basic difficulty with regard to child
protection in that diocese seems to have arisen not from the lack of recognition
for the guidelines of the framework document but from the fact that, while the
diocese claimed to follow the guidelines, in reality it did not," the Vatican
said. The Holy See said the response of the Congregation for the Clergy, through
Archbishop Storero, was not a rejection of the framework document, but an
invitation to bishops to re-examine it carefully. But Tánaiste Eamon Gilmore
branded the arguments put forward by the Vatican legalistic and technical. "The
Government’s concern was never about the status of the Church documents but
rather about the welfare of children," Mr Gilmore said. "In relation to the
Framework Document, I remain of the view that the 1997 letter from the then
nuncio provided a pretext for some to avoid full cooperation with the Irish
civil authorities." The Vatican also said the Congregation was not forbidding
mandatory reporting, "or in any way encouraging individuals, including clerics,
not to cooperate with the Irish civil authorities, let alone disobey Irish civil
law". The Vatican said that as the Government had not made mandatory reporting
of suspected abuse cases law at that time, it was difficult to know how concerns
raised in Archbishop’s Storero’s letter could be construed as having subverted
Irish law. The Government has committed to tough new child protection measures
in the wake of Cloyne, including making it an offence to withhold information
about crimes against children and introducing new vetting to allow "soft
information" transfers. By Colm Kelpie, Monday, September 05, 2011
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Date:
05 Sep 2011
Time:
09:44:25
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Holy See’s response will contribute to healing, says Brady........ All-Ireland
primate Cardinal Sean Brady has welcomed the Vatican’s response and claimed it
conveyed profound abhorrence for the abuse, and sorrow and shame for victims’
sufferings. "I believe the response has been carefully prepared and respectfully
presented," the cardinal said. "The time taken to prepare the reply, and its
content, indicates the commitment on the part of the Holy See to deal with this
matter earnestly, fairly and sensitively. "It shows an appreciation of the
seriousness of the questions raised and of the importance, especially for
survivors of abuse, of effectively combating this crime. "I ask people to read
the document for themselves and to evaluate it objectively. "I believe it will
contribute to the healing of those who have been hurt and also to a closer
working together of all concerned with the safeguarding of children." In the
lengthy response, the Vatican flatly rejected claims by Taoiseach Enda Kenny
that it tried to frustrate an inquiry into clerical child abuse, insisting the
allegations are unfounded. Mr Kenny had launched an unprecedented attack on the
Vatican in the Dáil, claiming the probe exposed a dysfunctional, elite hierarchy
determined to frustrate investigations. But the Holy See said the Cloyne report
did not back up the Taoiseach’s allegations. The Vatican said: "In particular,
the accusation that the Holy See attempted ‘to frustrate an Inquiry in a
sovereign, democratic republic as little as three years ago, not three decades
ago’, which Mr Kenny made no attempt to substantiate, is unfounded." The Cloyne
report, published in July, was the fourth major report in six years into the
Church’s cover-ups of clerical abuse. The Cork diocese was the latest arm of the
Church to be exposed, with former bishop John Magee, a Vatican aide to three
Popes, singled out for misleading investigators and "dangerous" failures on
child protection. His resignation was accepted by Pope Benedict last year. The
Vatican claimed it in no way hampered or interfered in the inquiry into child
sexual abuse cases in the diocese. "Furthermore, at no stage did it seek to
interfere with Irish civil law or impede the civil authority in the exercise of
its duties." The Holy See said it was sorry and ashamed for the "terrible
sufferings which the victims of abuse and their families have had to endure".
The Vatican said the report "marks a further stage in the long and difficult
path of ascertaining the truth, of penance and purification, and of healing and
renewal of the Church in Ireland". "[The Holy See] also recognises the
understandable anger, disappointment and sense of betrayal of those affected —
particularly the victims and their families — by these vile and deplorable acts
and by the way in which they were sometimes handled by Church authorities, and
for all of this it wishes to reiterate its sorrow for what happened." By Colm
Kelpie, Monday, September 05, 2011
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05 Sep 2011
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09:46:11
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Priests' group: Row putting people's faith 'at risk'........ A representative of
the Catholic Priests Association has said the current spat between the Taoiseach
and the Vatican is putting people's faith at risk. It follows the Vatican's
response to the Taoiseach Enda Kenny's criticism of it following the Cloyne
Report. The response took particular issue with the claim by the Taoiseach that
the Vatican was trying to undermine investigations into clerical child sex abuse
allegations three years ago. Fr Tony Flannery from the Association of Catholic
Priests says the entire situation has "not been helpful". Monday, September 05,
2011
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Date:
05 Sep 2011
Time:
09:46:59
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Church and state - The Vatican response is unsurprising...... The Vatican’s
response to Taoiseach Enda Kenny’s criticisms will do little to bridge the
widening gap between traditional Irish Catholicism and those Irish people —
including a growing number of disenchanted Catholics — who believe the interests
of this society and corporate Catholicism are no longer compatible. This may
seem almost as academic as trying to agree about how many angels might dance a
quadrille on the head of that infamous pin. For some it may even be as
irrelevant as the fact that today, September 5, is the day designated to
remember the life of a seventh-century Benedictine abbot who lives on in
Catholic observance as St Bertin. However, in a country where religious
persecution has been at the root of so much hatred and bloodshed it would be
foolish to pretend that the seeds of a destructive social schism do not exist
within the Vatican’s, and the Irish Catholic hierarchy’s — past and present —
response to the uncovering of so much child abuse at the hands of protected,
recidivist clerics. This response has been utterly unsatisfactory, self-serving,
dishonest and in other spheres of life would have been considered criminal and
treated as such. It has shaken the belief of tens of thousands of people who can
no longer depend on the comfort their generations-old faith once offered. It has
contributed to the great loss of power suffered by the Catholic Church. So
negative has been the response that a question once almost unimaginable has
become current — how welcome would Pope Benedict be here should a mooted visit
be announced? Even today, and despite everything, that question might offend
many Irish people, but for a significant number it is pertinent. That it might
be asked at all underlines the widening gap in our society. Discussions around
school patronage have the capacity to deepen that divide, as has the debate on
abortion made inevitable by recent European Court rulings. When Enda Kenny made
his passionate, groundbreaking speech in the Dáil on July 20 he spoke for the
majority of Irish people. No amount of parsing by the gimlet-eyed will change
that. It was as if a dam had burst and a sense of national outrage built up over
decades had been released. This weekend’s response suggests that the Vatican
will never recognise its role in the active evil that stalked this society and
our children in a way that the great swathe of Irish people no longer in awe of
Catholic autocracy do. We can take comfort in the fact that the issues involved
are nearly all historical, though some cases of abuse investigation remain
current. We can never forget how victims’ lives were changed either. Maybe we
are at the point where we should recognise this reality and act accordingly.
Catholicism will continue to play a huge role in this society because so many
people remain steadfast in their beliefs. However, as other beliefs become more
and more prominent they must have their voices heard too. A good place to start
would be a debate on why we need to sustain two embassies in Rome — one to the
republic of Italy and the other to the faux state, the Vatican. That one issue
crystalises all of the questions with the capacity to divide and stymie this
society. Monday, September 05, 2011
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Date:
05 Sep 2011
Time:
09:47:51
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Support groups dismiss Vatican’s statement as ‘pure spin’......... Groups
supporting victims of child clerical sex abuse yesterday said the Vatican was
indulging in "pure spin" in its response to the fallout from the Cloyne report.
In a firm rebuttal issued by the Holy See at the weekend, the Vatican said
Taoiseach Enda Kenny was wrong to castigate the role of the Catholic hierarchy
and to claim that the Church had specifically stymied investigations into child
sex abuse. In its response, the Holy See said the Cloyne report had highlighted
"very serious and disturbing failings ... by clerics in the Diocese of Cloyne".
However, it then said it had "reservations" over aspects of Taoiseach Enda
Kenny’s speech in the Dáil on July 20, claiming: "In particular, the accusation
that the Holy See attempted to ‘frustrate an Inquiry in a sovereign, democratic
republic as little as three years ago, not three decades ago’, which Mr Kenny
made no attempt to substantiate, is unfounded." Campaigner Andrew Madden, who
wrote the book Altar Boy, said the Vatican’s response to the Government’s demand
for explanations over the findings of the Cloyne report was an attempt "to
absolve the Vatican". He said the Vatican’s statement was "a very legalistic,
technical, carefully constructed attempt" to absolve itself from the covering up
by bishops of child sex abuse by priests. "They try to localise," he said. "When
it was the Murphy report it was Dublin [who failed], when it was Ferns it was
Ferns. What they ignore is that it was also Philadelphia, it was also Boston."
At the centre of the Holy See’s statement is a counter-argument to the Cloyne
Report’s finding that the Vatican had diminished child protection guidelines in
1997 as a "study document", but Mr Madden said what the Vatican had said at that
time was a "very clear instruction" to its members to follow canon law. He
described the Vatican’s interpretation of the 1997 letter now as "pure spin". As
for the reference by Mr Kenny, he said he had checked with Mr Kenny’s department
at the time of the Dáil speech and was told it referred to the failure by the
Cloyne hierarchy to implement child protection guidelines until 2008 and to the
refusal by the papal nuncio in Ireland, Giuseppe Leanza, to answer questions to
the independent Murphy Inquiry in the belief that foreign diplomats were not
expected to answer to national commissions or tribunals. Mr Madden said the
Taoiseach was right to stand over his statements and added: "I do not think the
Government has to explain itself." One In Four director Maeve Lewis said their
castigation of Mr Kenny "shows their profound misunderstanding of the depths and
level of anger and frustration shared by Irish Catholics at the Church
failures". By Noel Baker, Monday, September 05, 2011
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Date:
05 Sep 2011
Time:
09:48:59
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15,000 adoption files still to be transferred over to HSE....... Some 15,000
adoption files, including those relating to controversial vaccine trials carried
out on children at a mother-and-baby home run by the Sacred Heart Convent at
Bessborough in Cork, have yet to be transferred to the HSE. This is despite the
HSE stating that all files, including those concerning the vaccine trials, would
be transferred in full by August 1 and, when this deadline was missed, by August
20. The Adoption Authority continues to carry a notice saying the transfer would
take place by August 1. However, the HSE has confirmed the files are still in
the care of the order at the Sacred Heart Convent in Bessborough. It is
understood the HSE is looking for suitable accommodation for the files and that
this should be completed this week. A HSE spokesperson said its staff have full
access to the files and are dealing with inquiries from adopted people looking
to access information. However, a large number of adopted people have contacted
the Irish Examiner saying that the HSE is issuing conflicting information as to
the location of the files, while others have been told the HSE would not be
taking control of the vaccine files — a direct contradiction of the HSE’s
official line. In a statement, Children’s Minister Frances Fitzgerald stressed
that all adoption files would be taken over by the HSE. "Difficulties around the
operation of adoption information and tracing services at the Sisters of the
Sacred Heart in Bessborough have been addressed," she said. "Negotiations have
taken place between my department, the HSE and the order and this matter has
been resolved. The HSE has agreed to take over the management of the adoption
files." The 15,000 adoption files held by the order relate to adoptions carried
out through Bessborough as well as through Seán Ross Abbey in Tipperary and
Castlepollard in Westmeath. Between them, the three agencies exported more than
800 Irish children to the US between the 1940s and 1960s. Both Castlepollard and
Bessborough are also known to have allowed children in their care to be used as
guinea pigs in vaccine trials. The trials were conducted by Burroughs Wellcome,
now GlaxoSmithKline. A number of victims have confirmed their natural parents
were never asked, nor gave consent, for their children to be used in the trials.
The Laffoy Commission on Child Abuse was investigating vaccine trials between
1940 and 1987 as part of a separate module. However, the probe was brought to a
sudden halt after court action was taken by the doctors involved in the trials.
* Inquiries regarding information and tracing services in respect of the
adoption records held in Bessborough should be addressed to HSE Adoption Unit,
St Stephen’s Hospital, Cork, or by contacting 021 4858650. By Conall Ó Fátharta,
Monday, September 05, 2011
Remote User:
Date:
05 Sep 2011
Time:
17:52:05
Comments
It takes 25 pages and 11,000 words to say - 'nothing to do with us'……. Analysis:
The Holy See reaction to the Irish report is marked by a failure to address core
concerns, writes Patsy McGarry …… The Vatican’s response to the Cloyne report,
as well as to comments by Taoiseach Enda Kenny, Tánaiste Eamon Gilmore and
motions passed by Dáil and Seanad, would have us believe that the clerical child
sex abuse scandals in Ireland are an Irish problem, where Rome’s only
involvement has been in helping with a solution. For this, it believes, it has
received little or no acknowledgement in Ireland. For instance, Saturday’s
response noted that nowhere in his Dáil speech of July 20th last did Kenny
recognise any of its efforts to improve matters in this context, and that Pope
Benedict’s Letter to the Catholics of Ireland in March last year didn’t even
merit a mention in the Cloyne report. What happened in Ireland was because of
local factors, the response indicates – helpfully quoting from the pope’s letter
of March last year to underline this. There, addressing the Irish bishops
directly, he said: “Some of you and your predecessors failed, at times
grievously, to apply the long-established norms of canon law to the crime of
child abuse.” That may well be so, but it is not the entire picture. Selectively
choosing what it wished to address, the Vatican response ignored completely its
own treatment of the Murphy commission. It was set up by this State, yet it did
not merit an acknowledgement from the Vatican when in September 2006 it wrote to
the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith requesting information. Two
further requests for information received no reply. Nowhere in its response,
which runs to 25 pages and almost 11,000 words, is any of this addressed by the
Vatican. Rather it takes issue with certain findings of the Cloyne report which
might have been clarified had it co-operated with the commission, whose remit
was extended from the Dublin diocese to cover Cloyne in 2009. It can hardly
complain if its non-cooperation backfired. The response largely focused on the
1996 framework document on child protection, prepared for the Irish bishops, but
shot down in a letter circulated to them by the Vatican in January 1997. The
response rejected, robustly, a finding of the Cloyne report that: “There can be
no doubt that this letter greatly strengthened the position of those in the
church in Ireland who did not approve of the framework document as it
effectively cautioned them against its implementation.” The letter pointed out
how the then prefect of that congregation, Cardinal Darío Castrillón Hoyos, had,
at a meeting in November 1998 with the Irish bishops at Rosses Point in Sligo,
“unequivocally stated” that the church “should not in any way put an obstacle in
the legitimate path of civil justice” when it came to issues of clerical child
abuse. Nowhere does it quote from that 1997 letter, which said that, where the
Congregation for Clergy was concerned, a framework document direction on
mandatory reporting “gives rise to serious reservations of both a moral and a
canonical nature”. The congregation also warned that procedures in the document
appeared “contrary to canonical discipline”. It also referred to it as “merely a
study document”. This latter observation, it said at the weekend, was a
reflection of the document’s standing among the Irish bishops. The weekend
response also emphasised that none of this meant the framework document
guidelines could not be implemented in Irish dioceses and that “each individual
bishop was free to adopt it . . . provided these were not contrary to canon
law”. The Vatican appears to be trying to have its cake and eat it, repeating
what was said in the 1997 letter. All of which is to ignore the frustration felt
by the Irish bishops in dealing with Cardinal Hoyos over the abuse issue. In a
comment to this newspaper last December, Archbishop Diarmuid Martin of Dublin
said that in the past “most of the Irish bishops felt that dealing with the
Congregation for Clergy was disastrous”. It was understood he was referring to
the period between 1996 and 2006, when Cardinal Hoyos was prefect at that
congregation. An Irish bishop confirmed, on condition of anonymity, that he made
a note at the time of his receipt of that 1997 letter in which he described it
as “a mandate to conceal the crimes of a priest”. At the same Rosses Point
meeting in 1998, the then archbishop of Dublin Desmond Connell thumped a table
in frustration as Cardinal Hoyos insisted it was Vatican policy to defend the
rights of an accused priest above all. In 2001 Cardinal Hoyos wrote a letter to
French bishop Pierre Pican praising him for not passing information about an
abuser priest to police. Bishop Pican received a suspended sentence for failing
to report the priest who was sentenced to 18 years for the repeated sexual
assault of boys over 20 years, and the rape of one of them. Cardinal Hoyos wrote
to Bishop Pican: “I am pleased to have a colleague in the episcopate who, in the
eyes of history and of all other bishops in the world, preferred prison to
denouncing his son and priest.” In the Murphy report chancellor of the Dublin
archdiocese Msgr John Dolan is reported as having said that the 1997 letter
“placed the [Irish] bishops in an invidious position”. It meant any priest
against whom they took action “had a right of appeal to Rome and was most likely
to succeed.” None of this is addressed in Rome’s weekend response. Monday,
September 5, 2011
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Date:
05 Sep 2011
Time:
17:53:15
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Archbishop calls on Taoiseach to explain claim...... Archbishop of Dublin
Diarmuid Martin has called on Taoiseach Enda Kenny to explain his claim that the
Vatican attempted to frustrate an inquiry into clerical abuse in Ireland as
recently as three years ago. Speaking after the Holy See issued its response to
Government criticisms of it after the Cloyne report, Dr Martin said a reference
in Mr Kenny’s intervention to “an attempt by the Holy See to frustrate an
inquiry in a sovereign, democratic republic” needed verification.“There is no
evidence presented in the Murphy report to substantiate this, the Holy See could
find no evidence and the Department of An Taoiseach’s office said that the
Taoiseach was not referring to any specific event. This merits explanation,” he
said. Dr Martin said the Holy See response was “serious, sober in tone” and
addressed “broader questions of church policy on child safeguarding”. “My hope
is that it will be understood and received as such and not be an occasion just
for added polemics,” he said during a press conference at his home in Dublin on
Saturday. Yesterday, Dr Martin described Tánaiste Eamon Gilmore’s description of
the Vatican’s response as “very technical and legalistic” as “a bit unfair”. At
the Church of Our Lady of the Assumption in Ballyfermot, where he marked the
official handing over of the parish from the diocesan clergy to the
Redemptorists, he said: “The Vatican responded to the questions they were asked
and some of the questions were about norms and legislation. It is a bit unfair
to say that they gave technical answers – they were technical questions.” At the
press conference on Saturday, Dr Martin said the Holy See response was a
“gentlemanly phrased statement” and that he hoped it would receive a
“gentlemanly phrased response”. Dr Martin said the Vatican’s branding of a 1996
Irish bishops’ framework document on child protection as a “study document” was
unfortunate, but it did not impede Irish attempts to implement safeguarding
measures. He said a “few” people in the church – who regarded only their own
views and did not take note of framework documents or papal norms – had caused
huge damage. “If you look at it, the [Vatican] intervention did not in fact
impede the Irish bishops in unanimously approving the framework document, in
applying it and in consistently developing that framework into the current
positions of the Irish church,” he said. “The term ‘study document’ was an
unfortunate term. However, it wasn’t a law. It was the recommendations from a
committee to the bishops, which they then decided to accept themselves.” Asked
whether he felt there was a cabal in the church acting to frustrate
implementation of child protection measures, Dr Martin said: “There may be a
cabal in Cloyne. They may have friends in other parts of the Irish church. They
may have friends in Irish society. There may be friends in the Vatican. The
numbers that are involved in this are few. The damage that these people cause is
horrendous. It’s for all of us to try and see where they are, but in the long
term I have to take the responsibility that in Dublin there are not cabals who
reject our child protection laws.” He said current standards and guidance
documents had the support of Pope Benedict. These, he said, were described in
the Cloyne report as “high standards which, if fully implemented, would afford
proper protection to children”. He added: “The primary responsibility for
monitoring child safeguarding measures in any dimension of Irish society belongs
– I repeat – with the State.” By Steven Carroll and Sarah MacDonald, Monday,
September 5, 2011
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Date:
05 Sep 2011
Time:
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Kenny has no regrets over critical Dáil speech....... Taoiseach Enda Kenny has
said he does not regret the strong content of his July speech which censured the
Vatican following publication of the Cloyne report. Shortly after the Holy See’s
response to Mr Kenny’s criticisms was released on Saturday, he was asked whether
he regretted his comments. “No, I made my statement to the Dáil,” he replied. Mr
Kenny said Tánaiste Eamon Gilmore had asked the papal nuncio to respond to the
Government on behalf of the Vatican in respect of a statutory commission of
inquiry “quite a number of weeks ago”. He added: “The Vatican have responded. I
want to read the report.” Mr Kenny referred in his July Dáil speech to an
attempt by the Holy See to frustrate an inquiry three years ago. He said the
Vatican analysed evidence with “the gimlet eye of a canon lawyer”. The Holy See
statement will be discussed at this week’s Cabinet meeting, scheduled for
Thursday. Minister for Social Protection Joan Burton said yesterday protecting
children from abuse was more important than “legal and semantic argument”. She
defended the Taoiseach’s criticisms of the Vatican, saying his comments
reflected what most people in Ireland were feeling. “The critical issue is that
the Vatican should be particularly concerned about the care and protection of
children. That really is the most important issue in this discussion. A lot of
ordinary people don’t understand this very semantic, legal argument. They want
to see structures put in place to ensure as far as possible that this doesn’t
happen again,” Ms Burton said. “I think what the Taoiseach said was a reflection
of what so many people in the country felt. The care and protection of children
should be the priority. The legal and semantic argument shouldn’t take
precedence over the principle of protecting children.” Minister for Enterprise,
Jobs and Innovation Richard Bruton said the Government would study the Vatican’s
response before responding in detail. “We need time to look at this and have a
full response,” he told RTÉ Radio One’s This Week programme. “The Vatican didn’t
mend its hand, didn’t ensure that the church had proper procedures in place, and
as a result is now coming out to express shame and sorrow for what happened in
recent years in Cloyne.” Mr Bruton said the Cloyne report was of the view that
some material coming from the Vatican was “giving comfort” to those who would
not fully co-operate with the inquiry. “I do of course agree with that point of
view. That is clear in the report, and while there may be legalistic argument
about how that came to happen, that is the finding of the report and the
Government clearly accepts that finding,” he added. Minister for Justice Alan
Shatter, speaking on Saturday, said it was important that the Government gave
detailed consideration to the Vatican’s response. “I’m not going to prejudge
that response until I’ve had an opportunity to read it,” he said. By Mary
Minihan, Monday, September 5, 2011
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Date:
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Time:
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The Vatican's response....... The Vatican in its statement responding to
criticism from the Taoiseach acknowledges the “anger, confusion and sadness” of
the faithful in Ireland. Unfortunately, its statement shows that it is still
struggling to engage with those feelings. There are a few points of detail on
which the Vatican’s response is convincing. It makes a good argument, for
example, that the Taoiseach took out of context an apparently damning claim by
the then Cardinal Ratzinger that the standards of democratic civil society do
not apply to the church. It is entirely legitimate for the Vatican to seek to
balance some of the Taoiseach’s more emotive rhetoric and to challenge his claim
that as little as three years ago, the Holy See attempted to frustrate inquiries
into child abuse. But Irish Catholics, and citizens in general, had a right to
expect much more from an institution that sets itself up as the ultimate arbiter
of spiritual and moral truth than some effective debating points. The most
notable aspect of the Vatican statement is what it does not contain – any
substantial reflection on the Cloyne report itself. While declaring itself
“sorry and ashamed” for the suffering of victims, it expresses neither sorrow
nor shame for the systematic covering up of abuse by church authorities. The
central issue is a letter from the papal nuncio, Archbishop Luciano Storero, to
the Irish Bishops Conference in January 1997. The nuncio described the framework
document on child abuse, which urged full disclosure to the civil authorities,
as “merely a study document” which could be “highly embarrassing and
detrimental”. The Cloyne report finds that this letter gave succour to those
within the church who did not wish to comply with the new framework. In essence,
the Vatican’s argument in its response is that the framework was indeed a study
document rather than an official and binding statement of church policy. This
begs a basic question. Given that the Vatican was heavily involved in the
drawing up of the framework document, why did it think a mere “study document”
was a sufficient response to such a grave crisis? The basic weakness of the
response is its pervasive air of academic distance. It is heavily freighted, in
a manner all too familiar from previous Vatican documents, with references to
the fine points of canon law. It still dwells heavily on the need for church
responses to allegations of child abuse to be “in harmony with canonical
procedures”, as if those procedures had some relevance to child protection.
There is no sense in the document of the moral urgency of ending, once and for
all, a corrupt culture of placing the interests of the church as an institution
before the welfare of children. In this regard, the Vatican’s statement is more
a manifestation of the problem than a response to it. It is quite extraordinary,
for example, that the Vatican can say, with a straight face, that “the firm and
determined approach adopted by the Irish bishops . . . made it unnecessary for
[The Holy See] to intervene further”. Did it really believe, despite all the
evidence to the contrary, that the covering up of child abuse had simply ceased
by 1997? It is hard to avoid the sense that the Vatican is still more concerned
with avoiding any admission of legal responsibility than with the anger,
confusion and sadness of the faithful. To a moral and spiritual crisis, it has
given only a bureaucratic, self-serving and legalistic response. Monday,
September 5, 2011
Remote User:
Date:
05 Sep 2011
Time:
17:56:21
Comments
A detailed and uncompromising defence of the Holy See....... Analysis: Rarely in
the field of diplomatic exchanges has a taoiseach received so loud a raspberry
from such a moral high ground, writes Paddy Agnew………. You could call it a case
of Vatican “catenaccio”. The Holy See’s “response” to Tánaiste Eamon Gilmore
represents a detailed, across-the-board rejection of all the criticisms made
against the Vatican not only by the Taoiseach and the Government but also by the
Cloyne commission itself. The response’s tone might well be a genuine attempt to
avoid further polemics, as indicated on Saturday by senior Vatican spokesman Fr
Federico Lombardi, yet its defence of the Holy See is uncompromising. At the
very beginning it states that the “criticisms and accusations” made against the
Holy See in the Cloyne report are based on the commission’s interpretation of
the infamous 1997 letter written by then Irish nuncio, Archbishop Luciano
Storero, to the Irish bishops. The problem is, says the response, the commission
got it wrong, calling its assessment “inaccurate”. In particular, with reference
to the nuncio’s much-touted reservations about “mandatory reporting” of sex
abuse offences, the Vatican rejects the allegation that this represented an
invitation to cover up. First, it argues, the nuncio’s reservations concerned
canon law and the possibility of securing a canonical conviction. Second, as for
the concept of mandatory reporting, it concludes: “Given that the Irish
government of the day decided not to legislate on the matter, it is difficult to
see how Archbishop Storero’s letter to the Irish bishops, which was issued
subsequently, could possibly be construed as having somehow subverted Irish law
or undermined the Irish State . . .” Tellingly, the response underlines on at
least a dozen occasions that “civil law concerning the reporting of crimes to
the appropriate authorities should always be followed”. It refers to a 1998
meeting of Irish bishops in Co Sligo addressed by the then prefect of the
Congregation for the Clergy, Colombian Cardinal Darío Castrillòn Hoyos, advising
the bishops not to “put an obstacle in the legitimate path of civil justice”.
Furthermore, the response rejects the argument that the Irish bishops’ 1996
framework document was denied Vatican “recognition”, thus in some way
undermining the bishops in their attempt to deal with the sex abuse issue. The
problem was “the Irish bishops never sought recognition from the Holy See for
the framework document”. Having dismissed the commission’s analysis, the
response moves on to Taoiseach Enda Kenny. Here one might suggest that never in
the field of diplomatic exchanges has a taoiseach received so loud a raspberry
from such a moral high ground. The response points out that the Taoiseach fails
to substantiate his July 20th claim about Vatican interference “as little as
three years ago, not three decades ago”, pointing out that even his spokesman
could not identify “any specific incident”. Furthermore, the Holy See took
exception to the “out of context” use of a quote from the then Cardinal Joseph
Ratzinger, in a 1990 Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith document “as a
basic methodological principle, a quotation extracted from a given text can be
correctly understood only when it is interpreted in the light of its context”.
In other words, that 1990 document was dealing with the role of modern
theologians and not with either church-State relations or with the question of
clerical sex abuse. Put another way, do your homework more carefully next time,
Mr Taoiseach. The response also criticises the Taoiseach for failing to
acknowledge that since 2001, much has changed in the Holy See and that its
handling of “aspects of the (sex abuse) problem” has become “simpler . . . more
effective and more expeditious”. Furthermore, it lists the now familiar list of
Vatican initiatives – meetings with Cardinal Seán Brady and Archbishop Diarmuid
Martin, the pastoral letter to the Irish, the apostolic visitation – as proof
that the Vatican is not, as claimed by the Taoiseach, “indifferent to the plight
of those who suffered abuse in Ireland”. Last, and by no means least, the Holy
See response outlines a fundamental tenet of Vatican thinking concerning the
“nature of the church and the responsibility of individual bishops”. Bishops, it
says, “are neither representatives nor delegates of the Roman pontiff but of
Christ”. As such, the bishop is “responsible for penal discipline in his
diocese”. During his Saturday briefing, spokesman Fr Lombardi even suggested the
Vatican has “no centralist vocation”. A cynic might argue that this is Vatican
speak for: the Holy See will not be picking up the damages tab on this one.
Monday, September 5, 2011
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Date:
05 Sep 2011
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18:02:00
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Priest ‘stands aside’ without explanation at Belfast Cathedral....... A senior
Catholic cleric in Northern Ireland has temporarily stood aside, it emerged
today. Father Hugh Kennedy, the administrator of St Peter's Cathedral, in west
Belfast, confirmed he took the decision after talks with Bishop Noel Treanor,
the Bishop of Down and Connor. No details have been revealed as to why he had
stopped working as a priest at the Cathedral. In a statement Father Kennedy, 55,
said he took the decision after meeting with Bishop Treanor on July 20 last. He
added: "Bishop Treanor requested me to 'stand aside' from all my
priestly/cathedral duties on foot of 'information' he had received. This
information was not shared with me. Following from this, I have ceased working
as a priest at the Cathedral. "I have no hesitation in co-operating with
church/state authorities in light of this development." Father Kennedy was
ordained a priest in 1981 when he was studying at the Irish College in Rome. He
was appointed administrator at St Peter's in 2006. A statement by the Diocese of
Down and Connor said "information" was received in citing Dr Kennedy. It was
forwarded to the relevant statutory authorities, (Police and Social Services),
who were seeking to clarify its content. Fr Kennedy has been on sick leave since
early July, and before the information was made known to the diocese, he agreed
to step aside from his duties while the information was clarified, according to
the statement. It added: "The Diocese can also confirm that the information does
not relate to the Schola Cantorum, St Peter's Cathedral, nor to any member of
the Schola. No further comment can be made whilst the civil authorities continue
to clarify this matter." By Deric Henderson, Monday September 05 2011
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Date:
05 Sep 2011
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18:02:43
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Clerical sex abuse: Vatican missing the point – Gilmore....... Tanaiste Eamon
Gilmore today accused the Vatican of missing the point after the Holy See
rejected claims it had frustrated a state inquiry into clerical abuse. The real
issue was that the Catholic Church did not deal effectively with paedophile
priests, he said. Amid calls for Taoiseach Enda Kenny to explain why he accused
the Vatican of interfering with investigations as recently as three years ago,
Mr Gilmore refused to back down. "I think it probably misses the point," he
said. "There was the most horrific sexual abuse of children perpetrated by
clerics. The Catholic Church did not deal with that as it should have dealt with
it. "Let's not be distracted. Let's not miss the point - no less charges were
made. "The Taoiseach and the Government stand over what was said." The deepening
diplomatic row between the Irish Government and the Vatican was sparked by
fractured relations during an inquiry into the handling of child abuse
allegations in the Cloyne Diocese in Cork. The Taoiseach claimed in the Dail on
July 20 that the Holy See attempted to frustrate an inquiry by warning the
chairman to use diplomatic channels to seek answers from the Vatican. The church
in Rome responded on Saturday with a 25-page document rejecting accusations of
interference. Archbishop of Dublin Diarmuid Martin also called for an
explanation. But Mr Gilmore insisted: "When the Taoiseach spoke in the Dail, the
Taoiseach was speaking for the Government and he was speaking I believe for the
people of this country "The abuse of children is not acceptable. The abuse of
children is intolerable. And those who didn't discharge their responsibility to
make sure that it stopped, or that those who were responsible for it were
brought to book, they have a case to answer and the Government makes no apology
for stating that in the unambiguous terms that it was stated by the Taoiseach."
The Vatican has been embroiled in the diplomatic row over its treatment of an
inquiry into abuse in the Dublin Archdiocese. The Holy See did not reply after
the inquiry wrote to the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith asking for
information. In an unusual move in July, the Vatican's Papal Nuncio in Ireland,
Archbishop Giuseppe Leanza, was recalled to Rome to prepare the response to
criticisms which focused on the hierarchy's failure to follow child-protection
guidelines, including reporting to civil authorities. In its long-awaited
response, the Vatican flatly rejected accusations from Mr Kenny that it
attempted to frustrate the state inquiry into Cloyne, claiming it was unfounded.
But Mr Gilmore said the Government was not going to be dragged into a prolonged
semantic debate over the use of language. "As a government we are entitled to
and we will stand by the people who are victims in those cases, their families
and we will ensure that that kind of abuse will not happen again," the Tanaiste
said. Mr Gilmore said the Government was determined to press ahead with tough
new child protection measures, including making it an offence to withhold
information about crimes against children and introducing new vetting to allow
"soft information" transfers. Mr Kenny has not yet issued a detailed response to
the Vatican's statement, but said he did not regret making his Dail speech. The
Cabinet is likely to discuss the Vatican document when it meets on Thursday
after the coalition Government partners, Fine Gael and Labour, hold separate
two-day party meetings ahead of the new Dail term. By Colm Kelpie and Ed Carty,
Monday September 05 2011
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Date:
05 Sep 2011
Time:
18:08:48
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Church versus State: who is right and who is wrong?........ David Quinn:
Vatican's measured reply puts spotlight on government failure The Vatican's
response to the Government's unprecedented attack on it following the
publication of the Cloyne Report is detailed, forensic and exact. Some observers
have complained it is too legalistic but how could it be otherwise when so much
hinges on the relationship between canon law and civil law, and on the proper
interpretation of canon law, when the attack on the Vatican by the Government
concentrated so heavily on these things? When Taoiseach Enda Kenny launched that
extraordinary attack on the Vatican in July he was reflecting public anger, but
the attack was scattergun and, in places, wide of the mark -- and the Vatican's
response lays this bare. The Government's attack rests mainly on the letter sent
by the then papal nuncio to the Irish hierarchy in 1997, giving them the opinion
of the congregation for the clergy concerning the Irish church's new
child-protection guidelines. To the great anger of the Government, that letter
described the guidelines as a "study document" and this seemed to rob the
guidelines of any standing. But now we discover from the Vatican's response that
this description was based largely on the Irish bishops' own view of their
guidelines. Therefore, it wasn't the Vatican that reduced the standing of the
guidelines, it was the bishops themselves. The Cloyne Report claimed the Vatican
did not grant official approval (or 'recognitio') to the guidelines and this
also undermined them. But now we learn the bishops never asked for official
approval and therefore this criticism is also wide of the mark. It is true, of
course, that the 1997 letter expressed reservations about mandatory reporting
and this was unhelpful. But as the Vatican's response makes abundantly clear,
the government of the day also had strong reservations about mandatory
reporting. Indeed, it considered whether to introduce a mandatory reporting law
and it rejected the idea, for reasons explained in the Dail by then Health
Minister Michael Noonan. One reason was that a mandatory reporting requirement
could rob a person who is innocent until proven guilty of their good name. So if
the 1997 letter deserves such a strong attack due to its reservation concerning
mandatory reporting, then so does the Government of the time, making it a true
case of people in glass houses throwing bricks. The Vatican and Archbishop
Diarmuid Martin have asked the Government to substantiate the claim by the
Taoiseach that as recently as three years ago there was "an attempt by the Holy
See to frustrate an inquiry in a sovereign, democratic republic". In addition,
the Vatican points out that the Taoiseach quoted a 20-year-old statement by the
Pope wildly and unjustly out of context to wrongly give the impression that he
was condoning, not co-operating with, the civil authorities. Notwithstanding its
forensic nature, the Vatican's response is measured in tone, and while the
Government does and will have issues with it, its response so far has also been
measured. However, precisely because of its forensic nature, the response has
put the ball well and truly back into the Government's court……........ Andrew
Madden: Bishops are owed nothing after years of hiding abuse : Though it comes
as no surprise, the statement from the Holy See this weekend is a technical,
legalistic and carefully crafted document. It seeks to absolve the cardinals and
bishops of the Vatican of any responsibility for the cover-up of the sexual
abuse of children by Catholic priests. That cover-up, of course, didn't just
occur in Cloyne. Or Dublin. That culture of cover-ups, despite its horrendous
consequences, is typical of a culture that existed throughout the Catholic
Church for decades. And not just in Ireland. A grand-jury investigation into the
Catholic Archdiocese of Philadelphia reported in 2005 the strategies employed by
Catholic hierarchy there to cover up the sexual abuse of children were so
similar to tactics in other dioceses around the US that it amounted to the
church having employed well-orchestrated strategies for decades to keep abusing
priests in ministry while minimising the risk of scandal or legal liability.
There are Vatican documents from 1962 and 2001 instructing bishops around the
world to conduct investigations into allegations of child-sexual abuse in
secret. In addition, there is the 1997 letter from the congregation of the
clergy in the Vatican to the Irish bishops. This makes it very clear that
reporting of any suspected sexual abuse of children to civil authorities gave
rise to serious reservations and the Code of Canon Law must instead be followed.
The Holy See's insistence that this letter did not serve to deter any bishops
from reporting allegations to civil authorities is simply not true. What was
newly revealed in the Holy See statement was that Irish bishops didn't take the
child-protection guidelines any more seriously than the Vatican. We are told
cardinals Daly and Connell understood the difference between a document of the
Irish bishops' conference and a document of the Irish bishops' Advisory
Committee on Child Sexual Abuse by Priests and Religious -- they could ignore
the latter. But in 1996 they gave the impression that from then on, in all cases
where known or suspected sexual abuse of a child had taken place, they would
report it to the civil authorities. And now they seem to think the leader of our
country owes them an explanation. In his speech, Enda Kenny spoke of an attempt
by the Holy See to frustrate an inquiry as little as three years ago. The
Taoiseach was right to articulate the anger so many people in Ireland felt, not
only about Vatican and Papal Nuncio non-co-operation with the Dublin and Cloyne
inquiries, but also at attempts made by the Vatican to get the Government to
instruct the Murphy Inquiry on how it should approach the Vatican. It should
also be remembered the Cloyne Report tells there was no attempt to implement
child-protection guidelines in that diocese until 2008. Catholic bishops are
owed nothing. They should consider themselves lucky that the only reason many of
them are not behind bars is because the disgusting and unforgivable acts they
engaged in to conceal known child sexual abuse and protect abusers were not a
criminal offence at the time...... Andrew Madden is the author of 'Altar Boy, A
Story of Life After Abuse
Remote User:
Date:
06 Sep 2011
Time:
03:41:20
Comments
I think the irish Goverment and our Prime Minister are getting things confused
about child abuse and who is to blame. First of all the Gulags had being going
on for about 90 years before Ahern spoke up about it in the late ninties and he
was liveing next door to Artane, the Goverment of them days knew what was going
on inside those Gulags , they and the Justice System worked hand in hand with
the Church for the sole purpose of getting slave labour for them hell holes and
for other shocking things they did to those unprotected vulnerable childern.
Everyone shyed away from the truth and what went on we spent 60 years trying to
tell people what went on and were shuuned away like common criminals so we had
to leave our Country to find work where strangers treated us more humane/. than
our own kind did. My point being dont point the finger at one side all knew, all
are to blame. It was only by accident that Mary Raferty found out the truth and
the rest is a sorry history, So stop pointing the finger Kenny all the past
Irish GOVERMENTS and all those in the Church nuns, brothers , priests were in
collaboration with each other and the Goverments of the past, we were the meat
in the sandwich then and now dont do a Judas now Kenny and try and wash your
hands you are all Guilty past and present and think of us for once in your lives
instead of keep passing the Buck. we are the ones who are going to keep on
suffering untill that last spade of dirt is on our coffins then we will find
peace.Anonymous.
Remote User:
Date:
06 Sep 2011
Time:
04:00:21
Comments
PS . I forget to mention one fact did Father Flanagan not see the truth in
1946...47. when he visited some of those gulags one being Artane when he said he
could see the pain in the boys faces, and what did the Irish GOVERMENT of the
timefortunately had a massive ha plus the Newspapers do the Labasted him and
told him to stay out of Irish affairs it shattered the man but he was determined
to come back to Ireland and continue his quest but unfortunately suffered a
massive heart attack the rest is now history.Anonymous.
Remote User:
Date:
06 Sep 2011
Time:
10:33:02
Comments
Response from
the Vatican to the Cloyn Report.......
Remote User:
Date:
06 Sep 2011
Time:
11:54:06
Comments
What does it mean for a child to be in care?...... More children than ever
before are in State care. But who are they, what are their stories and what is
their verdict on a system that is meant to protect them?.... When the State
takes a child into its care, a profound moment in the life of a young person is
reached. The State, in effect, takes over as the child’s parent. It decides
where the child should live. It decides the kind of care and protection the
child needs. And it decides what is in the child’s best interests. These days
the State is acting as a parent to a growing number of children; 6,175 of them
are in care, the highest figure since records began. Yet we know remarkably
little about them. So who are they? What are their experiences? And why are they
being taken into State care in record numbers? Statistics tell us that the vast
majority of them, more than 90 per cent, are in foster care. The remainder are
in residential care, such as hostels, high-support units or “other forms of
care”, which can include disability services. If media reports are anything to
go by, the State’s care system appears to be a highly dangerous and chaotic
environment for vulnerable young people who badly need structure, care and
support. The deaths of more than 200 young people who were either in care or
known to social services have grabbed headlines, as have the horrific individual
stories of young people in care, such as Tracey Fay, Danny Talbot and David
Foley. Inevitably, it’s the bad and dramatic news that makes the headlines; the
bigger picture of the care system is much more complex.Many people are
complimentary about their experiences in care and go on to flourish in adult
life; many others, especially older young people in care, are highly critical of
what they see as a dysfunctional system that fails to meet their needs. Jennifer
Gargan is the director of Epic, a group that works to empower young people in
care. She is well placed to get an overall sense of the experiences of young
people in the care system. “We know that a stable care placement produces the
best outcomes, so young people in foster care tend to have better experiences,”
she says. But the outcomes for young people in residential care or multiple care
placements are much worse. “The damage that disruption and multiple placements
can have on the lives of young people, coupled with inappropriate support from
social workers and link workers, is heartbreaking.” Outcomes tend to be better
for younger people admitted into care. When older teenagers enter the care
system, they may well have been damaged by abuse or neglect during their
childhood, and are much less likely to settle. While statistics tell us that
increasing numbers of children are being admitted into care, they don’t tell us
why. Many reasons are offered. Social-work groups and children’s charities say
the upward trend may be linked to a greater awareness of abuse and neglect
following several high-profile cases, including one in Roscommon in 2009-10 that
resulted in a mother and a father being sentenced to jail for sexually abusing
and neglecting their children over a period of years, despite having come to the
attention of social workers a decade before their arrest. “There’s an atmosphere
out there of erring on the side of caution,” says Ineke Durville, president of
the Irish Association of Social Workers. “Since Roscommon, may be quicker to
take children into care.” However, some practitioners fear that the increase may
also be linked to the economic downturn, with support services affected by
cutbacks and parents with drug, alcohol or health problems no longer able to
cope. There is widespread agreement that the system needs to change. Social
services need to be able to intervene earlier in the lives of children at risk,
to give them a better start. It is children in care, and the young people who
have recently left it, who are best qualified to comment on the system. They are
the ones with first-hand experience of how it works. By listening to their
voices, policymakers can get a better understanding of what is needed to improve
a system that is still letting too many vulnerable children down. By Carl
O'Brien,
Remote User:
Date:
06 Sep 2011
Time:
11:54:52
Comments
CASE: 1 SHAUNA WATSON: 19, from Co Wexford……. “I’ve been in family care, with my
grandmother, for the past 15 or 16 years. I can’t really think of any negatives.
It was the best option for me. When I was younger it was hard dealing with the
fact that others in my class had a conventional family and lived with their
parents. That was difficult. But my granny has done so much for me to make my
life better and ensure I’m always happy. “Social workers with the HSE have
always been there when I needed them. I’ve been very lucky that way. I’ve heard
of other people who’ve had terrible experiences, but in my case they were always
there to support me if I was struggling with study or personal problems. I
appreciate everything they’ve done for me. Without their help, and my granny’s,
I wouldn’t be where I am today. “I’m studying law and business at Trinity
College Dublin, and really enjoying it. The care system has a bad name, and
there can be a stigma around children in care, but for me I can say it was
definitely the best option.” By Carl O'Brien,
Remote User:
Date:
06 Sep 2011
Time:
11:55:43
Comments
CASE: 2 LOUISE RAFTER: 23, from Co Meath…… “I was admitted into care when I was
10 months old. It was for my own welfare. Despite being with a very good foster
family for a long time, my overall impression of the care system is that it’s a
shambles. “I ended up being abused by another child in the system. As a teenager
I was moved from care placement to care placement. There was no structure or
stability. I’ve lost count of the number of different social workers who came
and went. My real needs and wants were, for the most part, never taken
seriously. “My low point was being admitted to an adult psychiatric hospital at
the age of 16. I was ‘out of control’. I had tried to take my own life. I felt
that I was to blame for everything. I didn’t trust anyone. I felt no one wanted
me. I remember a social worker telling me at the age of 13 that ‘no one wants to
take a teenager, especially not a troubled teenager’. “Today I’m a mother of two
children: Calum, who’s two and a half, and Eoin, who’s just five months. I want
to make sure that they have a better life. I also plan to go to university to
study, maybe childcare. I’m determined to try to make a difference and improve
things for other young people like me.” By Carl O'Brien,
Remote User:
Date:
06 Sep 2011
Time:
11:56:34
Comments
CASE:3 LEYLAH: 20, from Somalia….. “I was 14 when I went into care. I was an
unaccompanied minor seeking asylum. I’m from Somalia. I was in a number of
hostels, which took a lot of getting used to. When I arrived I didn’t leave my
room for three weeks I was so scared. I was in a new country and didn’t know
what to expect. “The first hostel was well supervised, with two care staff there
all the time. The staff were helpful. The main problem was that there was such a
diverse group of young people from different countries: Albania, Russia,
Nigeria. Food, for example, was awful. I just couldn’t eat it. “Later on, when I
was bit older, I was placed in a different hostel. There were no staff: just a
hostel manager, a chef and security staff. You could do what you wanted. No one
really cared or minded you. Trying to study for the Leaving Cert was difficult.
There was no one to motivate you. “Overall, my experience of the system was
mixed. It has its good and bad points. Personally I experienced more bad than
good. But I’m here. It’s worked out. I’ve finished college – I studied at Dublin
City University – and my life has worked out well. And I’m a better person for
the experience of it all." By Carl O'Brien,
Remote User:
Date:
06 Sep 2011
Time:
12:00:31
Comments
Holy See must talk to the people........... The key point in the Vatican's reply
to the sensational criticisms made by Enda Kenny last July is contained in the
last paragraph. It asserts that the Holy See has always respected Ireland's
sovereignty and maintained cordial relations, and "reaffirms" its commitment to
constructive dialogue on the basis of mutual respect. Presumably we can expect
an Irish government response in somewhat similar terms. That should set the tone
for the achievement of a desirable objective, the restoration of a good
relationship -- and a more equal relationship. But the Taoiseach's extraordinary
July speech, and the strain between Ireland and the Vatican that has followed,
arose out of a far more important issue. The clerical sex abuse scandals have
horrified our own people and sullied Ireland's name around the world. Endless
revelations, cover-ups and inadequate political responses have contributed to a
shattering loss of faith in authority. And both church and civil authority will
be harder to restore than relations with the Holy See. At the centre of the
debate should be the protection of children and adolescents. How to achieve this
has been the subject of argument for decades. A key part of the efforts was the
laying down of guidelines by the Irish Catholic Church authorities in 1996. But
the reports on inquiries into sex abuse showed clearly that the guidelines were
often breached. It was therefore understandable, in the wake of the report on
the Cloyne diocese, that Mr Kenny attacked not only the Irish bishops but the
Vatican, which he accused of "dysfunction, elitism and narcissism" and of trying
to hamper the Cloyne investigation. On the latter point, he had no evidence. The
Vatican denies responsibility for the behaviour of the diocesan authorities,
saying that the diocese had claimed to follow the guidelines but in reality did
not. However, if the Taoiseach was mistaken on this point -- and not
sufficiently aware of Irish official failures -- there was substance in his more
generalised criticisms of the Holy See. The church at several levels muddied the
waters on the issue of whether canon law took precedence over civil law. This,
much more than genuine practical difficulties, obscured the debate on mandatory
reporting of child sex abuse. The latest Vatican statement quotes a circular
issued by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, issued on May 3 this
year, which should clear up the issue once and for all. But the latest document
is too long, its repetitions too frequent and its language too opaque. To
provide certainty, the Holy See should speak the language of the people.
Editorial, September 06 2011
Remote User:
Date:
06 Sep 2011
Time:
12:01:59
Comments
Tánaiste defends Kenny's Dáil speech....... The Vatican’s assertion that
Taoiseach Enda Kenny made an “unfounded” allegation against it in his Dáil
speech on the Cloyne report has been firmly rejected by Tánaiste Eamon Gilmore.
In its response to the Cloyne report at the weekend, the Vatican described as
“unfounded” the Taoiseach’s Dáil claim on July 20th that it attempted to
frustrate an inquiry into abuse “as little as three years ago”. When asked
yesterday if the Government would stand over the Taoiseach’s claim that the
Vatican tried to undermine an inquiry by the State, Mr Gilmore said: “Yes, the
Government does stand over what the Taoiseach said in the Dáil. When the
Taoiseach spoke in the Dáil, the Taoiseach was speaking for the Government and
he was speaking, I believe, for the people of this country.” Speaking at a
Labour Party “think-in” at a hotel in Tullow, Co Carlow, he added: “The abuse of
children is not acceptable. The abuse of children is intolerable. “And those who
didn’t act, didn’t discharge their responsibility to make sure that it stopped
or that those who were responsible for it were brought to book, they have a case
to answer and the Government makes no apology for stating that in the
unambiguous terms that it was stated by the Taoiseach.” Asked what he would be
saying to his Cabinet colleagues in their discussion of the Vatican response, Mr
Gilmore said: “Well, it’s a very detailed response. I think in many respects it
probably misses the point. “The point here, as far as the Government is
concerned, is that the issue that we want addressed is the welfare of children
and the protection of children. “There was the most horrific sexual abuse of
children perpetrated by clerics. The Catholic Church did not deal with that as
it should have dealt with [it].” When it was pointed out that Archbishop
Diarmuid Martin of Dublin had asked for specifics about the particular instance
of alleged obstruction cited by the Taoiseach, Mr Gilmore said: “Let’s be clear
about the specifics. Children were abused. Let’s not be distracted now, let’s
not miss the point.” Asked it the Taoiseach had made loose charges in his Dáil
speech, the Tánaiste replied: “No loose charges were made. There was a report,
which was an official report, conducted into what happened in Cloyne. Children
were abused, it was not handled appropriately by the church. We brought that to
the attention of the Vatican and asked for their response. We are not going to
be dragged into a prolonged semantic debate about standing up this phrase or
that phrase.” Meanwhile, a member of the leadership team of the Association of
Catholic Priests has described the Vatican response at the weekend as “an excuse
not an explanation”. Speaking in a personal capacity Fr Seán McDonagh agreed
with the Archbishop of Dublin about there being a cabal at the Vatican. It was
made up “of right-wing Latin Americans such as Cardinal Hoyos . . . you don’t
write to a French bishop to say that the best thing he did was to break the
law,” he said. Cardinal Hoyos was prefect of the Congregation for Clergy from
1996 to 2006. In 2001 he wrote a letter to French bishop Pierre Pican praising
him for not passing information about an abuser priest to police. Fr McDonagh
welcomed the Government’s holding of the Vatican to account on the abuse issue,
saying “it is the first time this has been done”. He also said it was “really
good to see these questions being asked”. By DEAGLÁN DE BRÉADÚN, Y Political
Correspondent, in Tullow, and PATSY McGARRY, Tuesday, September 6, 2011
Remote User:
Date:
06 Sep 2011
Time:
12:03:45
Comments
Rapprochement with Vatican still possible...... Analysis: Enda Kenny will have
to stand up his allegations about Vatican interference as the leader of a party
with strong church ties At one point in his landmark speech to the Dáil on the
Cloyne report last July, Enda Kenny claimed the Vatican’s instinctive response
to child abuse was to “parse and analyse it with the gimlet eye of a canon
lawyer”. To judge from the Holy See’s 25-page, 11,000-word reply to the
Government, the lawyers in the Vatican are still working overtime. While the
document is bookended by expressions of sorrow and regret for the abuse that
occurred, its core is entirely devoted to a detailed rejection of the
allegations made by the Government. However, by dint of its detailed rebuttal of
the accusations hurled by the Taoiseach and the Tánaiste over the summer, it
puts the ball firmly back in their court. The response demands of both men that
they substantiate the claims they have made against the spiritual leaders of the
country’s dominant faith. Eamon Gilmore indicated yesterday he has no interest
in being drawn into a prolonged bout of nit-picking with the Vatican over “this
phrase and that”. As the leader of a secular, left-wing party, he can probably
afford to adopt this stance, safe in the knowledge that it will play well with
his natural support base. The Taoiseach faces a different challenge, both
personal and political. He is a committed, Mass-going Catholic, and this fact
lent his criticisms of last July particular pungency. He is also the leader of a
traditional, right-of-centre political party with long historical ties to the
church. As such, he can’t just brush off the implied criticism of his position
contained in the Vatican’s response. He must also pay heed to the words of
Archbishop of Dublin Diarmuid Martin, almost a lone voice in his church in
criticising his colleagues’ response to abuse. Archbishop Martin, on this
occasion, has sided with the Vatican in claiming a lack of evidence for some of
Kenny’s remarks. In the bluntest line of his Dáil speech, the Taoiseach accused
the Vatican of downplaying or “managing” the rape and torture of children in
order to uphold its own power and standing. Curiously, the Vatican’s response
makes no reference to this claim – the “r word” appears nowhere in its document.
It does, however, respond in detail to Kenny’s central claim that the Cloyne
report exposes the attempt by the Holy See to “frustrate an inquiry in a
sovereign, democratic republic – as little as three years ago, not three decades
ago”. The Vatican deals with this accusation by denying something it wasn’t
accused of. It says Cloyne and earlier reports contain no evidence to show it
“meddled in the internal affairs of the Irish State” or was involved in the
day-to-day management of the Irish church in relation to abuse cases. Yet what
the Cloyne report plainly says is that the Vatican “gave comfort” to those in
the Irish church who dissented from agreed policy on handling clerical sex abuse
cases. Its approach gave individual Irish bishops the freedom to ignore these
agreed procedures, the report states – an accusation somewhat short of
“meddling” in Irish affairs. The report also highlighted the Vatican’s failure
to co-operate fully with its inquiries. Shortly after he made the speech, The
Irish Times asked the Taoiseach through a spokesman what he was referring to
when he mentioned an event of “three years ago”. The reply was that he wasn’t
referring to any specific incident; it was, rather, a figure of speech. In its
response, the Vatican highlights this clarification, yet it does not provide any
information about the handling of abuse cases from Cloyne which were reported to
its Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. As the report points out, four
cases have been reported to Rome; in one, the priest has died, and nothing is
known of the outcome in the other three cases. Despite the fact that the
Government and the Vatican appear to be still at daggers drawn, there are
grounds for hope of a satisfactory outcome to this spat. In his Dáil speech,
Kenny sought confirmation from Rome that it required compliance by all church
authorities here with the obligations to report cases of suspected abuse,
whether past or present, to State authorities. In its response, the Vatican
addresses this demand in various ways. It says all citizens, including members
of the church, are subject and accountable to the laws of the State on sexual
abuse. Elsewhere, it states that in such cases involving clerics, “church
authorities are to co-operate with those of the State, and are not to impede the
legitimate path of justice”. Later in the document it says the Holy See expects
the Irish bishops to co-operate with the civil authorities to ensure the “full
and impartial application of the child safety norms of the church in Ireland”.
There may in these statements be elements of obfuscation and mental reservation,
but equally there may lie the basis for agreement on the future handling of
clerical abuse cases, whatever about the church’s – and the Vatican’s – failings
in the past. By Paul Cullen, Tuesday, September 6, 2011
Remote User:
Date:
06 Sep 2011
Time:
12:05:37
Comments
Children must be focus, not retribution........ Analysis: The controversy
between the Vatican and the Government should not deflect attention from broader
issues related to mandatory reporting However the dispute between the Vatican
and the Government over the Cloyne report is resolved, the fact remains that it
identified systematic covering up of abuse by church authorities. But, neither
it nor other reports on abuse within the Catholic Church referred to the seal of
the confessional as an issue, let alone identified it as a major obstacle to
apprehending offenders. Nor is it mentioned in the outline of proposed
legislation on mandatory reporting. This issue was raised at a press conference
where the scheme of the proposed legislation on mandatory reporting was
published, and has been the subject of debate since. This has diverted attention
away from a necessary debate on the proposals themselves. According to the
Scheme of a Bill published by the Minister for Justice in July, “a person will
be guilty of an offence if he or she knows that an arrestable offence has been
committed against a child or vulnerable adult, has information that would be of
material assistance and fails without reasonable excuse to disclose this
information as soon as it is practicable to a member of the Garda Síochána.”
Failure to do so will leave the person open to prosecution and imprisonment for
up to five years. There is no distinction made in the legislation between
offences committed in the recent past and those committed years or even decades
ago. Nor is there any distinction made between a disclosure from a perpetrator
or from a victim. For example, a person under investigation for possession of
child pornography might be advised by his solicitor to attend a counsellor. He
does so, and there discloses that many years earlier he had abused a child,
though he has not done so since, satisfying himself with pornography, a problem
he now acknowledges he must face. The victim never disclosed the abuse, and
appears to have put it behind him. Under the proposed law, the counsellor would
be obliged, on pain of prosecution, to report this person to the Garda, who
would then have to go to the victim and ask him to make a complaint. This
requirement could well deter people from seeking help where they fear themselves
they may be a danger to children. The counsellor could seek protection in the
exemption “without reasonable excuse” proposed in the Scheme of the Bill. But
what is a “reasonable excuse” in this context? This issue was examined by former
attorney general Michael McDowell SC in another context in an article recently,
when he criticised the use of the same phrase in the just enacted Criminal
Justice Act, intended to deal with white collar crime. “What exactly is meant by
the term ‘without reasonable excuse’?” he asked. “Does it mean ‘reasonable to
the person withholding the information’ or does it mean ‘reasonable in the eyes
of the State’ or does it mean both?” He pointed out that in the High Court
recently Mr Justice Kearns struck down as unconstitutional a section of our
immigration law on the grounds that the offence of failing to produce identity
documents “without satisfactory explanation” was impermissibly vague. Mr
McDowell also pointed out that this could be used against journalists seeking to
protect their sources. The same is true for journalists to whom a person might
disclose having been sexually abused in the past, while requiring that their
identity should not be disclosed in any article on the subject. Could the
journalist face prosecution in such circumstances? Doctors and solicitors
traditionally enjoy a privileged relationship with their patients or clients,
though this is not absolute. This means that what a person tells their doctor or
lawyer is confidential, unless he or she gives permission otherwise. A solicitor
cannot rely on privilege where he or she learns that a crime is being committed.
For example, solicitors are required to report if they think they are being
asked to facilitate money laundering in specific transactions. A solicitor to
whom a client reveals plans for a future crime must tell the authorities.
However, he is not obliged to report on past crimes and it is contrary to
professional ethics to do so. This form of privilege has constitutional
protection. A difficult situation could also arise for family lawyers. In
certain highly contested family law cases one party, typically the mother, can
make allegations of sexually abusing the children against the father. Will the
solicitors in the case be obliged to report this to the Garda, with all the
attendant trauma for the children, even if the allegations are without
foundation? A doctor could also find him or herself in a difficult position if
it emerged that a young patient who was pregnant and in need of medical care had
been abused, and if she threatened to abandon all medical assistance, or indeed
harm herself, if the abuse was disclosed to gardaí. Is the doctors primary duty
to the child patient, rather than the State? Is the situation different if there
are other potential child victims in the control of the alleged abuser? This
brings us back to the confessional, though its situation is slightly different
in that the Constitution protects freedom of religion, and the courts have found
this means the State must make provision for religious practice. Constitutional
lawyer, Gerry Whyte of Trinity College, points out that this is not an absolute.
“Where the case is compelling enough the State could break the seal of the
confessional, but there is a question as to whether a compelling case has been
made out,” he said. Clearly such a compelling case would exist where children
were in continuing danger. Frances Fitzgerald has rightly stressed that what is
needed from this legislation is “a culture where child protection is taken
seriously”. This means that broad brush strokes are not enough and the focus
must be on vulnerable children, not on retribution. A catch-all requirement that
may actually prevent those who abused in the past from seeking to ensure they
never do so again, or which may deter vulnerable teenagers from seeking medical
help, or traumatise children caught up in a family law dispute, will not serve
the objective of enhancing child protection. Carol Coulter, Tuesday, September
6, 2011
Remote User:
Date:
06 Sep 2011
Time:
12:08:07
Comments
I am not a child molester, says Catholic priest…….. A Senior Catholic cleric who
is on sick leave after an investigation was launched into his private life has
insisted: "I've never molested any children." Father Hugh Kennedy (55) confirmed
he had temporarily stood aside as administrator of St Peter's Cathedral in west
Belfast after talks with the Bishop of Down and Connor Noel Treanor. After his
diocesan office made clear that boys belonging to the Cathedral's Schola
Cantorum choir were not involved in the inquiries, Fr Kennedy claimed he was
going through a personal crisis. In a statement last night, he declared: "I can
categorically state I have never violated or molested a child placed in my
trust, either in a private or priestly capacity. "In order to reassure the
parents of the children associated with Schola Cantorum, I am personally willing
to engage immediately with as many of them as possible, to satisfy them of my
bona fides. "I am passing through a personal crisis with which I have to deal. I
request space in which to do this. I repeat my readiness to cooperate with
Church and State authorities. I ask for people of goodwill to pray for me in my
hour of crisis." A spokesperson for the PSNI said: "We do not comment on
individual cases, however we can confirm a police investigation is under way."
Fr Kennedy's decision to stop his work at the cathedral followed a meeting with
Bishop Treanor on July 20. In an earlier statement, he said: "Bishop Treanor
requested me to 'stand aside' from all my priestly/cathedral duties on foot of
'information' he had received. This information was not shared with me.
Following from this, I have ceased working as a priest at the cathedral. "I have
no hesitation in co-operating with Church/State authorities in light of this
development." Fr Kennedy was ordained a priest in 1981 when he was studying at
the Irish College in Rome. He was appointed administrator at St Peter's in 2006.
A diocesan Down and Connor statement said "information" was received in mid-July
citing Fr Kennedy. It was forwarded to the police and social services. Fr
Kennedy has been on sick leave since early July - before the information was
made known to the diocese. Tuesday September 06 2011
Remote User:
Date:
07 Sep 2011
Time:
10:27:05
Comments
How the church can save itself……. 'The covering up of this black and corrosive
scandal has violated the sanctity of the relationship between the church and the
people it was meant to serve.'……….. My ties with the church loosened several
years ago. My belief in the gospel and the truth of love as a code for life is
as strong as ever. I owe my education to the Holy Ghost fathers, whose strength
and sound direction have grounded generations of children. I know brothers and
nuns, and monks from several orders have also given their lives to help others.
At all times they have been modest, meek and humble in their service, which is
no longer recognised. Perhaps their own passivity and gentle fortitude is
misplaced, given the disintegration of the institution of the church. One might
understand the sense of shame felt by many, but it is imperative to remember
that only a discredited few should shoulder the burden of the scandal.
Tragically, for the vast majority of exemplary and inspirational clerics, they
are paying a heavy price for Rome's insistence that the reputation of the
institution must take precedence over the protection of children. This policy
made the "shame" general. Priests and nuns found themselves tarred with the same
vile brush, which is unfair and unjust. Nonetheless, it has surprised and deeply
saddened me that so few blameless clerics have found the strength to speak out
against their masters in the Vatican, who betrayed their trust. The covering up
of this black and corrosive scandal has violated the sanctity of the
relationship between the church and the people it was meant to serve. There was,
however, a welcome chink of light recently when the veteran rural activist Fr
Harry Bohan lifted the gloom with luminous clarity of thought. Fr Bohan spoke
movingly of his pain that such things could have happened -- and of his even
deeper anguish that they could have been hidden. He reminded us tellingly that:
"Christ set up a community, not a hierarchy." It is a vital distinction. He
advocated that this was the priesthood to which the church must return. In
short, he called for a revolution of change. Sadly, he also revealed that he is
now battling cancer. I wish him well in this battle, and in all the other
struggles this brave and resolute man encounters. He is an inspiration. I would
also call on other priests to have the conviction of Fr Bohan and not to be
cowed. It is time for new light through the old windows. By LW French, Wednesday
07 September 2111
Remote User:
Date:
07 Sep 2011
Time:
10:28:25
Comments
Keeping an eye on the Holy See...... It might be tempting at this point, in the
wake of Cloyne and the Kenny broadside, when relations between this State and
the Vatican have reached their nadir, to cut the umbilical cord and close the
Irish Embassy to the Holy See. Politically the Taoiseach would probably earn
brownie points with an angry public that has lost patience with the behaviour of
some in the church. Tempting, but Mr Kenny should hasten slowly. Megaphone
diplomacy may have its place in a crisis, but for the long-term relationship,
like it or not, we may still need to maintain our presence in Rome. Ultimately
the accreditation of ambassadors between states is not about friendship or
approval, but a recognition of the need to manage and formalise an important
level of mutual interaction, dialogue or trading interests. It may also simply
be about establishing listening posts to inform our diplomacy. This country is
represented abroad by 58 embassies, seven multilateral missions and 11
consulates general and other offices, many of them in countries whose political
system or stance is anathema to our own. (The magnificent 17th century Villa
Spada which houses the embassy to the Holy See is among the finest, but would
also make a good home for our mission to Italy, housed elsewhere in Rome, the
Vatican insisting on separate representation). And, while the case is regularly
made to close missions or withdraw representation temporarily because of
particular disagreements or outrages, it is rarely acceded to – ministers for
foreign affairs have almost invariably accepted the department’s rationale, that
the State recognises other states diplomatically, not their governments, and not
their policies. That said, the Holy See is indeed an unusual case. By virtue of
the willingness of the international community to recognise it as a state, and
to grant it the rights of states, both to representation and legal “sovereign
immunity” for its acts or, crucially, those of its servants, the Holy See enjoys
a uniquely privileged status as a faith organisation. That status, jealously
guarded but largely indefensible, frames its relationship with states like
Ireland, making it largely immune to the courts – or official inquiries – for
the actions of those it denies are its agents, the bishops, and priests of
Ireland (whose complete autonomy will be news to them). In truth, however
uncomfortable we may find this fiction, there has been and continues to be a
national interest in maintaining a close relationship and dialogue with the
Catholic Church at an international level. It articulates the faith of the
majority of our citizens and its representatives play a crucial daily role not
only in the spiritual guidance of our people, but in the education of our
children and our health services. In 2009, the McCarthy report on public
spending recommended that the State’s network of embassies and consulates be
reduced from 76 to 55. The scale of that cull was rejected by the department but
a review is under way. It would be a mistake, however, if cost considerations
tipped the argument, inflamed as it is by the current controversy, in favour of
closing the Villa Spada. Wednesday, September 07, 2011
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Date:
07 Sep 2011
Time:
10:29:21
Comments
Paternity test 'clears' priest who is suing RTE over rape allegation...... A
Priest accused of fathering a child with an underage girl has been cleared by a
paternity test, the Irish Independent understands. A lawyer for Fr Kevin
Reynolds (65) last night said the results of the test had come back negative. Fr
Reynolds voluntarily submitted himself to the test in the wake of an RTE 'Prime
Time Investigates' programme entitled 'Mission To Prey'. It alleged that he
committed statutory rape by fathering a child with an underage Kenyan girl
called Veneranda while she was working as a maid in a house he frequented in
Africa 30 years ago. He is now suing the national broadcaster over the
allegations, which he insists are completely untrue. Fr Reynolds refused to
comment on the matter when contacted by this newspaper yesterday. "I'm in touch
with my solicitor at the moment. I have to speak to my solicitor," he said. In
May, he agreed to step down from his ministry in the parish of Ahascragh, Co
Galway, while the allegations against him were investigated. The paternity test
was carried out with Fr Reynold's participation in the wake of the programme,
which was broadcast on RTE One on May 23. Yesterday, his solicitor Robert Dore,
said he understood that the paternity test results had come back negative. But
Mr Dore refused to say if a copy of the test results had been supplied to him.
He stressed that he now intended to press ahead with his client's defamation
action against RTE. Results: "I'd prefer at this juncture not to make any real
comment. All I am going to say is that what's involved here is the gravest of
libels," Mr Dore said. The matter is due to come before the courts again on
September 21. As RTE's legal team has not yet submitted any defence to the
defamation proceedings, Mr Dore said he would be pressing for a judgment to be
issued against the broadcaster. It is understood that RTE's lawyers are still
examining the matter and have not ruled out submitting a defence before the
hearing. A spokesman for RTE said the station would not be making any comment on
the matter as it was the subject of legal proceedings. At an initial hearing
into the matter, an affidavit from Fr Reynolds stated he was "distressed and
horrified" when he learned that 'Prime Time Investigates' intended to broadcast
the allegations. In July, Fr Reynold's legal team failed in its efforts to have
the High Court force RTE to provide its defence to the claim more quickly. Fr
Reynolds worked with the Mill Hill Missionaries in Africa from 1971 until
January 2004. A spokesman for the order, Fr Michael Corcoran said their
investigation was still continuing. He said Fr Reynolds was "co-operating fully
with all aspects of the investigation" but added that it wasn't possible at this
stage to say when the investigation into the matter would be concluded. By Kevin
Keane, Wednesday September 07 2011
Remote User:
Date:
07 Sep 2011
Time:
10:30:13
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Taoiseach stands over Vatican criticism ....... Edna Kenny says he stands over
his blistering criticism of the Vatican and has repeated his charge that Rome
failed to co-operate with a state inquiry into child sexual abuse as little as
three years ago. However, the Taoiseach indicated that his claim related to the
Vatican’s response to the inquiry into the Dublin archdiocese rather than the
more recent inquiry into the Diocese of Cloyne, both of which were conducted by
the same commission of investigation. "My claim in the Dáil still stands,
because this was a statutory commission of inquiry, and in 2006, and in 2007,
and in 2009, there were requests for information and assistance (made) to the
Vatican by the Murphy Commission, and in each of these cases, that request was
either refused or rejected," Mr Kenny said yesterday. The Murphy Commission
examined the Dublin archdiocese’s handling of abuse claims and its 2009 report
revealed that the Vatican had snubbed requests for information from the inquiry.
The same commission then examined allegations of abuse by clerics in Cloyne.
That report was published this summer, and led to a thundering denunciation of
the Vatican by Mr Kenny in the Dáil. In that speech, he said Cloyne had proved
to be of a "different order" to previous abuse reports "because for the first
time in Ireland, a report into child sexual abuse exposes an attempt by the Holy
See to frustrate an inquiry in a sovereign, democratic republic as little as
three years ago, not three decades ago". At the weekend, the Vatican said the
accusation that it had attempted to frustrate an inquiry three years ago was
"unfounded", adding that Mr Kenny had made "no attempt to substantiate" the
claim. "In this regard, the Holy See wishes to make it quite clear that it in no
way hampered or interfered in the inquiry into child sexual abuse cases in the
Diocese of Cloyne," the statement added. But speaking at Fine Gael’s
parliamentary party conference in Galway yesterday, Mr Kenny stood over his
claim and indicated he had been referring to the 2009 Murphy report. "I make the
point that this is a statutory commission of inquiry, and as such, nothing less
than full co-operation is required, and anything less than full co-operation in
my view is unwarranted interference,. "I want to see that the Church of which I
am a member is absolutely above reproach in the issue of this and other areas.
"I want now to move onto a position where the Church and every other
organisation will co-operate with the Government… so that every organisation…
will understand that the law of the land will apply here, and that our paramount
interest in this regard is children, their safeguarding and their future." By
Paul O’Brien, Wednesday, September 07, 2011
Remote User:
Date:
07 Sep 2011
Time:
17:37:48
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'Focus on Church abuse is disproportionate' - Rory Fitzgerald..... A former
member of the Ferns Inquiry and co-author of that 2005 report has said that the
''relentless media and political focus on Church-related abuse'' is obscuring
the real problem of child neglect. Dr Helen Buckley, who is a senior research
fellow in Trinity College's children's research centre, said that while
acknowledging the seriousness of the child abuse issues raised in the Cloyne and
Dublin reports, she told The Irish Catholic that the political and media focus
was ''disproportionate'' and ''not representative'' of the real problem of abuse
in Ireland. Dr Buckley said the majority of children suffer not from abuse but
neglect and this is ''being marginalised due to the focus on Cloyne''.
Responding: She said as regards child protection the ''biggest problem is not
reporting but responding'' by the State, and noted that ''people feel there's no
point'' in reporting cases of suspected abuse, because so many are screened out.
She cited a recent report which found that of some 24,000 recent reports to the
HSE, about 90 per cent were screened out. She said the ''thresholds are very
high''. Dr Buckley said that ''while child abuse is an important issue, neglect
is a much more widespread issue'' and said that programmes to support families,
such as Springboard, are being cut. She said she would sooner see money be spent
on schools than on producing legislation on mandatory reporting. Focus: She
added that the ''media is preoccupied with issues that relate to sexuality and
the Church''. This media focus then provokes a ''political response'' focused on
these issues. She said the ''media needs to engage with the real problem of
child abuse'' and ''the biggest problem is the capacity of the system to
respond'' to both neglect and abuse. However, she sees ''very little interest in
that''. Dr Buckley said sexual abuse is just ''one part of a much, much bigger
picture'' that includes ''mental health, neglect and domestic violence''. By
Rory Fitzgerald, 8 Sep 2011
Remote User:
Date:
08 Sep 2011
Time:
10:14:30
Comments
Disabled girl's Facebook snaps 'stolen and altered by perverts'...........
Photographs of a six-year-old girl with Down's syndrome were stolen from her
mother's Facebook account and modified into sickening pornographic images. The
shocking revelation is among hundreds of claims currently being compiled as part
of a class action being mounted by concerned parents against the social
networking site. Earlier this week, the father of a 12-year-old Co Antrim girl
said he was suing Facebook after his daughter posted lewd images of herself on
the site. His solicitor Hilary Carmichael said: "It's not just one child who is
in danger from paedophiles on Facebook, thousands of children are in danger.
Something must be done to protect them. We want Facebook to sit up and take
notice." One parent who contacted her said: "My youngest daughter was living
with me until June this year. "After exposure from Facebook and Lord knows who
else, she became more defiant, dressing trashy and was verbally and physically
abusive to me. I feared for her safety and her behaviour. "I hoped that living
with her father would help to put her on a better path but there has been no
improvement. "With cell phones getting the internet now and laptops in every
home our youngest daughter always finds a way to get on pages and upload
pictures taken with cell phones. It is easy for her to endanger herself."
Another messaged: "My daughter had a Facebook page of regular teen activity
monitored by myself and family members. "However, through Facebook she was able
to create a totally new site with a pseudonym and was able to post lewd pictures
of herself to get feedback from guys. I would never have found out if not for a
concerned friend." One told another tale of explicit pictures. "My 12-year-old
has had a Facebook account since she was 11 and somehow was able to upload
photos of a sexual nature until I immediately made her take them down." Another
revealed dangerous behaviour online. "My daughter, who was under the age of 13,
was allowed to join Facebook and make postings of herself in a provocative
manner and allowed to make suggestive remarks. Her age was not verified in order
to gain access to Facebook and to make the postings. "Facebook has become a
menace to our children by allowing them to have access to this website." In
America a campaign has been launched for an internet 'driving licence' to prove
age identification. In a statement, Facebook said that it provided "extensive"
safety and privacy controls for both age groups 13-18 and 18 or over. A
spokesman said: "Recent reports have highlighted just how difficult it is to
implement age restrictions on the internet and that there is no single solution
to ensuring younger children don't circumvent a system or lie about their age.
"We invest heavily in educating people how to stay safe on Facebook via our
safety centre and by working with charity partners such as ChildNet. We have
good relationships with law enforcement agencies across the world, including the
Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre in the UK, and employ world
class technology to help keep bad people and content off the site." By
Lesley-Anne Henry, Thursday, 8 September 2011
Remote User:
Date:
08 Sep 2011
Time:
10:15:44
Comments
Child sex abuse victim sues school......... A child sex abuse victim is suing
the school in Londonderry where his alleged molester taught. Proceedings against
Holy Child Primary School are under way at the High Court. The plaintiff is
seeking damages over a campaign of abuse he says he was subjected to more than
20 years ago. It is understood that the perpetrator, a former teacher at the
school, has already been convicted of sexual offences. Despite facing a civil
lawsuit, he is unrepresented in the case being heard by Mr Justice Hart.
Although he did not teach the plaintiff, he was said to have targeted him around
1990, and resumed his campaign a number of years later. The court heard how the
plaintiff claimed he was abused regularly over a period of months. He said he
was requested out of his own class 15 minutes early almost every afternoon. It
was alleged that he was then taken to the teacher's own classroom where the
assaults were carried out. Giving evidence to the court, the school's principal
at the time said: "For a child to be asked to be removed from his or her
classroom every afternoon would be outrageous and it would highlight enormous
problems. Thursday, 8 September 2011 Vatican rejects Taoiseach’s criticisms……….
The Vatican has strongly rejected Taoiseach Enda Kenny’s criticism of its
response to instances of child sexual abuse by priests in the Diocese of Cloyne.
In a lengthy statement issued from Rome the Vatican formally rejected
allegations that it interfered with any inquiry into cases of child sexual abuse
in the Diocese of Cloyne in a response issued to criticism levelled by the Irish
government. The response, a 26-page document, tackles criticism of the Holy See
in the Cloyne Report and by Tánaiste Eamon Gilmore during his meeting with the
Papal Nuncio immediately following the publication of the report. It also
rejects specific elements of the speech made by Enda Kenny in the Dáil on the
July 20. The Holy See concludes that the bulk of allegations made against it in
the Cloyne Report centred around the letter sent from Archbishop Storero to
Irish bishops in 1997 concerning the response to the Framework Document. The
report says that, out of context, the content of the letter ‘‘could be open to
misinterpretation, giving rise to understandable criticism’’ and it describes
the assessment of the letter as ‘‘inaccurate’’. In July, Gilmore described the
Vatican authorities’ reference to the Framework Document as a ‘‘study document’’
as among ‘‘the most disturbing of the findings of the Cloyne Report’’. The
Vatican responded to that charge by saying it was not founded by an objective
reading of the Cloyne Report. Further, the statement from the Vatican rejected
the claim that recognition from Rome sought by Irish bishops for the Framework
Document was not forthcoming, stating that Irish bishops did not officially seek
‘‘recognitio’’ from the Holy See for the Framework Document under canon law in
the first place, which was why it was not granted. The Vatican adds that even
without ‘‘recognitio’’, the Framework Document could have been applied in
individual dioceses. The Vatican also expressed ‘‘significant reservations’’
about elements of Enda Kenny’s Dáil speech, describing certain statements as
unsubstantiated and unfounded. The Vatican response takes particular exception
to the Taoiseach’s accusation that the Holy See ‘‘attempted to frustrate an
inquiry as little as three years ago, not three decades ago’’, saying that the
statement referred to nothing specific and that neither Cloyne nor any prior
reports contain any information to support Kenny’s accusation. The report offers
explanatory sections on the nature of the Church, the responsibility of
individual bishops, and civil and canon law. It also offers what it describes as
a ‘‘more complete account of the Church’s legislation on child sexual abuse than
that described in the Cloyne report’’. September 2011
Remote User:
Date:
08 Sep 2011
Time:
10:17:36
Comments
Child abuse legislation will not cite Confession........ The legislation
covering mandatory reporting of child abuse will not contain any reference to
Confession, Minister for Justice Alan Shatter has said. The Minister described
the controversy over Confession as “an entirely bogus issue” and said he did not
anticipate any reference to it in the Bill. Mr Shatter was speaking to reporters
during the Fine Gael parliamentary party meeting in Galway yesterday. The issue
of Confession arose in July after Mr Shatter published the heads of a Bill
making it a criminal offence to withhold information relating to sexual abuse or
other serious offences against a child or vulnerable adult. Questioned by
journalists at the time, Mr Shatter and Minister for Children Frances Fitzgerald
said there would be no exceptions to the rule, including information given to
priests in Confession. Asked yesterday if there would be a reference to the
confessional in the full Bill, Mr Shatter said: “This is an entirely bogus
issue. The focus of the Bill, the heads of which were published at the end of
July, is to ensure that where there are what we describe as arrestable crimes,
which include child sexual abuse committed against a child, and where an
individual has material information that would assist the gardaí in the
investigation of that crime, that they provide it to the gardaí, unless there is
a reasonable excuse not to do so.” He added that the context of the legislation
is to ensure that those who know children are being abused inform the Garda;
that those who are the abusers are brought to justice; and that other children
are protected.“The central focus of this Government and my colleague Frances
Fitzgerald and myself is child welfare and child protection,” he said. “And this
[Confession] is an entire divergence from the central focus of what we’re
seeking to address, and I think it would be helpful if those who are focusing on
that issue focused to a far greater extent on the protection of children.”Asked
about the referendum on children’s rights, Ms Fitzgerald said the wording was
currently with the Attorney General and she expected to see substantial progress
in the next few weeks. “We will then be looking at the wording and the Cabinet
will decide on a date. At the moment we don’t have a date, but it remains a high
priority for the Government once we have a wording agreed.” The Minister said
there had been some difficulties with the wordings which had been in the public
arena and the Government wanted to get it right. “There have been some
difficulties with those. But we are committed to wording along the lines
originally proposed by the all-party constitutional committee on children,” she
said. By Stephen Collins, Thursday, September 8, 2011
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Date:
08 Sep 2011
Time:
10:18:22
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Priest links suicide to abuse......... Ireland has lost one of society’s
greatest pillars of strength since the advent of the church sex abuse scandals,
a high-profile priest has said. Fr Aidan Troy, who shielded Holy Cross
schoolgirls from loyalist protesters in Belfast in 2001, said it is a huge
disappointment to him that the priest’s house is no longer perceived to be a
safe place to go. "Back in 2003, when I first started dealing with the issue of
suicide, I had a view that every parish in Ireland could have been a great
central place of focus for suicide prevention, a safe place where people could
go to talk. Now the priest’s house is the least safe place, this is a huge
disappointment to me," he said. Fr Troy, who is set to speak at Console’s fifth
annual suicide conference tomorrow, wants to open debate on clerical sex abuse
and suicide. Research shows that countries that undergo significant social
change can experience a rise in suicide rates, and Fr Troy said he is anxious to
open discussion on how this problem can be approached. "I must acknowledge that
the abuse scandals are a big issue if I am to continue to operate in a church
that’s so discredited. Fr Troy’s presentation, Suicide: Our Universal Challenges
and Collective Responsibilities, will kick off Console’s suicide prevention
conference, which will be opened by President Mary McAleese and addressed by
Minister for Health James Reilly, as well as by international and Irish experts.
Console was established in 2002 by Paul Kelly after he had experienced the grief
of losing a loved one through suicide. Through his loss, Paul recognised a need
for a dedicated suicide prevention, intervention and bereavement support service
here in Ireland. Since then, Console has developed into a national organisation
supporting people in suicidal crisis and those bereaved by suicide through
professional counselling, support and helpline services. By Jennifer Hough,
Thursday, September 08, 2011
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Date:
09 Sep 2011
Time:
08:45:01
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Coalition: Vatican gave pretext for clerics to avoid co-operation........ A
confidential 1997 Vatican letter did encourage some clerics not to co-operate
fully with the state in protecting children, the Government has insisted. The
letter "provided a pretext" for clerics to "evade full co-operation", the
Coalition said last night. In a strongly worded statement on the Vatican’s
response to the Cloyne report, the Government stood over its criticisms of the
Holy See. It also reiterated public anger at the failure of both the Vatican and
the Irish Catholic Church to deal adequately with clerical child sex abuse.
"Having considered carefully the Cloyne report and the response of the Holy See,
the Government of Ireland remains of the view that the content of the
confidential letter in 1997 from the then apostolic nuncio, Archbishop Storero,
to the Irish bishops, regardless of whether or not it was intended to do so,
provided a pretext for some members of the clergy to evade full cooperation with
the Irish civil authorities in regard to the abuse of minors." The Coalition
pointed to "appalling" Vatican failures in dealing with abuse cases and expects
full co-operation with state authorities from the Holy See in the future. The
letter also offered the prospect of repairing relations between the two states —
provided the Vatican co-operates fully with Irish authorities in future. Last
night, the Catholic Communications Office said: "In light of the Government’s
statement, the Catholic Church restates its commitment to best practice in
safeguarding children, and to working with state authorities in achieving this.
The focus should now be on the future." By Paul O’Brien, Political Editor,
Friday, September 09, 2011
Remote User:
Date:
09 Sep 2011
Time:
08:46:35
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Vatican response to Cloyne report....... The concluding words of the Vatican’s
Response to the Cloyne report and the Government’s views in its regard are worth
noting. After recalling the fact that the Holy See has always respected the
sovereignty of the Irish State, the statement affirms that “the Holy See wishes
to engage in constructive dialogue and co-operation with the Irish Government so
that all institutions, whether public or private, religious or secular, may work
together to ensure that the Church and, indeed, society in general will always
be safe for children and young people.” This, it seems to me, is an appeal to
the Irish Government to adopt a more constructive attitude towards the Catholic
Church for the sake of the good of children. The response stresses that any such
dialogue should be “on the basis of mutual respect”. The response admits that
the Taoiseach’s speech in the Dáil did echo “depth of public anger and
frustration at the findings of the Cloyne report”. It went on to express the
Holy See’s “significant reservations about some elements of the speech”. These
serious reservations are dealt with calmly but firmly, in particular the
accusation that the Holy See attempted to frustrate a Government inquiry.
Equally firmly but respectfully, the response rejected the motion passed in both
Dáil and Seanad deploring “the Vatican’s intervention which contributed to the
undermining of the child protection framework documents of the Irish State and
the Irish bishops”. There is no evidence whatsoever that the Vatican undermined
the Irish State’s own framework guidelines (still pending legislation). To
describe the letter from the then-papal nuncio to the Irish bishops with regard
to the standing of their “Framework document” as an “intervention” is, to put it
mildly, an exaggeration. The Holy See has every right to state its position on
documents submitted to it by various bishops’ conferences for comment. (How
those responsible for Cloyne interpreted it, is, tragically, something else.)
The Taoiseach could be accused of intervening in the inner life of the church by
his speech in the Dáil, but the Vatican response refrained from doing so. That
is now history. The Holy See’s response should be seen as an effort to restore
proper relations with the Irish Government based on mutual respect and on a
genuine attempt to get to the truth of the matter – for the sake of making both
Church and society in general a safer place for children and young people. Rev
Dr D Vincent Twomey, 8 September 2011
Remote User:
Date:
09 Sep 2011
Time:
08:47:58
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State to meet costs for orders...... Religious orders are set to receive State
payments of up to €35 million to meet their outstanding legal costs relating to
the Commission to Inquire into Child Abuse. The commission investigated the
abuse of children in reformatories and industrial schools run by religious
congregations, culminating in the publication of the Ryan report in 2009. The
State has already paid out some €22 million on third-party legal costs, the bulk
of which relates to religious orders. However, internal briefing material states
that between €30 and €35 million more will be needed to pay their full costs,
bringing the overall bill to about €50 million. It states this is still a
“tentative provision” as the commission continues to receive and assess
third-party legal costs from members of religious orders. The Government
undertook to pay the legal costs of all third parties when it established the
commission over a decade ago. A spokeswoman for the Department of Education
declined to say how much individual orders are due to receive given that
negotiations over outstanding costs are ongoing. However, informed sources
estimate that €20 million is due to firms which represented the Christian
Brothers. The Brothers were the largest provider of residential care for boys in
the State over the period investigated by the commission. Artane industrial
school in Dublin and Letterfrack industrial school in Galway, both among the
largest such institutions in the State, were under their management. Up to €15
million is believed to be due to legal firms which represented the Sisters of
Mercy at the commission. They ran 26 industrial schools during the period
investigated. About €5 million is likely to be due to firms which represented
the Sisters of Charity, who ran five industrial schools, including St Joseph’s
and St Patrick’s in Kilkenny and a group home, Madonna House, in Dublin. For the
Oblates of Mary Immaculate, who ran the Daingean reformatory in Co Offaly, the
legal bill is also estimated at about €5 million. The combined legal bill for
the Rosminians – who ran Upton reformatory in Cork and Ferryhouse industrial
school near Clonmel, Co Tipperary – and the Good Shepherd Sisters is expected to
be at least €5 million. Costs for the remaining orders are expected to be less.
The commission had no role in compensating abuse victims. That was undertaken by
the Residential Institutions Redress Board which will have paid out some €1.1
billion when its work ends, according to latest estimates. So far the board has
paid more than €160 million in legal fees to just over 900 solicitors’ firms.
For victims of abuse, the redress board has made payments averaging almost
€63,000 to just over 13,000 applicants to date. The average legal fees paid for
each applicant to date are about €11,500. By Carl O’Brien and Patsy McGarry,
Friday, September 9, 2011
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Date:
09 Sep 2011
Time:
08:57:14
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Vatican must co-operate: Enda Kenny....... The Irish government last night
warned the Vatican it expects its fullest co-operation in ensuring children are
safe from paedophile priests. The Irish Cabinet said it stood by Taoiseach Enda
Kenny's unprecedented attack on the Catholic hierarchy and kept the view Rome
had interfered in Irish civil law. The government maintained Mr Kenny reflected
the public anger of the overwhelming majority of Irish people at the Church's
failure to deal adequately with clerical child sex abusers. But it said in spite
of outstanding differences it welcomed the Holy See's commitment to dialogue and
co-operation with the Government. "In welcoming this commitment, the government
expects the fullest co-operation from the Holy See," it added. Friday, 9
September
Remote User:
Date:
10 Sep 2011
Time:
11:08:45
Comments
David Quinn: An uneasy peace follows State's war with Vatican....... Almost
everything the public knows about both the Cloyne Report and the Vatican's
response to it, has been filtered through the media. The public therefore has a
very faulty understanding of both documents and where the truth lies between the
Irish Government and the Holy See in this whole affair. For example, most people
probably imagine that the Cloyne Report revealed that Catholic priests were
sexually abusing children throughout the diocese down almost to the present day,
and that the Vatican frustrated every attempt to control them. This is simply
untrue. In fact, with one exception, every concrete complaint of abuse received
by the diocese post-1996 -- when the Irish Church's first set of child
protection guidelines were issued -- related to an incident that took place
before 1996, and usually long before it. The majority of incidents took place in
the 1960s and 1970s. Therefore, even if the letter sent to the hierarchy in 1997
giving the Vatican's take on their guidelines is as bad as its worst critics
say, it made very little material difference on the ground in Cloyne. In fact,
it almost certainly made no difference because we know that the diocese's child
protection officer, Monsignor Denis O'Callaghan, frequently ignored both canon
law and the 1996 guidelines when dealing with allegations of child abuse. That
letter of 1997 is Exhibit A in the case against the Vatican. And the Cloyne
Report is right, it was unhelpful -- although no more than that -- chiefly
because it had "serious reservations" about mandatory reporting. The letter was
sent by the then Papal Nuncio to the Irish bishops and it expressed the views of
the Congregation for the Clergy, which was headed at the time by Cardinal
Castrillon Hoyos. Among other things, Cardinal Hoyos was overly concerned about
the right of accused clergy to their good name. The proof that Cardinal Hoyos's
attitude was unhelpful is the fact that in 2001, the present Pope brought about
a drastic change in that mentality which has resulted in the 'defrocking' or
removal from ministry of around two thousand priests worldwide. To take the
Ferns diocese as one example: since 2001, it has reported 10 priests to the
civil authorities, and the same 10 to the Vatican. Two have been convicted under
civil law, and nine have been dealt with under canon law. Of the nine, six have
been laicised and three have taken voluntary laicisation. One case is pending.
This proves civil law and canon law can work in parallel and complement, not
compete against one another. (By the way, here is a pertinent question; if the
critics are right, and canon law doesn't matter a damn, then why do they get
upset when priests aren't 'defrocked' under canon law?) But if that letter's
reservation about mandatory reporting made life awkward for the Irish bishops,
so did the Irish State because it also had serious reservations about the
matter. As the Vatican response of last weekend makes very clear, the last Fine
Gael/Labour Government which was in office when the 1997 letter was received by
the bishops also objected to mandatory reporting. Therefore, it is hypocritical
of the current Government to attack the Vatican over an attitude to mandatory
reporting which it largely shared last time it was in power. In the years since
then, the Irish hierarchy has pressed successive Governments to introduce
mandatory reporting and it is only now that an Irish Government is getting
around to some version of it. In his speech in July, Enda Kenny attacked the
Vatican for frustrating "an inquiry in a sovereign democratic republic as little
as three years ago". This was treated as a virtual cause of war by the
Government. Asked at the time about this incident, the Government said it wasn't
referring to anything specific. Since then it has decided it was referring to
the fact that the Papal Nuncio and the Vatican didn't respond to letters from
the Commission of Inquiry. But if this lack of response really did deserve such
a strong attack then the Taoiseach should also have rounded on the Office of the
Minister for Children because it was asked for information by the Commission but
refused to provide it, claiming legal privilege instead. This is extremely
ironic in view of the fact that this was the same office which ordered the
Cloyne inquiry in the first place. (Will the office release the required
information now it has a new minister?) SO where does all this leave us? In an
ideal world, the Vatican would more readily admit that the attitude of Cardinal
Hoyos back in 1997 was unhelpful and the Government would admit its attack was
over the top, inaccurate in various ways and treated the Vatican as a virtual
enemy state. Neither has happened. But like the Vatican's response to the
Government, the Government's response to the Vatican issued last night has
avoided provocative language meaning both sides have chosen to stand down and
set about rebuilding normal relations. By David Quinn, Friday September 09 2011
Remote User:
Date:
10 Sep 2011
Time:
11:10:02
Comments
Priest 'ashamed to wear collar'...... A leading Catholic priest has said he is
devastated that clerical sex abuse may have led people to suicide. Father Aidan
Troy admitted that after four decades in the priesthood he is ashamed to wear
his collar because of the litany of scandals. The cleric told the Console
suicide prevention conference in Dublin: "Who knows how many good people lost
their light in their life because of the clergy." Fr Troy said while the church
has played an enormously positive role in Ireland's history through healthcare,
pastoral care and education, a huge problem has been revealed. "Underneath that
undeniable goodness, there is decay, sin, criminality and an inability to deal
with ordinary decent human living," he continued. "Over 40 years as a priest, it
was a privilege to wear my collar. Now I find it difficult to go out with my
collar on every morning." Fr Troy shot to worldwide prominence 10 years ago as
he shielded Catholic schoolgirls from loyalist protesters in Belfast. He has
also been heavily critical of the church's handling of clerical abuse, but
revealed his inspiration does not come from the internal world of church
politics. "I don't care whether it's the government or the Vatican who are right
in their diplomacy," he added. "My inspiration comes from the value of human
life, the prospect of human life." September 2011
Remote User:
Date:
10 Sep 2011
Time:
11:11:00
Comments
Shatter: Vatican used 'diplomatic ploy' to frustrate child abuse inquiry.....
The Minister for Justice, Alan Shatter, said the government stands over the
Taoiseach's criticism of the Vatican over its handling of child abuse
allegations. Speaking on RTE's Morning Ireland this morning, Ms Shatter
reiterated that the Vatican has frustrated inquiries into clerical child abuse
by failing to provide information as recently as three years ago. "Because the
request for information was made directly from the Murphy commission, the
Vatican used the diplomatic ploy of refusing to deal with the matter because the
request hadn't come through the Department of Foreign Affairs." Mr Shatter said
the Vatican failed to provide the Murphy commission with information it had
available on child abuse allegations in both the Dublin and Cloyne dioceses.
"Very substantial assistance could have been provided through the offices of the
Papal Nuncio. No such assistance was provided. September 2011
Remote User:
Date:
10 Sep 2011
Time:
11:12:59
Comments
Church 'willingness' to co-operate on Cloyne is news to many...... In an
interview with Colm Ó Mongáin on the RTÉ Radio 1 programme This Week last
Sunday, Archbishop Diarmuid Martin said that, following contact by the Murphy
commission in September 2006, the Vatican had indicated a willingness to
co-operate with it. He said that, following contact by the commission, “the Holy
See replied to the Irish ambassador to the Holy See saying it would like this
[letter from the commission] to be sent through the diplomatic channels and that
it would co-operate”. He said that “very often in the news reporting, that last
sentence is left out”. He insisted: “the Vatican did say it would co-operate”.
It was news to many. The most detailed account of what took place between the
Vatican and the commission was offered by then taoiseach Brian Cowen in an
address to the Dáil on December 1st, 2009, following publication of the Murphy
report. Expressing “regret that the Holy See was not in a position to provide a
substantive response to inquiries” from the commission, Mr Cowen outlined what
had happened. He recalled that the commission had written to the Vatican’s
Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith in September 2006. “The Holy See
responded to that request by diplomatic note, sent by the Vatican secretariat of
state to the Embassy of Ireland to the Holy See in March 2007. This note made
clear the view of the Vatican that, as the commission had been established under
the authority of the Government . . . such a communication should be routed
through diplomatic channels and in accordance with international laws and
customs.” He continued: “This diplomatic note was forwarded . . . to Judge
[Yvonne] Murphy of the commission. There does not appear to have been any
further communication between the commission and the Holy See after that note
was passed.” As explained in the Murphy report, the commission felt constrained
from using instruments of the State in its investigation, as it was also
investigating the State. In his Dáil address, Mr Cowen continued: “I understand,
however, that the Holy See sought confirmation that the content of its note had
been made known to the commission. That was confirmed to the Holy See and Judge
Murphy was informed of the Vatican’s interest in knowing the note had been
conveyed to the commission. “The Vatican made clear to the Embassy of Ireland to
the Holy See that its concern to confirm that the note had been passed on was to
avoid any impression that the correspondence from the commission had been
ignored.” Mr Cowen went on to say: “It is not unreasonable to assume the Holy
See was open to responding to a further approach through formal diplomatic
channels. “Neither is it unreasonable to assume that when the papal nuncio
received correspondence from the commission in February 2007 and earlier this
year, both the present and previous papal nuncios believed the matter was more
properly addressed by the diplomatic note.” He added: “It would not be normal
practice for a diplomatic mission to release papers to a body in its country of
accreditation without an approach through the host government.” He thought it
“regrettable that the failure to acknowledge either letter has given rise to the
impression the Holy See was refusing to co-operate with the commission.” This
“approach by the Holy See was consistent with international law, according to
which dealings between states should be conducted via the diplomatic channel
unless other arrangements are made by mutual consent,” he said. The commission
and the Holy See, “it appears, acted in good faith in this matter, even if the
best outcome was not achieved”. Questioned by Labour Party leader Eamon Gilmore,
he added: “A diplomatic note was sent to the Murphy commission but it was not
followed up thereafter, which is unfortunate. . . . Had the Department of
Foreign Affairs or another department been asked to pursue the issue, perhaps a
solution to the problem could have been brought about or we would have been able
to confirm the necessary information was made available.” Yet, according to US
embassy cables released by WikiLeaks last December, requests for information by
the commission “offended many in the Vatican” who felt the Irish government had
“failed to respect and protect Vatican sovereignty during the [commission]
investigations”. A cable claimed Vatican officials also believed (then) Irish
Opposition politicians were making political hay by publicly urging the
government to demand a reply from the Vatican following publication of the
Murphy report. The cable said Irish ambassador to the Holy See Noel Fahey told
US diplomat Julieta Valls Noyes it was the most difficult crisis he had ever
managed. It said Mr Fahey’s deputy, Helena Keleher, felt the Irish government
had acceded to Vatican pressure and granted it immunity from testifying.
Officials understood that “foreign ambassadors are not required or expected to
appear before national commissions”, but Ms Keleher’s opinion was that by
ignoring the commission’s requests the clergy had made the situation worse.
Patsy McGarry, Saturday, September 10, 2011
Remote User:
Date:
12 Sep 2011
Time:
09:02:04
Comments
The Taoiseach got it right but the Vatican gets it wrong once again……… The
gimlet eye of a canon lawyer. Read the "Response of the Holy See to the
Government of Ireland" — the Vatican’s response to the criticism levelled at
them by Enda Kenny and Eamon Gilmore — and that’s all you’ll see...............
Read it in all its painful, pathetic and absurd detail. Then tell me if you can
see any real compassion there, any real humility, any real pain at the suffering
of victims and survivors. No. It’s 25 pages long and — to be generous about it —
roughly a page is all it takes to outline the Catholic Church’s feelings of
sorrow and shame at the abuse perpetrated by its priests and covered up by its
bishops. The other 24 pages were written by lawyers trying to win on a
technicality............... And since it was published they, and their
apologists who have been all over the media all weekend, have been demanding
that the Government should respond to their specifics with more specifics. Like
some sharp-suited lawyers in the tv version of a courtroom drama, they have
tried to put the Taoiseach and the Tánaiste on the defensive with page after
page of wearying technicalities..................... Even Archbishop Martin was
at it. On RTÉ News on Sunday he was suggesting that the Taoiseach needs to
explain what he was referring to when he spoke in the Dáil in July. He said he’d
like to know exactly what Mr Kenny had meant by, what he called, a very specific
allegation (the allegation that the Vatican had frustrated an
inquiry)............... The archbishop told us all that it was important to
know, so that we could move forward without having suspicions that there was
some other unknown agenda............... Hello? Is this really the same
Archbishop Martin who virtually applauded the Taoiseach’s speech the night it
was made — who said his only criticism of the speech was the Taoiseach hadn’t
also apologised for the State’s failings towards children? The day after the
Taoiseach’s speech, Archbishop Martin did an RTÉ interview where he made dark
references to a "cabal" in the Church that was still refusing to address the
issue of child protection.................. "What do you do’" he said, "when
groups, either in the Vatican or in Ireland, try to undermine what is being done
and ... simply refuse to understand what is being done? What sort of a cabal is
in there and still refusing to recognise the norms of the church?"..............
How can an archbishop, whom we’ve all admired for his forthrightness and his
obvious commitment to child protection, say something like that at the end of
July, and a month or so later be wondering aloud about whether the Taoiseach has
an unknown agenda?.................... What’s even more dispiriting is to hear
him repeating the same essential defence about mandatory reporting that is so
prevalent throughout the Vatican document..................... Why should we
criticise the Vatican for its attitude to reporting, the argument goes, when so
many bodies in Ireland were opposed to mandatory reporting? Why? Could the
question be posed another way? Have we no right to expect leadership from the
Church in relation to the protection of children, especially when it has always
so jealously guarded its right to lead all of us on every moral
question?.............. When it comes to divorce, or family planning, or
abortion, the Church has never felt the need to be silent, or to take its lead
from teacher unions or the Association of Social Workers. Why in the name of God
did the Church feel the need to be led by others in its duty of protecting
children?............. Throughout the 25 tedious pages of the Vatican’s
response, this kind of specious reasoning is substituted for the shame and
compassion we needed to see. Take the whole controversy about the letter from
the Vatican that described the Irish Hierarchy’s framework document on child
protection as a "study document"................... Boiled into its essence, the
Vatican’s defence of this letter is that the Cloyne Commission of Inquiry, and
the Government, misunderstood the letter and took it out of context. They go to
the most extraordinary lengths to try to establish that the Irish bishops were
actually only drawing up a report, (not even the bishops, actually, just a
sub-committee) and never sought formal recognition for it at all at all (or
"recognitio", in the quaint language of the Holy See). You can’t accuse us of
not telling them what to do, because they never asked us
properly....................... Isn’t this astonishing?................... The
Irish bishops were moved to act, the Vatican admits, because of a number of
high-profile cases of abuse of children perpetrated by priests in the 1990s. But
because they hadn’t got their technical language right, the Vatican can still
say, years later, that they were never really asked to approve
anything................. Anyway, the Vatican points out, the application of
Canon Law would have solved the problems of Cloyne. They even helpfully set out
the fundamental relevant principles in a footnote in their document. Here the
first two, only slightly abridged (and you can read them for yourselves if you
don’t believe me):..................... 1. If a bishop has knowledge, and
believes it to be true, that one of his priests has committed abuse, he should
make careful enquiries about the facts and circumstances;......................
2. In making such enquiries he will be very careful not to damage anyone’s
reputation................ It would make you weep. Was it any wonder the Irish
bishops might have thought they need some recognition for a slightly more
victim-friendly approach? The fundamental point in all of this is that someone
is telling a porkie. The Irish bishops told us that they had put this new
framework in place and that it had the full approval of the Church. The Vatican
is now telling us that in effect they had never asked for approval at all. Why
did our bishops never tell us that the framework hadn’t been approved or
recognised?................. Either our own bishops have been living with an
untruth all these years, or the Vatican is simply quoting scripture for its own
purposes.............. In any event, if our Taoiseach were to ask me for advice
on the subject, I’d tell him this: Ignore all those self-serving demands, from
the Vatican and their apologists here, that you should get involved in a debate
about spurious specifics. They’d love that — they’d love the idea that this
whole argument could get bogged down in Jesuitical parsing and analysing of
Latin phrases. It’s a joke............... I said here at the time that Enda
Kenny spoke nothing but the simple truth when he talked about the elitism and
the narcissism of the institutional church. What he should concentrate in now is
that one page or so, where the Vatican says it abhors the crime of sex abuse of
children which it admits occurred (and not just in Cloyne) and where the Church
admits its sorrow and shame. It is the Vatican’s job, and not the Taoiseach’s,
to demonstrate how its sorrow will lead to repentance, its shame to
atonement................... The 24 pages of point-scoring in their document
will not achieve either. By Fergus Finlay, September 2011
Remote User:
Date:
13 Sep 2011
Time:
09:03:49
Comments
Catholic lay movement must work to form different type of church…….. Rite nnd
Reason: .................The great significance of the drift from the Catholic
Church today is that it is not the weak who are leaving but the strong. What has
brought the Catholic Church in Ireland to its present sorry state is not just
the clerical sex scandal, bad and all as that is................... Nor is it
the failure of the bishops and the cardinal to understand the nature of the
accusations against them and the inadequacy of their response. The reason for
the reaction against them goes much deeper. What has not yet been fully
comprehended is that underneath the anger and rejection is a deep sense of
betrayal. We knew the church to be human and therefore fallible. What had not
been realised, despite abundant lessons from history, was that it could be
corrupt, dishonest and deceitful..................... That is the lesson we are
now learning and the lesson is hurtful. What might have gone some way towards
healing the wound would have been a spontaneous decision by the cardinal and
bishops involved to resign immediately the Murphy report was
published.............. Archbishop Martin instinctively and correctly realised
this but no bishop, except Bishop Moriarty of Kildare and Leighlin, resigned on
principle. The inadequate apologies of the cardinal and most of the bishops and
the cavalier treatment of the issue by Bishop Magee have done more harm than
good. A serious rift has opened between the institution and its members that
will not easily be bridged.................... The importance of the drift from
the church is that it is not the weak that are leaving but the strong that have
thought through their response and are taking a rational
decision.................. They are not the sort of cultural Catholics who go to
Mass because it is the done thing and not to go would attract unwelcome
attention and gossip............ What they are doing is breaking off contact
with a church they no longer consider to be the church Jesus Christ commanded
Peter and the Apostles to build. So far as is known they are not joining any
other church. They are waiting to see what is going to happen. There is little
doubt that they would come back if the church, through the pope and the bishops,
showed a proper understanding of what the clerical sex scandal really implies
and displayed a convincing degree of responsibility and contrition for what
happened.................... There is one hope on the horizon. It is that the
Roman Catholic Church in Ireland will be forced into completely revising how
religion is taught. In the past, instead of teaching its members to “love,
honour and obey God”, what the church has done is to teach them to love, honour
and obey the church. We need to learn that faith – a belief in God and
acceptance of the fundamental doctrines of the Apostles’ Creed – is not the same
as religion that is a way of practising that faith. We can disagree with the
practice, as many of us do over the new translation of the Missal, without in
any way repudiating our faith in God............... We need to be convinced that
the church is not perfect, that it does not consist solely of pope, bishops,
priests and religious and that the Holy Spirit works equally well through the
lay men and women who form the People of God. It would be too optimistic to
expect that the initiative for such a volte-face will come from the present pope
or his curia administrators. It will come only from a lay movement convinced
that the Holy Spirit wants them to work for a different church from the one that
allowed the clerical abuse scandal to be dealt with in such an arrogant,
inconsiderate and unChristian fashion……Desmond Fisher is a former editor of the
the Catholic Herald , and reported on the Vatican Council from 1962 to 1965. He
is also author of The Church in Transition , published in 1967. Desmond Fisher,
September, 2011
Remote User:
Date:
14 Sep 2011
Time:
01:49:15
Comments
During the time of Stalin people in Russia were not scared of Communism they
were scared of Stalin, like wise in Ireland way back they respected God but were
scared of the Church. not anymore thats why the Church has to gain respect to
get people backl in their Pews not put the fear of God up them as they always
did. Anonymous.
Remote User:
Date:
14 Sep 2011
Time:
09:18:45
Comments
Taoiseach's first duty is to the memory of the abused……. “The
institutionalisation of young women and the kidnapping and adoption of their
babies required complicity by the Catholic Church and the State, by the
professions and a wide section of Irish society. This country has much to be
ashamed of in that respect."………… Opinion: Going toe to toe with the Vatican is
less important than reconstructing the memory of those who suffered abuse in
Catholic institutions, writes Dermot Keogh…… An opportunity has been provided by
the tone and content of the Holy See’s reply to Taoiseach Enda Kenny and
Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs Eamon Gilmore to normalise relations
between Ireland and the Vatican, and to conduct daily discussions again at
ambassadorial level.............. This will mean, as soon as is practicable, the
nomination of a new apostolic nuncio to Ireland and the Government’s appointment
of a new ambassador to the Holy See.............. A spokesman for the Holy See,
when urged at a press conference at the weekend to respond to the Taoiseach’s
direct criticisms, backed away politely but firmly. The Holy See is seeking to
keep the lines of communication open for professional exchanges, and at a long
remove from the counterproductive practice of megaphone diplomacy. The latter
option will serve nobody’s interests................. There is now a chink of
light coming from a door half ajar, and both sides should avail of it. After
all, both the Holy See and the State have set the protection of children and
their safeguarding from the evils of sexual abuse as their highest priority.
Both entities, therefore, ought to set about ensuring that the lines of
communication are clear and that those entrusted with the task of serving at
ambassadorial level are well equipped for the job. In a previous article I
attempted to construct how the Holy See might have interpreted Kenny’s speech.
I, too, was critical of that part of the Taoiseach’s speech that related to the
Holy See. I felt the language was very loose and the accusations imprecise. I
did not doubt for an instant his bona fides as a politician determined to place
the protection of children as a primary goal of the Government. It is to be
regretted that other very important aspects of his speech were overshadowed by
the subsequent diplomatic row............. Kenny’s speech reflected his great
frustration in trying to deal with such a critical area of policy..............
Notwithstanding the extensive passage in the Holy See’s response explaining the
context in which the 1997 letter was sent to the Irish bishops by then papal
nuncio Luciano Storero, it was – to employ understatement and irony – less than
the Holy See’s finest diplomatic hour. It was, as drafted, a disaster. The
context in which it was sent to the bishops was a greater disaster...........
What is missing from the discussion is knowledge of the reaction of members of
the Irish hierarchy to the letter at the time. They must have been infuriated by
its timing and content. The letter was very unhelpful. What matters historically
is how it was interpreted at the time by those senior clerics who disagreed with
mandatory reporting. The Holy See’s response describes government thinking on
mandatory reporting in the mid-1990s. It is important to end the current
controversy that individual bishops voice their views on what they felt when
they received the letter. Did it cause discussion within the Irish Catholic
Bishops’ Conference?............. To ensure the protection of children,
immediate efforts should be made to bring the Catholic Church and the State
together to chart the way forward. An immediate meeting between the Government
and representatives of the hierarchy on that topic would go some way to trying
to focus again on the most important priority: the working of church and State
in concert to eliminate the evil of child sexual abuse from the
country............... That the 1997 letter was a disaster should be
acknowledged by church and State. That may remove a roadblock to dialogue and
co-operation. The Government’s next response to the Holy See does not, however,
require a raking over the coals of the Taoiseach’s July speech. I do not agree
that there is an onus on Kenny to substantiate allegations in his speech, and
one in particular referring to the actions of the Holy See three years
ago.................. There is universal recognition and approval of Kenny’s
leadership in the area of child care. That is the basis on which the triangular
co-operation between the Holy See, the Irish hierarchy and the Government must
be based. To do otherwise would be to invite a further round of diplomatic
clarifications and so postpone a return to normalcy................... A July
speech, Mark II, and the prolongation of acrimony, would not serve the interests
of the State’s vulnerable children................ Thanks to Kenny’s
prioritisation of a children-first policy, the State may, for the first time in
its history, face up to its responsibilities in this vital area. The 1916
proclamation and the 1919 democratic programme, so high on aspiration, might in
this one regard yet become a reality................ That, if it comes to pass,
will be long remembered, while aspects of the July speech will remain a matter
of debate among historians. The Taoiseach can lead the first government in the
history of the State to give such a high priority to child protection, welfare
and rights. That is what has come to be expected by the voters and it will not
be easy in a time of recession................. Part of that policy of healing
and justice, will require a full acknowledgement of the failures of successive
governments since the foundation of the State to protect children from
exploitation and from abuse. As Taoiseach, Bertie Ahern made a formal apology.
But a much more comprehensive approach is now called for to take into account
those tens of thousands of children and young women whose rights as citizens of
the State were abused and traduced in State-funded, religious-run
institutions................. Kevin Rudd, then prime minister of Australia, made
a formal apology in February 2008 for government policy which resulted in the
“stolen generations” of aboriginal children being forcibly removed from their
families and put “in care”. More recently, Catholic Church authorities in
Australia apologised in July this year for the forced adoption of children of
150,000 mothers. It is hard to believe such a figure could be correct. Was
Ireland, from the foundation of the State, any different or any better? Children
were taken from their families and put in industrial schools for the scantiest
of reasons.................... My maternal grandfather spent four years in St
Joseph’s industrial school in Tralee because his father’s newly acquired second
wife put him out on the side of the road. He was trained to be a farm labourer
and never spoke about his experiences in incarceration................. There
were thousands more like him. How many young girls, in service in big houses or
in the big farmhouses, were victims of rape and put in institutions because they
were pregnant? They were violated a second time when their children were taken
from them for forced adoption. The institutionalisation of young women and the
kidnapping and adoption of their babies required complicity by church and State,
by the professions and by a wide section of Irish society. There were many
so-called “bystanders” when these crimes were committed against the weakest and
most vulnerable. This country has much to be ashamed of in that
respect................ Argentina’s government has provided a template of what
should be done, by reconstructing the memory of the 30,000 who disappeared in
the 1970s “dirty war” and of the thousands of others who were illegally detained
and tortured. I have seen the value of that work at first hand. In this country,
a similar project ought to be initiated to help reconstruct the memory of those
who suffered, and to mark the graves of children buried outside consecrated
ground. It is long overdue for the memory of those deeds to be retrieved and
recorded as part of the history of the State. Kenny has an opportunity to set
such a process in motion............. He should not waste time slugging it out,
toe to toe, with the Holy See. He has set the Government a far more important
task…..Dr Dermot Keogh is professor emeritus of history, University College
Cork. He is currently the visiting Burns Scholar at Boston College. September
2011
Remote User:
Date:
14 Sep 2011
Time:
10:15:07
Comments
As I said before Church and State for years have been complicted in the
Kidnapping and Abduction of tens of thosands of boys and girls for the sole
purpose of Child slave labour and sexuel abuse and the now Irish Goverment is
trying to wash their hands by pointing their finger at Rome.As the one letter
says today think of the victims and the surviviors the ones who are suffering
and the ones who have suffered and have passed on RIP. So get on with it Kenny
you made your point but you and your Goverment are just as guilty as the
Goverments before you . as the Church of today is and the Church past
.Anonymous.
Remote User:
Date:
14 Sep 2011
Time:
15:08:36
Comments
Anonymous, You are so right. So many of my generation have suffered in silence
and gone to their graves too ashamed and afraid to speak out. Many might ask why
we did not speak? The answer is simple: who would believe us? How do you
explain, when asked: where in Ireland you come from? Because of my accent I fear
being asked for I know little of that country other than the first 17 years I
spent there. Most of the survivors would have problems articulating the effects
of being locked away from the outside world. Is it any wonder that the full
history of child labour in that evil Church/State is not fully recorded by the
victims? We were not educated; trained through control and fear; yes. We would
put a sheep dog to shame when, it came to responding to the order from the blast
of a whistle and a parrot by sounding off in Latin; not knowing its meanings.
I'm not sure that I've done the right thing by researching my past as I'm
finding it difficult to come to terms with my discoveries. There are more
questions than answers and all the relatives I was denied contact with from the
age of two are no longer alive. When I asked for court records relating to both
myself and my father; they are not available. Simple questions: why would two
children; a seven year old girl and her two year old brother be charged in the
same court with 'receiving alms'? The girl then sent to Whitehall Industrial
School in Dublin and the boy sent to St. Patrick's Killkenny. For what ever
reason the boy is then recorded as Charlie ( not his proper name) for the the
duration of his sentence; 14 years? The child is also recorded as illegitimate.
Could it be to stop any family member trying to visit the child. If so they were
successful as the child believed he was an orphan. The final question: When both
children appeared in court the mother accused the absent father of desertion. He
had left to work in the UK with her agreement. On his return he learned that his
children were in Industrial Schools and he was arrested. In court he was cleared
of all charges and the mother admitted that she had lied at the original
hearings. None the less both children remained in detention. Where and when will
justice be done for people of my generation? Padraig
Remote User:
Date:
15 Sep 2011
Time:
09:53:55
Comments
Vatican response is embarrassing for Taoiseach and Tanaiste –
Editor................... In a robust and forensically detailed 20 page response
issued today The Holy See has rejected “unfounded accusations” made by the
Taoiseach Enda Kenny and Tániste Eamonn Gilmore. In what could be termed a
“Velvet gloved” response the Holy See slaps down as unfounded and lacking
evidence much of Taoiseach Enda Kenny’s speech in the Dáil last July and
comments also made by the Tánaiste Eamonn Gilmore come in for equally strong
criticism. The Cloyne Report is also tackled for areas where it was factually
incorrect or lacked any evidence for some assertions relating to the Holy
See................... The Holy See also tackles the Cloyne Report saying it
provides no evidence of its assessment of the Vatican Letter in 1997 that it
gave comfort and support to those who dissented from official Church policy on
abuse. The Holy See says this assessment is inaccurate. It also says that the
Cloyne Report “provides no evidence” that Msgr O’Callaghan used the 1997 letter
to support his views. Even more seriously the Holy See says that the Cloyne
Report was “incorrect” in stating the Irish bishops sought recognition from Rome
for their 1996 Guidelines on child protection – they never sought it the Holy
See states and it adds: “The Holy See cannot be criticized for failing to grant
what was never requested in the first place”...................... The Statement
also goes on to say after extensive public consultations in 1996 the Irish
Government decided not to put in place mandatory reporting and quotes Mr Austin
Currie who was minister of State at the time. “Given that the Irish Government
of the day decided not to legislate on the matter, it is difficult to see how
Archbishop Storero’s letter to the Irish bishops, which was issued subsequently,
could possibly be construed as having somehow subverted Irish law or undermined
the Irish State in its efforts to deal with the problem in question.” It adds
that the reservations of the Congregation for the Clergy at that time were in
line with those expressed at the time by various professional groups and
individuals, including members of the Irish Govt.................. Speaking
specifically about the Taoiseach’s speech in the Dáil in July, it says it has
“significant reservations” and that the accusation that it attempted to
frustrate “an Inquiry in a sovereign, democratic republic as little as three
years ago, not three decades ago” is “unfounded” and something Mr Kenny “made no
attempt to substantiate”. It adds that accusations of interference are “belied
by the many reports cited as the basis for such criticisms”. It adds that these
reports “contain no evidence” of meddling in Irish affairs and what is
impressive about the Reports is given the vast information they rely on, “that
there is no support for these accusations”................... “The Cloyne Report
itself contains no statement” that would lend support to Mr Kenny’s
accusations.................. “…the Holy See wishes to make it quite clear that
it in no way hampered or interfered in the Inquiry into child sexual abuse cases
in the Diocese of Cloyne…furthermore at no stage did it seek to interfere with
Irish civil law or impede the civil authority..”.................. It also takes
to task the Taoiseach’s quote of a 1990 document on theologians by Cardinal
Ratzinger and says the document is concerned “with the theologian’s service to
the Church community”..and “not with the manner in which the Church should
behave within a democratic society nor with issues of child protection, as Mr
Kenny’s use of the quotation would seem to imply”. It adds “As a basic
methodological principle, a quotation extracted from a given text can be
correctly understood only when it is interpreted in the light of its context”.
The Holy See also says of Mr Eamon Gilmore’s accusations to the Apostolic Nuncio
that the Vatican undermined the Church’s own efforts, that “this charge is not
supported by an objective reading of the Cloyne Report nor by the fact that the
common practice of the Irish bishops was to apply the Framework Document” and
that “the Holy See does not accept the charge that “the Vatican intervened to
effectively have priests believe they could in conscience evade their
responsibilities under Irish law”. It says there is “no evidence” to support the
claim of an “intervention”................... It also says that “The Holy See
does not accept that it was somehow indifferent to the plight of those who
suffered abuse in Ireland, as Mr Kenny implied". September 2011
Remote User:
Date:
16 Sep 2011
Time:
08:58:08
Comments
Justice system may be too drawn out - but it works.......................
Opinion:..................... Witnessing a child sex attack and experiencing the
ensuing court case, four and a half years on, offers a new perspective on law in
action................... This is a peculiar anniversary for me. One year ago an
elderly man died in a Dublin hospital. The first time I encountered him was five
years earlier when he was committing a serious sexual assault on a child. In the
intervening period we stood in a lift together in the Criminal Courts of Justice
and sat in the same courtroom for several days. Our only exchange of words took
place during the initial encounter. Thereafter I spoke about him to a judge and
jury, but never addressed him directly.......................... Having been
involved with the criminal justice system for more than 20 years as a
researcher, teacher, penal reformer, and even for some time as a magistrate when
I lived in Oxford, my experience in this case gave me a new perspective on law
in action....................... So how did it happen that a professor of
criminology chanced upon a man – later revealed to be a dangerous sexual
psychopath – perpetrating an awful crime, and what did I learn as a result?
First, the circumstances. One fine morning in September 2005 I was out running
in a secluded location. That afternoon I was due to attend a conference in
Belfast and I was pleased to be stretching my legs and clearing my mind in
advance of the day’s business.................. To my left, I saw a man crouched
over a young girl. As I drew closer it became apparent that the child was naked
from the waist down and the man was touching her intimately. I called out, both
parties stood up and looked at me, and I proceeded to the only house in the
vicinity – which thankfully was nearby – to raise the alarm. An arrest followed
swiftly and the child, who the man knew well, was returned to her
mother...................... Having made my statement at the local Garda station
I waited for the wheels of justice to turn. One year passed, then another, then
two more. Eventually, after almost 4½ years, the scene was set for a trial. At
this point I thought that the accused person would plead guilty and avail of the
discount that is applied when a victim is spared the ordeal of testifying and
undergoing the stress of cross-examination. But he chose not to do
so..................... Without going into the process in detail it is fair to
say that the judge was unfailingly courteous and the barristers were rigorous in
their testing of the evidence. In addition the technology worked well with the
child, at this stage a teenager, testifying over a video link from a different
part of the building................... I had no doubt what I had seen and,
being aware of the frailty of human memory, had taken the precaution of making
an immediate written record. This proved to be of great assistance. The accused
man knew his liberty was at stake and was determined to fight. The victim wanted
to put matters behind her, not wishing to elaborate on an incident that had
caused so much distress so long ago. Given that the burden of proof – beyond a
reasonable doubt – is so high in a criminal case, the outcome of the proceedings
was always uncertain................ Nonetheless, after due deliberation, the
jury returned a verdict of guilty, whereupon the prosecution informed the court
of the man’s criminal record. This included 10 years’ imprisonment for rape and
attempted murder. Had he been acquitted these facts would not have come to
light. The judge described the crime as “disgusting and revolting” and to
reflect this he imposed a prison term of 7½ years. However, on the grounds of
ill-health, and following representations from the Irish Prison Service that it
could not cope with his medical condition, the sentence was suspended. A form of
home detention was substituted with a requirement to reside at a specified
address which could only be vacated for a couple of hours each
day................ Despite its lack of bite the sentence at least brought
clarity. There was no longer any doubt about which version of events was true.
The perpetrator, who had been on bail since the offence, could not portray
himself as the victim of an unfair prosecution. The child and her family could
at last try to get on with their lives................ At the same time the
sentence was the catalyst for vigilantism targeted at the perpetrator. To
demonstrate their abhorrence of law-breaking, local people engaged in serious
criminality including threats and arson attacks. There are several lessons to be
drawn from this experience. The first is that the system can be slow, far too
slow. Not many cases take as long as this one. But if a child is involved, the
pain is amplified the longer the process is elongated.................. It is
not entirely true to say that justice delayed is justice denied, but the
unhurried nature of proceedings does say something about the system’s
priorities. Surely there is scope for extending the duration of court sittings,
whether by opening longer each day or for more days each year?..................
Secondly, I was persuaded of the importance of not revealing anything about an
accused person’s prior record, if such exists. The removal of this protection is
sometimes demanded by those who feel that the system is tilted too much in
favour of the offender. But it is an important safeguard. A fair trial would
have been almost impossible in this case if the jury had been aware of the man’s
previous convictions. Thirdly, a trial is an ordeal for everyone involved. It is
almost unheard of for cases of sexual violence to be witnessed and victims are
reluctant to come forward for fear of enduring further trauma. Given what we
know about the high attrition rate in such cases, the argument for adequate
victim support is overwhelming...................... Finally, my faith in the
jury system was affirmed. Lay participation is sometimes held out as an
impediment to swift and certain justice and there are undeniable challenges
ensuring that juries are truly representative of the citizenry. But criminal
justice is administered on everyone’s behalf and wide public participation
enhances its legitimacy. Strange as it might sound, some decisions are too
important to leave to the experts. September 2011
Remote User:
Date:
17 Sep 2011
Time:
15:15:26
Comments
Will Government continue its war on the Vatican?...................... - David
Quinn................. The case against Rome is grossly exaggerated, writes
David Quinn The Government has its response from the Vatican and so far it has
rejected the response, describing it, in the words of Minister for Foreign
Affairs Eamon Gilmore as ''legalistic''.................. But the Government has
not yet rebutted any of the substantive points made in the
response.................... Its vitriolic attack on the Vatican following the
publication of the Cloyne Report went down well with most of the public, and
with the Irish media................ It was reported internationally and no
doubt it was taken note of by governments internationally, including, as it
turns out, the Chinese government whose newspaper used the Taoiseach's
anti-Vatican speech to buttress its own attack on the independence of the
Catholic Church in China..................... So far as Irish public opinion is
concerned, the Government will be able to get away with dismissing the Vatican's
response because the Irish media are as anti-Vatican as the Government itself,
and because there is no real political opposition on these issues in this
country............... But the Vatican issued its response in Italian and
Spanish as well as in English meaning it wants the world's diplomatic community
to read it. In particular, embassies to the Holy See will read it and they will
report its contents to their own governments and they will note that the
Taoiseach's attack on the Vatican was scatter-gun and badly framed. So while the
attack went down well with public opinion, the view of governments that pay
attention to the Holy See is likely to be of a different order............. They
will say nothing publicly, but some will conclude that the attack, which
addressed the Holy See as though it was an enemy state, was at a minimum
amateurish................. When it boils down to it, that attack was based
largely on a letter sent to the bishops by the then papal nuncio in
1997................. Status:.................... The letter conveyed the view
of the Vatican's Congregation for the Clergy concerning the bishops' new child
protection guidelines introduced the previous year................ Both the
Cloyne Report and the Government accused the Vatican of seriously undermining
the Irish bishops' guidelines via the letter. In a note delivered to the papal
nuncio, Eamon Gilmore said the Vatican had ''intervened to effectively have
priests believe they could in conscience evade their responsibilities under
Irish law''............... The Government was particularly incensed that the
letter described the 1996 guidelines as ''a study document'' because this
description seemed to greatly diminish status of the guidelines............. In
addition, the letter expressed serious reservations about the guidelines'
mandatory reporting requirement, that is, the requirement that all cases of
child abuse be reported to the civil authorities even when it was against the
wishes of the victims themselves............ Finally, and while not mentioned in
the letter, there was anger that the Vatican had not given its official
approval, or recognitio to the guidelines which also had the effect of
undermining them, it was alleged................... In its response, the Vatican
replies forensically and comprehensively to all these charges................. A
fair observer would have to conclude that while the 1997 letter was unhelpful in
that it did nothing to strengthen the guidelines, the case against it is grossly
exaggerated........... To begin with, the letter's description of the guidelines
as a ''study document'' was based in effect on the Irish hierarchy's own
description of it................. Secondly, and contrary to the Cloyne Report,
the Vatican didn't grant its recognitio to the guidelines because it was never
asked to do so. Thirdly, the Government is skating on thin ice when it complains
that the letter had reservations about mandatory reporting because the
Government of the day -- led by Fine Gael and Labour -- had identical
reservations as the Vatican response abundantly proves.................. Our
feature on page 8 deals in more detail with the Vatican's response and how it
rebuts the Government on a point-by-point basis. So far, critics are attacking
the response on the grounds that it is too legalistic and that it refuses to
assign any blame at all to the Vatican. But let us keep in mind that the
document was of necessity largely legalistic because the Government wanted the
Vatican to address the issues of civil and canon law............... And given
the fact that the Government was unfairly placing a huge amount of the blame on
the Vatican itself for the failure of Cloyne diocese to properly implement the
1996 guidelines, what was the Vatican to do but defend itself against this most
serious charge, one that was made against it before the whole
world?.............. Vitriol:.................. In fact, given the seriousness
of the charge, and the vitriolic nature of the attack, the surprise is that the
Vatican's response is so measured in tone. It must have been tempted to respond
in kind................. What will happen now? Certainly, the Government will
not apologise for anything it has said. That would be expecting too much of it.
The best we can hope for is that while the Government will not back down so much
as an inch, it will at least seek to calm things down. If it does not, if it
decides to return again to using hostile and angry language when addressing the
Vatican -- egged on by an increasingly anti-Catholic media -- there is no
telling where this will end. We must hope cooler heads will prevail in the end.
Sep 2011
Remote User:
Date:
18 Sep 2011
Time:
16:10:05
Comments
Women failed to protect children too, says priest...... A Catholic priest came
under fire last night after claiming that far too many wives and mothers "failed
miserably" to deal with the abuse of their children by other family members. Fr
Paddy Banville, a curate in the Ferns Diocese, said a significant percentage of
the population was implicated in the cover-up of abuse. Writing in this week's
'Irish Catholic' newspaper, he said Irish society did not want to hear the truth
about child sexual abuse in Ireland. "There is another category of people that
will match the failure of the bishops and probably surpass it; the wives and
mothers of Ireland, not exclusively wives and mothers but far too many who
failed miserably to deal with the abuse of their children by other family
members. "In exposing abuse within the Catholic Church, we have opened the door
to hell and stepped inside the front porch, and standing there in horror some
have dared to peer further, into the hallway and reception areas of a very dark
and unexplored house," he wrote. "In time I believe Ireland will discover there
is nothing particularly unique in the Catholic bishops' bungling attempts to
deal with clerical abuse . . . in fact, I believe covering up is a typical
response to child abuse right across the board, at least until very recently."
Reacting to his comments, the One in Four organisation said it had nothing to
say about somebody "who could show such complete lack of understanding about
sexual abuse". Violence: The Dublin Rape Crisis Centre (DRCC) said the comments
were a good argument for a second nationwide report into the extent of sexual
abuse and violence in Ireland. The first such report in 2002 found that more
than 80pc of children were abused by those known to them and that just 3.2pc of
abusers were clerics. However, DRCC chief executive Ellen O'Malley-Dunlop said
that since those findings, a plethora of reports on child sexual abuse had been
published and new comparisons were needed. "To put the onus on the mothers of
Ireland in the context of what happened to the victims of clerical child abuse
is just shocking," she said. Last night Fr Banville stood over his comments. "I
know the church failed miserably (in dealing with child sexual abuse) but in
time I think we will come to realise that this is a mirror image of the failure
in wider society," he told the Irish Independent. He had not argued that wives
and mothers had exclusively failed to deal with the abuse of their children, but
was saying that for a mother to discover that their child had been abused and
fail to do something was "perhaps the most horrific failure of all". "It is not
just wives and mothers who knew of abuse. So did husbands and fathers, brothers
and sisters as well as citizens and priests. "I am not in any way defending the
church but the church is just the beginning of a much bigger picture," he said.
By Fergus Black, September 2011
Remote User:
Date:
19 Sep 2011
Time:
10:21:44
Comments
Kenny’s anger was righteous, but speech was lazy……. In the Dail on July 20, in
that celebrated speech berating the Vatican, Enda Kenny said the Holy See sought
to ‘‘frustrate an inquiry in a sovereign, democratic republic as little as three
years ago, not three decades ago’’. Shortly after he made the speech, the Irish
Times asked the Taoiseach what he was referring to when he mentioned an event of
‘‘three years ago’’. A spokesman said that Kenny wasn’t referring to any
specific incident; it was, rather, a figure of speech. Diarmuid Martin, the
Catholic Archbishop of Dublin, said that Kenny’s claim needed verification. He
said there was no evidence in the Murphy report about clerical sex abuse in the
Cloyne diocese to substantiate the Taoiseach’s claim. Eamon Gilmore was asked
what evidence there was to substantiate the Taoiseach’s claim that, as recently
as three years ago, the Vatican had attempted to frustrate the Murphy inquiry.
‘‘Let’s be clear about the specifics,’’ Gilmore replied. ‘‘Children were abused.
Let’s not be distracted now, let’s not miss the point.’’ Continuing to miss (or
evade) the point, he said: ‘‘Children were abused, it was not handled
appropriately by the Church. ‘‘We brought that to the attention of the Vatican
and asked for their response. We are not going to be dragged into a prolonged
semantic debate about standing up this phrase or that phrase.’’ In its statement
last Thursday night on the Vatican’s response to the Cloyne report, the
government sidestepped Archbishop Martin’s question. Then later last Thursday
night, and again last Friday morning, Minister for Justice Alan Shatter came up
with an answer that, apparently, nobody else - including Kenny himself - had
thought of. It was that the Papal Nuncio had failed, in 2008, to bring to the
Murphy Commission’s attention the letter written by a previous nuncio in 1997.
This said that the guidelines drawn up by the bishops on how allegations of
clerical sex abuse should be handled was merely a ‘‘study’’ document, a response
which allowed the pretext that the guidelines were not to be taken seriously by
the Catholic clergy. How does that explanation fit with Kenny’s own
‘‘clarification’’ (communicated through his spokesman) that he wasn’t referring
to a particular incident, and the remark was merely a figure of speech? And how
does it fit with Gilmore’s waffle when Martin’s question was put to him? It’s
obvious that whoever wrote the July 20 speech for Kenny overreached themselves,
which is hardly good enough on an issue as sensitive as this. The Vatican itself
also avoided some key issues in its response to the Cloyne report. In
particular, it avoided explaining why it had refused even to answer
communications addressed to it by the Murphy commission, and why it had failed
to provide the information requested. That certainly was an attempt to
‘‘frustrate an inquiry in a sovereign, democratic republic’’, but that was much
longer than three years ago, although that hardly matters. The explanation for
the nuncio’s letter of 1997 has some plausibility, but only allowing for the
cocoon which these Catholic prelates inhabit. The nuncio was referring not to
the guidelines whereby the Church would cooperate with the civil authorities,
but how the guideline fitted with canon law. There is a plausible claim that the
guidelines in that context might facilitate a perpetrator of abuse to escape the
canon law disciplines. But the manner in which that letter was phrased did -
arguably, at least - give a pretext for clerics to refuse to cooperate with the
civil powers. However, it is obvious, as Martin has pointed out, that the letter
had no such impact on the Irish bishops, for they went ahead anyway to agree the
guidelines unanimously. The problem was that not all bishops adhered to what
they had agreed. The cocoon is relevant to the whole issue of the cover-up of
clerical child sex abuse in away that I find troubling. If one believes, as
Catholic bishops presumably do, that the institution of the Catholic Church was
founded by Jesus, who is God, and that the purpose of this initiative was to
provide an agency through which humankind would be saved from eternal damnation,
then surely the Catholic Church itself is a profoundly sacred institution whose
interests and welfare surpass in importance not just every other institution
(including sovereign states) but the interests and welfare of every other
entity, including human beings, even children. Given that, is not the reputation
and standing of the Catholic Church of paramount importance, superior even to
the welfare of children? After all, we are talking about eternity here and, even
if a person’s life is blighted from childhood because of clerical abuse, what is
that in the context of eternity, and what is it in the context of the agency
that is divinely ordained to salvage all humankind from damnation in all
eternity? There seems to be a problem here. By Vincent Browne, Sept 2011
Remote User:
Date:
19 Sep 2011
Time:
10:49:39
Comments
Sexual abuse - Government must ease anxiety....... The marked upsurge in demand
for access to the confidential therapeutic files of children in therapy for
sexual abuse is a worrying development that ought to be addressed as a matter of
urgency. Up to now requests for access to such files have been the exception
rather than the rule, according to the CARI Foundation which offers counselling
to victims of child abuse and has long campaigned for strong legal protection
for children. Generally speaking, demands for sight of highly sensitive
documents have come mainly from lawyers acting for the defendant in criminal
cases. But, according to Mary Flaherty, CARI’s chief executive, applications for
the right to see personal therapeutic files are growing in frequency, a trend
also reported by other therapy services. Apparently, the Director of Public
Prosecutions is increasingly asking for them at the earliest stages of court
cases. The inherent danger of this development is that in the long term it may
be virtually impossible to offer therapy while a judicial case is still ongoing.
Effectively, a child might have to wait as long as two years before therapeutic
work could begin, with all that that implies. Ireland has a long history of not
giving children the protection they need against abuse. As a result, thousands
became victims of terrible abuse by priests, nuns and members of religious
orders under the unseeing eyes of the state. What CARI wants is for the state to
provide independent legal representation for victims of child sexual abuse. That
would make a lot of sense. As Ms Flaherty argues, the issue is of great concern
because the cornerstone of all good therapy is the safety and security given to
clients by the promise of confidentiality. At present, victims are merely
witnesses in sex abuse trials. In rape cases, for instance, under Ireland’s
adversarial legal system, women have been portrayed in the role of perpetrator
rather than victim. As a result, many have been discouraged from pressing
charges. It is crucial that parents of children requiring therapy are not
deterred from seeking support out of fear that if routine access to confidential
records were the norm, then the child’s right to privacy would be seriously
affected. Not only would such a development be counter-productive, it would
deprive them of the support necessary to recover without suffering long-term
negative impacts on their own lives and on society at large. The fact that
Minister Frances Fitzgerald will launch the CARI Report today should give
encouragement to those at the coal-face of this problem. There can be no
justification for Government to delay the introduction of measures designed to
ensure that children are protected in the courts through separate representation
or some other legal remedy deemed appropriate. The Coalition should take
positive steps to ease the anxieties of parents whose children are receiving
therapy for sexual abuse by making certain that organisations can continue to
ensure confidentiality. It would be a travesty of justice if parents were put
off from seeking timely therapy for abused children because they feared
treatment would be delayed and that a child’s rights would not be adequately
protected. Monday, September 19, 2011
Remote User:
Date:
19 Sep 2011
Time:
10:50:41
Comments
Therapy files used to ‘get abusers off hook’........ Defence solicitors in child
abuse cases which go to court are increasingly looking for therapy notes in a
bid to "get their client off the hook", a children’s support group has said.
Children At Risk in Ireland (CARI) launches its annual report today, with
helpline figures showing a 38% increase in calls from people regarding
sexualised behaviour in young children, and a 13% overall increase in the number
of calls received. However, CARI will use today’s launch to raise its concerns
over the "significant increase" in demands for access to files of children
attending therapy sessions provided by the organisation. CARI chief executive,
Mary Flaherty, said the rate of requests had grown from one application over a
10-year period to "a couple of times" in the past two years. Given the
relatively small number of child sex abuse cases which make it to court, she
said this was a "marked increase" and that new legislation was needed to defend
the right of victims to keep their therapy notes private. CARI is notified of
between 70 and 100 new cases of child sex abuse every year, but Ms Flaherty said
"only a tiny amount" make it to court, meaning two or three requests for therapy
notes were "significant". "In the past such requests were exceptional and
normally sought by the defence, but have become more frequent and are now being
sought by the DPP (Director of Public Prosecutions) at the earliest stage in
cases," she said. Ms Flaherty said a failure to disclose a file has been used
for grounds for appeal, which was why the DPP was now tending to include them
routinely in certain cases. As for defence requests for the files, she said: "It
is to find any weakness in their [the victim’s] account, any variation. It is to
see if there is anything there that can help them to get off the hook." She said
this was a "huge imbalance" in the justice system and one which needed to be
addressed as it caused "absolute devastation" for the victim. Minister for
Children Frances Fitzgerald will launch the CARI report today and is expected to
address the issue. Government Special Rapporteur for Children, Geoffrey Shannon,
has outlined possible changes to the law that would offer greater protection for
victims in his latest report to the Oireachtas, which was submitted in May. In
it Mr Shannon states: "Any new statutory framework proposed should seek to
achieve a balance between the competing interests of the complainant, the
public, and the accused in deciding whether non-disclosure is justified." Call
surge: CARI annual report statistics. - 1,417 calls. - 13% increase in completed
calls. - 38% rise in calls linked to sexualised behaviour in children. - 17%
rise in calls linked to rape/sexual assault. - 24% increase in therapy services
being used in Dublin… By Noel Baker, Monday, September 19, 2011
Remote User:
Date:
19 Sep 2011
Time:
11:10:33
Comments
Abuse watchdog director quit before investigation into order...... CORI’S
representative on the National Board for Safeguarding Children in the Catholic
Church (NBSCCC) resigned as a director of the board just days before the
watchdog began investigating his own order’s implementation of child protection
guidelines. Professor David Smith is also the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart’s
child protection delegate and is the priest charged with overseeing best
practice in the area. Last month, the NBSCCC began an investigation into that
order’s handling of clerical sex abuse complaints. Several weeks later, the
gardaí and HSE announced that they were to investigate allegations of past
sexual and physical abuse at the former boarding school, Carrignavar College,
which was run by the Sacred Heart Missionaries. Prof Smith sat on the NBSCCC for
two years before resigning on July 21. Last night, an NBSCCC spokesman said no
reason was given for his resignation and they could "not confirm or deny" that
the resignation was linked to the current investigation and a possible conflict
of interest. Allegations of widespread sexual and physical abuse at Carrignavar
first came to light at the end of July when Fianna Fáil senator Mark Daly
attacked the order for its failure to properly monitor a former school principal
who was on restricted ministry, having been accused of seven counts of child sex
abuse. The priest was regularly flying abroad without supervision or permission.
Yesterday, Mr Daly said: "I would have been in communication with Professor
Smith about my concerns for up to a year before I raised the issue in the
Seanad. "I had raised my concerns that the necessary restrictions were not being
adhered to. I was pointing out serious current breaches of Church protection
guidelines in his own order and, at the same time, he was sitting on the board
charged with ensuring best practice across the wider Church." In late July, the
Seanad was told that former Carrignavar principal Fr Donnacha Mac Cárthaigh,
also a former selector with the Cork minor football team, was regularly
travelling out of the country despite being on restricted ministry. The order
had settled two civil cases after former pupils alleged sexual abuse. Prof Smith
was unavailable for comment yesterday. By Claire O’Sullivan, Monday, September
19, 2011
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Date:
19 Sep 2011
Time:
11:12:32
Comments
Irish reports 'core' to abuse claim against Vatican...... Ireland’s Report on
clerical sex abuse form “a core part” of a complaint lodged against Pope
Benedict XVI by two US advocacy groups at the International Criminal Court in
the Hague last week. Members of Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests
(Snap) and the Center for Constitutional Rights visited Ireland at the weekend
following their submission, which contains Irish reports, including the Cloyne
report, and observations about the Vatican made by Taoiseach Enda Kenny in his
Dáil speech in July. “Ireland really led the way in helping us have an
understanding of how this works and identifying all the practices that are used
in different dioceses around the world that have continued and enabled the
sexual violence,” said Pamela Spees, human rights lawyer with the centre. The
groups lodged a 20,000-page dossier which is an attempt to hold the Holy See and
the pope legally responsible for widespread abuse by priests in various
countries. It is calling on the court to investigate the Vatican for “crimes
against humanity.” Investigations from Ireland are being combined with those
from Canada, Germany the US and elsewhere. “When you look at it all together, it
really does set out very clearly that everyone is conforming to policy. There is
a lot for them to look at and we hope they look at it carefully,” Ms Spees said.
Ireland was “such an important site” with “so many significant developments
which contribute to the understanding of how this operates in church policy”,
she said. The Irish experience was “a core part” of the submission and has
“contributed significantly”. Founding Snap member and US clerical abuse survivor
Peter Isley said much had been done in Ireland to embrace the principle that
“the church cannot investigate its own crimes”. He described the details in the
Irish reports as “stunning”. On reading them, he said, “it’s hard to imagine
that you wouldn’t conclude how it [the Vatican] has to be brought [before] an
international criminal court”. Mr Isley was visiting Dublin “to express
tremendous gratitude to the survivors of this country”. “It is really hard to
overestimate how victims in the United States are watching and applauding
survivors and the Government here and others in making truly historic change,”
he said. Mr Kenny’s speech had an impact on survivors around the world. “We have
been waiting a long time for political leadership to speak in unambiguous tones
about this,” he said. It did not matter where victims came from as they were
“their own country” of the “dispossessed, raped and molested” and would “succeed
together” using international law. “Somewhere in the world an international
authority aside from the Vatican has to start looking at these crimes,” he
continued. He asked why the International Criminal Court existed “if not to
protect children around the world”. Children were already safer because of the
submission file because it encourages survivors to come forward, he added. The
groups are now waiting to see whether the court will take on the case.
Commentators have said it was unlikely the court would take on this case given
many of the crimes took place before 2002. By Genevieve Carbery, Monday,
September 19, 2011
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Date:
20 Sep 2011
Time:
10:16:02
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Church must face need for institutional and theological renewal....... Rite &
Reason: For many Catholics, the institutional church has become an obstacle to
faith The Maelstrom of the clerical abuse crisis in the Catholic Church has
exposed already existing fault lines. Weaknesses in church governance and the
absence of a meaningful theology of human relationships are at the heart of much
that needs reform. The ongoing revelations of cover-up, as most recently
disclosed in the Cloyne report, have driven many to despair. Attempts to
contextualise clerical child abuse by saying it is at the same level as in
secular society fails to recognise that when it is perpetrated by figures who
claim moral and spiritual power over others the consequences are frequently even
more devastating. There is a disconnection between the gospel message of love,
compassion and justice and the institutional response to revelations of clerical
abuse of children. Do the institution’s snail-like response to revelations of
abuse and, worse, its efforts to conceal the truth on many occasions serve the
gospel? The monarchical model of the church where power and authority reside at
the top has failed the gospel imperative to look after the most vulnerable.
Vatican II proposes a different model where the church is a community of
believers on the way, a community in dialogue with the best insights of human
wisdom, reading “the signs of the times”. The present model has more in common
with imperial Rome, with its emphasis on power and loyalty to the institution
above all else. The church continues to try to manage rather than confront this
crisis. Confronting a crisis in any organisation requires openness, transparency
and the ability to listen, especially to those most affected by it. Surely the
church should want to know how and why those who should have been advocating on
behalf of children were often their tormentors? Is it not time for a more
appropriate and immediate response? For a rigorous and all- encompassing inquiry
conducted by experts and informed by the experience and reflections of those
abused, with recommendations made public? Questions need to be asked. Why did
people ordained to serve the Christian community allow the rape, sodomy and
torture of children to happen? What were the factors that led men to abuse their
positions of power for their own sexual gratification? Why did the church’s
response seek to conceal the evil committed and deny its own understanding of
the sacrament of penance where acknowledgment of evil done is the first step to
reconciliation? Behind all the obfuscation and denial that has gone on for so
long is the question: what kind of theology operated in the minds of the
custodians of the gospel? What theology of human relationships directed and
continues to direct their thinking? What is their understanding of human
sexuality? Negativity towards sexuality has been the dominant motif in Catholic
teaching since the time of Augustine. Later, a physicalist outlook viewed the
only end of marriage as procreation. The body was made to procreate, as the eye
is made to see, and any other use of sexual expression was wrong. Such thinking
leads to the notion that homosexual love is “intrinsically evil” and a “serious
disorder”. Yet Vatican II expanded the meaning of marriage when it said the
intimacy of the couple is as worthy an end of the relationship as procreation
and opened up the possibility of a renewed theology of human relationships. When
the church issues moral teachings about social justice, economics, war and
peace, it informs its teaching with insights from science, philosophy,
psychology, sociology and history. However, the teaching about sexuality omits
the wisdom of the world around us and relies solely on the authority of the
Vatican. Justice in human relationships demands respect for the other, desire
for the other’s wellbeing and the absolute imperative to do no harm. If the
biblical concept of justice had been a guiding principle in the theology of
sexual morality, how could ordained ministers have engaged in denial and
cover-up of assaults on vulnerable children? For many, the institutional church
has become an obstacle to faith, yet many remain attached to their local church
community where they experience an authentic gospel. The gospel message remains
faithful where a community supports each member according to their needs,
spiritual and physical, where the local priest walks with them in their daily
journey of life with its joys and sorrows. Nevertheless, the challenge of
institutional and theological renewal is needed more than ever. By Ina Menzies,
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
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Date:
21 Sep 2011
Time:
15:23:43
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Don't rush for a remedy - Garry O'Sullivan....... The former Bishop of Derry Dr
Edward Daly has called for an end to clerical celibacy because he is worried
about the decreasing number of priests and the number of older priests. Dr Daly,
77, addresses the issue in a new book about his life in the church, A Troubled
See. I wish Dr Daly well but I don't share his clerical vision for institutional
reform. More priests, whether married or not, are not the answer to the needs of
the Church. Less people are going to Mass, parishes are being clustered, and
slowly laity are being brought in from the cold and are being asked to get
involved. There is a shortage of money (how will parish collections support a
married priest?) so more and more lay involvement will have to be voluntary. The
current model of Church in Ireland is broken. Let's resist the rush for a
remedy. Instead, we should stop to listen to respected priests like Fr Aquinas
Duffy when he says that there is huge frustration at the lack of real change.
More and more burdens are being put on priests but priests need to let these
burdens go and do what they were ordained to do, be sacramental ministers. How
many priests are truly prepared to give up their positions on committees and
hand over completely to laity? Many will say it's just not possible at the
moment. So the 'show', as Diarmuid Martin called it, is kept on the road. Yet
while the archbishop talks about the problems of the 'show on the road', one of
his most senior priests resigns after only a few months as his chairman of the
council of priests and says the lack of planning is causing disillusionment. If
there is a lack of planning then there is a lack of leadership -- and to
question the leadership ability of Archbishop Martin (outside of child abuse) is
to find oneself in a very lonely place. Yet Archbishop Martin did admit in a
speech during the year that he may not be the person for the job, so perhaps my
position is not as lonely as I first thought! Fr Aquinas cites disillusionment
-- the illusion is that this Church model should be propped up, that we should
keep the show on the road, that elderly priests should be worked until they
drop, that we should find remedies that involved more clergy, that clustering
will solve our problems, that priests should have their salaries and pensions
squeezed because they will take the pain quietly. Disillusionment might be a
good thing in today's Church as it might wake us up from our sleep-walking and
realise that there is a widespread spiritual hunger in society that is not being
fed and we have little to say to it. Fr Duffy is right; a rash enthusiasm for
blunt instruments and hurried policies that will be the key to restoration of
Catholicism are Utopian and anxiety driven. Don't rush the remedy; we need to
sit like Elijah at the mouth of the cave and wait for the storms, hurricanes,
earthquakes and fire to all blow by, then and only then, will the voice of God
make itself known and be heard in a quiet voice. Elijah was disillusioned
because he felt his career was a failure, yet as one biblical commentator says:
''It was Elijah's daily conduct rather than his miracles which had impressed
these seven thousand and led them to hold fast their integrity.'' It is the
daily conduct of priests and how they allow the quiet voice of God to be heard
in hungry hearts that will impress. When Elijah heard the voice of God, God took
him out of his disillusionment and introspection and gave him more work to do.
That is all that God ultimately demands of priests too, do the work you were
ordained to do. September 2011
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Date:
22 Sep 2011
Time:
10:14:50
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Children's-persectives research to be launched today...... The Minister for
Children and Youth Affairs Frances Fitzgerald will launch new research today on
the experiences children have growing up in Ireland. The research captures the
perspectives of children on a range of issues from their family life, their
health and well being and their expectations for the future. One hundred and
twenty nine-year-old children and their parents took part in the study.
Thursday, September 22, 2011
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Date:
22 Sep 2011
Time:
10:16:07
Comments
Child workers should be vetted every 3 years, committee told..... Proposals over
the vetting of people working with children should include a requirement that
people are re-vetted every three years, an Oireachtas Committee heard yesterday.
Children’s rights organisations and sports groups were invited to make
submissions yesterday on the heads of the National Vetting Bureau Bill and while
the proposed legislation was broadly welcomed, serious concerns were also
raised. Both the Irish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (ISPCC)
and Barnardos said clarity was needed over the use of certain terms in the bill
relating to the "ad hoc" nature of interaction with children through employment,
and what was meant by "regular, ongoing, unsupervised access" to children. ISPCC
director of advocacy, Caroline O’Sullivan, said that increased resources would
need to be provided to the Garda National Vetting Bureau to deal with increased
demand, and that private residences would need to be included in the draft bill
as possible places of work. Both the ISPCC and Barnardos said many people,
through volunteering at sports clubs and their job, could be vetted a number of
times, while other people were not. The draft bill also includes provision for
the use of "soft information", but both the ISPCC and Barnardos said the list of
bodies with such information needed to be disclosed, and Barnardos chief
executive, Fergus Finlay, said it was essential the HSE was on that list. Ms
O’Sullivan said she would prefer a three-year re-vetting provision with scope to
vet in the interim if relevant information about an individual came to light. As
for volunteers and access to sensitive information held by bodies such as
Barnardos, Mr Finlay said every person working with children needed to be
vetted, stating: "The truth is that a groomer only needs ad-hoc access. A
groomer only needs occasional access to begin the development of a
relationship." The GAA said it had 30,000 of its members across different
jurisdictions vetted since 2009 and that it had developed an online vetting
service for its members, operating through Croke Park. In its submission, Swim
Ireland said anyone within its organisation, including volunteers, should be
subject to vetting and that soft information needed to be readily available were
an individual to move between organisations. Caroline Counihan, legal adviser
with the Rape Crisis Network of Ireland , said that "reliable, accessible data
is vital" in its work, particularly as it receives information relating to 1,500
victims at its 15 centres around the country each year. By Noel Baker, Thursday,
September 22, 2011
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Date:
22 Sep 2011
Time:
10:16:59
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Archbishop Martin: Parishioner money not used to pay abuse-claim costs.... A
claim that the Dublin Archdiocese is using parish funds to cover the cost of
clerical sexual abuse claims has been rejected by Archbishop Diarmuid Martin.
The Irish Catholic newspaper claims the Archdiocese proposed that parishes
donate funds from their cash surpluses to help fill a deficit in an account used
to pay lawyers fees and compensation for victims of clerical child sex abuse.
Last year, the Dublin Archdiocese ruled out asking parishioners to help fund the
multi-million euro costs of the claims. According to the Irish Catholic, the
Dublin diocese has paid €13.5m so far and it is estimated a further €6.34m will
be needed to cover the bill from child sexual abuse allegations. Archbishop
Diarmuid Martin said the account in question was used to fund diocesan needs in
general, and was not dedicated to the payment of sexual-abuse claim costs.
However, he did not rule out the possibility that money from the account could
be used to help fund such claims in future. Thursday, September 22, 2011
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Date:
22 Sep 2011
Time:
10:27:31
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Priests reject levy as a 'stealth tax' - Garry O'Sullivan…… Suggest selling
Clonliffe and leave pensions untouched………. A proposed levy on Catholic
households has been deemed 'unfair and unjust' with some priest deaneries
describing it as a 'stealth tax' and saying it is unworkable or would bankrupt
parishes, The Irish Catholic can reveal. In a substantial majority of reports by
priests sent to Archbishop's House, priests call for transparency in the
finances of the Dublin diocese and more consultation with laity on parish
committees. In 12 out of 16 deanery reports, issues such as the cost of the
central administration and the number of people employed by it as well as the
cost and transparency around parish pastoral workers (PPWs) are raised,
sometimes in strong negative language. Many question if the process was a
genuine consultation with clergy or just window dressing, demonstrating a lack
of trust between some clergy and Archbishop's House. Another issue which priests
feel very strongly about is the proposal to cut the salary of priests who are
entitled to the State pension. Priests felt that those retiring have paid their
PRSI to the State and were entitled to their State pension and to how they want
to spend it in their old age. Many deaneries felt that the Share collection
should be relaunched and that the public is confused about where its money goes.
There was surprise among some priests at the amount of the Share collection
currently being spent for central administration and bureacracy. In general,
most of the deaneries called for more information and more debate at the
upcoming meeting of priests in October. Suggestions offered to raise money were
the sale of Clonliffe College, selling churches like in Boston, financial
reserves in trust being released, equality of pay, a freeze of PPWs, a diocesan
convocation and a ballot of priests was also called for before any decisions are
made. By Garry O'Sullivan, 22 Sep 2011
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Date:
22 Sep 2011
Time:
10:28:28
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Dublin diocese's finances in a spin - Garry O'Sullivan.......... When The Irish
Catholic broke the story a few weeks ago about the Dublin diocese describing
itself as on the verge of a financial collapse, the diocese began to spin that
the discussions at the Priests' Council were among the priests and nothing to do
with the diocese. This is not true. In the minutes of the Priests' Council
meeting on May 25, Archbishop Martin makes it very clear that he is asking his
priests' council to take ownership of the issue. Canon 500 of Canon Law indeed
states categorically that the archbishop determines the items to be discussed in
it and it can never act without the diocesan bishop. So when the council of
priests discussed the financial state of the archdiocese, it did so at the
archbishop's request. At that meeting, Kieran O'Farrell and Ide Finnegan from
the finance secretariat were invited to address the group and presented the
current financial position of the parishes and the diocese. It was they who
floated the idea of a levy, it was they who said that central costs now eats a
whopping 77 per cent of Share collections, it was they who invited the council
members to consider the option of funding the parish pastoral workers (PPWs)
from the first collections, it was they who suggested a levy on the sale of
parish property and they who raised the issue of touching the State pensions of
priests to raise €1m a year. After this presentation, Archbishop Martin
challenged the council of priests to take ownership of the finances of the
archdiocese and to exercise courageous leadership on this ''challenging
question''. Many priests on the ground were annoyed a few weeks back that the
impression given in the media was that this discussion by the council of priests
was coming from the priests. Again, spin. It wasn't. The discussion about
finances in the council of priests came directly from the Archbishop of Dublin
who, exercising his canonical right, asked the council of priests to deal with
this issue. His financial people provided the financial figures and expertise to
the council and a steering group, made up of priests and financial diocesan
officials, drew up the proposals which only then were sent out to the deaneries.
The response of the majority of those deaneries can be seen in this paper on
pages 12 and 13. So why all the cloak and dagger? Why not welcome the fact that
this is a discussion not just for the priests but for finance committees and
parish pastoral committees. As one deanery minutes noted, 'some ecclesiology'!
The people who are ultimately paying the wages and the bills are in the pews.
It's time that the archbishop realised that priests need full information and
proper consultation as do the lay people, many very experienced and qualified,
who have given of their time and energy to sit on finance committees and
pastoral committees that to date are being ignored. This is the same archbishop
who, with trumpet fanfare some years ago, announced that every parish was to
have a pastoral council. The irony of all of this hierarchical power playing is
that it isn't working and the resignation of the chairman of the Priests'
Council last week demonstrates that priests will only be pushed so far. By Garry
O’Sullivan, 22 Sep 2011
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Date:
23 Sep 2011
Time:
13:52:23
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1,600 children put in care by HSE South....... A total of 1,600 children were
placed in care in the HSE South region last year — with "family difficulties"
such as housing and finance the second most common reason for the moves. Figures
published at the latest meeting of the HSE South regional health forum show the
number was apparent in December. According to the HSE, of the 1,600 children
involved, 587 were placed in care for reasons of abuse; 115 due to their own
addiction, criminality and various health issues; and 898 for "family problems".
Within these three groups, the most common categories were neglect of a child
(391); "family difficulties" such as housing or finance (357); drug or alcohol
abuse among a family member (216); and physical abuse of a child (105). The
information was supplied during the latest HSE South regional health forum
meeting after a request by Cllr Pat Burton of Fine Gael. Responding to the
figures, Dermot Halpin, the HSE South’s regional child and family services
manager, said the situation was in line with a 9.1% national increase in the
number of children being placed in HSE care between January 2006 and December
2010. Mr Halpin said Ireland’s national rate of children in care, at 54.8 out of
every 10,000 was lower than other neighbouring states such as the North (57.7),
England (58), Wales (82) and Scotland (143). However, the Irish rate was taken
in March 2009, compared to the other rates which were taken in March and July
2010. The figures emerged three months after the Irish Examiner revealed the
findings of an HSE internal audit which raised concerns over whether detailed
information on children in care in the HSE South are being adequately secured.
The information included names, PPS numbers and medical and social data. Among
the main findings of the 32-page document were that back-up tapes were stored
beside a photocopier in a general office area without encryption and some HSE
data was "not as accurate as it should be". The HSE has since introduced changes
to how it secures data. Reasons for care: * 2010 total: 1,600 * Abuse: 587 *
Physical abuse of child: 105 * Sexual abuse: 31 * Emotional abuse: 60 * Neglect
of child: 391 * Child problems: 115 * Emotional or behavioural issues: 72 *
Mental health issue/intellectual disability in child: 14 * Family issues: 898 *
Parent unable to cope/ family difficulty such as housing or finance: 357 *
Family member abusing drugs/alcohol: 216 * Domestic violence: 37…….. By Fiachra
Ó Cionnaith,Friday, September 23, 2011
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Date:
23 Sep 2011
Time:
13:54:20
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Cloyne: Parish funds won’t pay victims....... The diocese of Cloyne has said it
has "no plans" to use church basket collections to pay damages to victims of
clerical sex abuse in civil cases. However, in response to a series of questions
from the Irish Examiner, a diocesan spokesman did not entirely rule it out,
stating that "funding for future claims will be sourced as the need arises". The
Dublin archdiocese has admitted it is using parish funds to cover the cost of
clerical sexual abuse claims. Massgoers were not told where their money could
now be directed. According to documents seen by the Irish Catholic, senior
priests and Archbishop Diarmuid Martin were told in May that the ‘general fund’,
used to pay compensation and lawyers’ fees, was running a deficit. A proposal
was then made that individual parishes donate funds from any cash surpluses
generated. Last year, the Dublin archdiocese ruled out asking parishioners to
help towards the multimillion-euro payouts due. So far, according to Cloyne
diocese, such abuse claims have been funded by the Church’s child protection
fund, cash reserves, and the sale of a house which was diocesan property. "The
Diocese of Cloyne deals with compensation claims and associated costs as they
arise," Fr Jim Killeen said. "As previously stated, the diocese as diocese owns
very little saleable property. Ultimately each parish and diocese depends on the
generosity of the faithful in the weekly collections and other contributions for
the funding of our activities and the meeting of our commitments. We are
continually grateful for their generosity and support." Currently, Cloyne
parishes "which show surpluses in their annual accounts retain them for parish
purposes". A spokeswoman for the Dublin archdiocese said: "Some parishes have
been asked to contribute to diocesan finances — not just for claims relating to
abuse; it is a voluntary contribution from parishes who may have existing
surplus funds." In March 2010, the Bishop of Ferns, Dr Denis Brennan, asked
parishioners to help pay compensation and legal bills of €10.5 million. There
was huge outcry over the plans, which were subsequently stopped. By Claire
O’Sullivan, Friday, September 23, 2011
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Date:
23 Sep 2011
Time:
13:55:44
Comments
I don't mind if church uses my money to pay victim……. The news that the finances
of Dublin diocese are close to financial collapse should do one thing at least,
namely put to rest the myth that the Catholic Church in Ireland is rich. The
diocese has so far paid out €13.5m to abuse victims and their lawyers, and
combined with the effects of the recession this has been enough to push the
diocese's General Fund into the red, as revealed by 'The Irish Catholic' this
week. A 'rich' church would have been able to absorb this liability, which has
been spread out over several years, with relative ease. But the fact is that the
finances of most dioceses in the country are on a knife-edge more or less
constantly, precisely because they are not flush with funds. For example, in
1988, Dublin diocese was £10m in the red, and that was before the abuse claims
began to flood in. It eventually paid off the debt and now it has drifted into
the red again. But the finances of the diocese are quite separate from the
finances of the parishes in the diocese. Just because 'head office', namely the
central administration of the diocese, is in bad shape financially does not mean
each parish is also in bad shape. The parishes are each separate and independent
financial entities and on average Dublin's 200 parishes are in the black to the
tune of around €200,000 each, although this varies greatly from parish to
parish. In other words, it is completely mistaken to think that if the diocese
goes into bankruptcy, all the parishes of the diocese will go into bankruptcy as
well. So long as the finances of an individual parish are sound, the fact that
'head office' is in trouble financially needn't have any effect on the parish at
all. However, 'The Irish Catholic' reports that 'head office' is asking the
parishes to donate some of their surplus funds to it so that the diocese can
meet its future liabilities and keep its head financially above water. This
raises the possibility that funds contributed to parishes by Mass-goers for use
by their parish will now be used to pay compensation to abuse victims. A couple
of years back, there was considerable controversy when it appeared as though
Ferns diocese -- along with Dublin, one of the worst hit by the scandals -- was
going to ask Mass-goers to help pay abuse victims. Some Mass-goers rebelled.
They asked why they should have to pay for something they had nothing to do
with. This raises a pretty big moral dilemma. Abuse claims are naturally pushing
some dioceses towards bankruptcy. If and when they go bankrupt they will no
longer be able to give financial compensation to victims. What happens then? If
a diocese tells victims it has no more money to give, there will naturally be
uproar because the diocese will not be meeting its moral obligation. But if the
diocese asks a parish to donate some if its surplus funds to it for this
purpose, Mass-goers will object that they never gave their money to the parish
for that purpose. One possible way around this dilemma is for parish priests to
consult their parishioners first. The parishioners may or may not give their
permission for the release of parish funds to compensate abuse victims. But even
if they do, many parishioners may still perceive that they are being effectively
penalised over a problem they did not create -- and will therefore reduce future
donations. Speaking personally and as a Mass-goer, I would not object if some of
the money my family puts in the collection plate each week is used to compensate
abuse victims so long as we -- that is, the parishioners -- are told this is
what will happen. It's true that ordinary Mass-goers had nothing to do with the
scandals and strictly speaking are under no moral obligation to help pay the
victims of abuse. But it was priests of our church who abused children, and it
was bishops of our church who failed to protect children from abuse even when
they were informed that a particular priest was an abuser. Mass-goers can walk
away from the whole thing and in justice pay not one cent towards something they
didn't cause and simply let their diocese go bankrupt, if that is indeed what it
comes to in some instances. However, while it might not be just in strict terms
that a person be asked to pay compensation for a wrong they did not cause, I
believe one part of the church needs to be in solidarity with every other part
of the church. Therefore, if one part of the church is in trouble over something
we did not cause, we should nonetheless be willing to provide assistance out of
a sense of Christian solidarity. And so I believe that if and when a given
diocese asks mass-goers to assist it in paying compensation to victims of abuse,
Mass-goers should be prepared to go above and beyond what is required by justice
alone, and answer that call. By David Quinn, Friday September 23 2011
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Date:
23 Sep 2011
Time:
20:59:15
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Child protection guide seeks better abuse response rate....... A professional
guide on child protection aimed at improving the response rate to child abuse
was launched yesterday by Children’s Minister, Frances Fitzgerald. Developed by
the Health Service Executive’s National Office for Children and Family Services,
it is designed to ensure a consistent and collective approach to child abuse and
neglect by social workers and other professionals. It emphasises the importance
of sharing of information between agencies and disciplines in the best interest
of children and the need for full co-operation to ensure better outcomes. "It
takes a whole community to keep a child safe and we all have a responsibility
for ensuring the safety of children in Ireland," said Ms Fitzgerald. National
director of Children and Family Services HSE, Gordon Jeyes, said the handbook
was aimed at promoting accountable, consistent and transparent practices in line
with Children First Guidance 2011, published earlier this year. "We must report
and share information but we must also retain a collective responsibility for
putting children first. Always, not sometimes, children first." he said. Ms
Fitzgerald said her department was finalising legislation to put the Children
First Guidance on a statutory footing that was due to be introduced before the
end of the year. "The legislation would apply to all organisations and persons
who worked with or were in contact with children and would include statutory
requirements to make reports, share information and co-operate with the HSE and
gardaí where they are involved with a child about whom there are concerns. "We
are working on the heads of the bill at present and it is on the ‘A’ list in
this Dáil, which means it is priority legislation. "So, hopefully, we will have
the legislation by the end of the year, certainly published, if not enacted,"
she said. Ms Fitzgerald said a range of sanctions would apply for people who did
not follow the law on mandatory reporting. Asked how she could go about ensuring
that all social workers were vetted for working with children with limited
resources, she said this was an issue that was being urgently addressed by the
Government. Children’s charity Barnardos said the handbook would be particularly
important in establishing clear division of roles and lines of authority and
responsibility in practice. By Evelyn Ring, Friday, September 23, 2011
Remote User:
Date:
24 Sep 2011
Time:
12:16:56
Comments
Children at Risk in Ireland CARI Annual Report 2010..........
31645 CARI
Annnual Report 2010-1.pdf
Remote User:
Date:
24 Sep 2011
Time:
12:47:14
Comments
Auction of industrial school papers criticised…… The planned auction of
detention orders, birth certificates and other documents relating to the
committal of three children to a Cork industrial school a century ago has been
strongly criticised by abuse survivor and Aislinn founder, Christine Buckley.
The documents, being auctioned in Dublin today by Whyte’s, refer to Mary
O’Connor (6) of Wellington Street, Dublin, who was “found wandering and not
having a proper guardian”. They also relate to Catherine White (8) of Henrietta
Place, Dublin, “found destitute and being an orphan” and to Kate Keohane (11) of
Ring, Co Cork, “found wandering”. The auction catalogue describes the papers
concerned as “extremely rare and evocative documents of a part of Irish history
that was effectively suppressed until recent years” and says they are offered
for “€200-300”. The children were detained at Clonakilty industrial school. An
example of the documents, posted as lot 145 online at whytes.ie, is for Kate
Keohane. On June 29th, 1911, and at the request of “Monsignor O’Leary of
Clonakilty”, she was committed to St Aloysius’s industrial school “being a
school conducted in accordance with the doctrines of the Roman Catholic Church”,
to be detained there until January 17th, 1916. It was run by the Sisters of
Mercy. So too was the Goldenbridge orphanage in Dublin, where Christine Buckley
was detained as a child. “I find it physically nauseating. I am so shocked, it
is absolutely grotesque and completely dehumanising,” she said about the planned
sale of the documents. “That could be me in 100 years’ time. I was “found
wandering . . . I strongly object and find it absolutely appalling that such
documents are put up for sale.” By Patsy McGarry, Saturday, September 24, 2011
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Date:
24 Sep 2011
Time:
12:48:18
Comments
Children's charity dismayed over decision to ban ad….. A young boy stares at the
camera and tells viewers that he can't wait until he grows up. But as he
proclaims his right to be happy and to feel loved, he is subjected to a brutal
and sustained physical assault by a man who slaps him repeatedly across the face
and forcefully flings him to the floor. The graphic, 40-second 'I Can't Wait
Until I Grow Up' video was launched last May by the Irish Society for the
Prevention of Cruelty to Children (ISPCC) as part of its campaign to highlight
the continuing problem of physical abuse of children and has already been viewed
online more than 700,000 times. But the leading children's charity has now been
forced to stop showing it after the country's advertising standards watchdog
said it breached gender equality guidelines in that it portrayed a man as the
abuser. The ISPCC said it was "taken aback" by the decision from the Advertising
Standards Authority's (ASAI) complaints committee and was now considering
lodging an appeal. Awareness: Following 13 complaints about the video, the ASAI
recommended that it should no longer appear in its current format as it breached
sections 2.16 and 2.17 of the code concerning gender equality. "We should be
more concerned about children experiencing abuse like that depicted in the video
and creating awareness around this than whether or not the abuser is a man or a
woman," said ISPCC chief executive Ashley Balbirnie. Defending its decision,
ASAI chief executive Frank Goodman denied that it was political correctness gone
mad. "Whether it's Concern, Barnardos or the ISPCC, we go to great lengths not
to damage a charity or their ability to collect money," he said. The authority's
complaints committee accepted that while the level of violence portrayed was
disturbing, the video's primary message was the existence of child abuse.
However, it found that, in the absence of reliable statistics, the portrayal of
only a male character as the apparent abuser was in breach of the provision of
the code. By By Fergus Black, Saturday September 24 2011
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Date:
25 Sep 2011
Time:
09:48:03
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Martin must be transparent about funds........... Dr Martin has not been open
about the plan to pay abuse compensation with parish funds, writes Michael
Kelly..... The revelation that the Dublin Archdiocese has turned to the people
in the pews to fund compensation for victims of clerical abuse is hardly
surprising. Other dioceses have already had to go cap-in-hand to the faithful as
a result of the abuse crisis. What is surprising, however, is that Dublin
appears to be going about it in such a cloak-and-dagger fashion and the diocese
is only now reluctantly admitting the move after documents obtained by The Irish
Catholic newspaper made the plan clear. Since his appointment to scandal-hit
Dublin in 2003, Archbishop Diarmuid Martin promised a new era of accountability
and transparency. That transparency does not apparently apply to the use of
parishioners’ money to fund compensation. Dr Martin’s predecessor Cardinal
Desmond Connell — who famously explained to the Murphy Commission the shrewd
concept of "mental reservation" that allowed senior clerics to evade the truth —
had promised in the mid-1990s that the diocese had paid no money to compensate
victims of abusive priests. He later admitted that the diocese had given money
to Fr Ivan Payne to compensate a victim but held firm in his conviction that the
diocese had not actually compensated a victim directly. A fine example of mental
reservation. For the most part, Diarmuid Martin has been different. He publishes
regular updates on the number of abuse allegations that have been made and the
amount of money paid out in compensation and legal fees. The latest figures show
that, so far, 172 civil actions from people alleging abuse have been taken
against 44 priests of the Dublin archdiocese; 117 have been concluded and 55 are
ongoing. The cost, so far, to the archdiocese for settlement of claims regarding
child sexual abuse by priests is €13.5 million (€9.3m in settlements and €4.2m
in legal costs). Abuse payouts in Dublin have traditionally come from a
so-called "general fund" which is made up of bequests and donations the various
archbishops of Dublin have received for discretionary use down through the
years. That fund is now gone. In fact, as diocesan officials told the priests’
council in May, the fund is actually in deficit. The solution? Turn to the
parishes. A move in stark contrast with the position of a diocesan spokeswoman
who last year said no contributions from parishioners had been used to pay for
costs relating to child abuse to date and she did not anticipate that situation
arising in the future. "We have not had to take any money from the baskets," she
said. While it is impossible to know how big the bill will ultimately be, the
diocese has set aside funds which it believes will be adequate she confidently
predicted. What a difference a year makes. Speaking on RTÉ’s Morning Ireland
yesterday, Archbishop Martin confirmed that money from parishes had been
transferred to the so-called general fund, which will be used to fund future
abuse pay-outs. The fund, he said, "is used for many purposes, not exclusively
for covering clerical sexual abuse". Rachael English had to ask the archbishop
four times about whether or not parishioners’ money is being used to cover abuse
compensation before getting the answer that "none of the funds that have come
from parishes have been used for that [compensation] as yet". "As yet" being the
operative phrase, given that the diocese has admitted that the abuse fund is now
in deficit and about 55 survivors are awaiting compensation. In fact, minutes of
the priests’ council meeting of May 25 show that 40% of the money needed has
already come from parish funds. It’s a far cry from the transparency promised by
Dr Martin and in stark contrast with the approach of Ferns Bishop Dr Denis
Brennan, who made a public appeal to parishioners last year to help fund abuse
compensation. At the same time, Bishop Brennan remortgaged his own home to make
funds available to abuse survivors. Other dioceses have insisted that they fund
abuse compensation from so-called "discretionary funds" similar to that
available up until now to the Dublin archdiocese. Any talk of parish resources
being raided has been met with stiff opposition. It’s not that priests and
parishioners are opposed to compensation being paid to survivors, on the
contrary. It’s the fact that parish coffers would be raided to pay for abuse
that was, by and large, facilitated and exacerbated by the negligence of senior
bishops who consistently refused to report abusers to the gardaí. Archbishop
Martin has shown unmatchable leadership in the sphere of clerical sexual abuse
by going further than many of his colleagues in co-operating with the
authorities and reaching out to survivors. He has also courageously faced down
elements within the clerical elite who would characterise the abuse crisis as a
few bad eggs rather than the devastating exposure of a corrupt culture of
cover-up. If he is to retain his street cred among hard-pressed and financially
distressed parishioners he will have to answer honestly, genuine questions
people have about how their money is being used. Crucially, if parishioners feel
that their collections should not go to abuse compensation, he will have to find
the cash elsewhere. A new mortgage on his spacious residence in Drumcondra could
certainly go part of the way in making up the millions of euro that will have to
be found to compensate those who suffered during such a dark period in the
history of the Church on this island. September, 2011
Remote User:
Date:
25 Sep 2011
Time:
10:13:17
Comments
Report highlights fury at society's silence over clerical child-abuse……. A new
study on the child-sex scandals shows as much anger for society as the State,
writes Maeve Sheehan….. An ambitious study of the clerical child-abuse scandals
in Ireland by Amnesty International suggests that people are as angry with
society as they are the State over the institutional abuse of children. The
study, commissioned by Amnesty International Ireland, finds that while 83 per
cent of those polled are angry with the State, marginally more, at 84 per cent,
are "angry that wider society didn't do more". More than half found the subject
of the Ryan Report on institutional child abuse too overwhelming to know what to
think, while one-third said they didn't know what the report said. The national
poll is part of an extensive research study commissioned by Amnesty to establish
the reasons why clerical child abuse was allowed to continue unchecked for so
long in Ireland. The silence of so many Irish people emerges as a key factor,
according to Amnesty's executive director Colm O'Gorman, and the poll findings
suggest the public acknowledges this. The 100,000-page document, called 'In
Plain Sight', will be launched by Children's Minister Frances Fitzgerald
tomorrow. It includes significant new research by social historian Dr Carole
Holohan based on the four inquiries into clerical sex abuse -- Ferns, Ryan,
Murphy and Cloyne. It will also set out how children's human rights were
violated under international law. But the apparent complicity of wider Irish
society in allowing clerical and institutional abuse of children to continue for
so long is expected to be one of the study's more controversial findings. "The
reports [on clerical abuse] reveal really serious failures at every level of
Irish society; failures of law, of policy, of politics, of religious
organisations," said Mr O'Gorman. "But they also reveal that these failures were
only possible because so many of us either stayed silent or were silenced. The
kind of society we are is one of our creation, and if we are to change it for
the better we must be prepared to learn from our past failures." Amnesty's study
reminds us that many of the factors are still with us -- such as a lack of
accountability in State bodies responsible for child protection, and the failure
of the justice system to bring to book those who knew what was going on. Pearse
Mehigan, a solicitor and contributor to the Amnesty study, says the failure to
prosecute abusers, and those who facilitated and covered up the crimes,
continues to be "one of the great failings of our justice system". Mehigan, who
acts for the advocacy group for clerical abuse victims, One in Four, reminds us
that a law was passed in 1997 that makes it an offence to "impede the
prosecution" of someone accused of an "arrestable offence". "Failure to report
to the statutory authorities and the use of mental reservation to conceal crimes
and information should surely result in prosecutions," he says. Yet no member of
the Catholic Church or its hierarchy has been charged with this offence. "If the
criminal justice system fails to prosecute criminality on the grand scale
revealed in the various reports into clerical child abuse goes unaddressed, then
an environment of impunity will continue to exist," says Mehigan. He calls for a
review of the Office of Director of Public Prosecutions to establish the "number
of complaints, if any, it received over the years concerning members of the
clergy and the religious . . ." Every single one of those files "should be
re-opened and examined as to the reasons why individuals were not prosecuted.
"The DPP's right not to have to give a reason for decisions not to prosecute
ought to be overlooked in the interests of human rights accountability to
ascertaining whether or not there were political machinations in force behind
the decision-making process". As for victims of clerical abuse who struggled to
be believed, it wasn't so long ago when Andrew Madden heard parishioners praise
the very priest who had sexually abused him as an altar boy. Madden, another
contributor to the Amnesty report, was the first victim of clerical sex abuse to
go public in 1995. After his abuser, Fr Ivan Payne, was identified by RTE,
parishioners in Sutton -- where the priest remained for 14 years after Madden's
initial complaint -- were disbelieving. An elderly parishioner in Sutton told
the Irish Independent: "I can't believe he did this, he was the best of priests.
He married, christened and buried people and since he left he's been back to do
weddings because he was so well-liked." A 16-year-old girl said vague rumours
about the priest had been circulating since the previous year: "But I don't
think anyone believed them and I still find it hard to believe now." What
astounded Andrew Madden was the "lack of anger at the Catholic Church from the
people in Sutton for sending them a priest who had previously admitted the
sexual abuse of a child". The four reports on clerical sex abuse, one more
shocking than the next, reported on crimes of the past. "The focus cannot be
purely on the past, as if these reports have no relevance for Irish society
now," said Mr O'Gorman. "We must consider the degree to which they reveal vital
truths about the nature of our society today. The past can only become history
once we have addressed it, learnt from it and made the changes necessary to
ensure that we do not repeat mistakes and wrongdoing. We haven't done that yet."
Amnesty plans to hold a symposium on the findings of 'In Plain Sight' in the
coming months. Sunday September 25 2011
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Date:
26 Sep 2011
Time:
10:25:49
Comments
Priest on leave as allegation probed........ Parishioners in a south Kilkenny
village were stunned on Saturday when the local bishop turned up for evening
Mass to tell them their parish priest was taking a leave of absence while an
allegation of abuse against him was investigated. It is understood Fr Peter
Muldowney, parish priest of Mooncoin, asked for a period of leave from his
ministry with immediate effect so that "a safeguarding matter" concerning him
could be addressed. The Bishop of Ossory, Dr Seamus Freeman, acceded to the
request. A garda investigation has begun but it does not relate to Fr
Muldowney’s period in the Diocese of Ossory. At Mass in Kilkenny city on
Saturday evening, Fr Martin Delaney told the congregation in St Canice’s Church
that he had been asked to go to Mooncoin with immediate affect so that the claim
of "abuse" against Fr Muldowney could be investigated. In a statement posted on
the diocesan website on Saturday evening, Bishop Freeman stated that: "In
compliance with our diocesan policy on safeguarding, this matter has been
referred to An Garda Siochána, the HSE and to the National Board for
Safeguarding Children. The presumption of innocence must prevail. "There can be
no further comment until this matter has been clarified by the civil
authorities. I ask you for your prayers for all concerned. "I have appointed Fr
Martin Delaney administrator of the parish of Mooncoin and he will take up
duties with immediate effect. "Fr Muldowney is from Kilmanagh in Co Kilkenny and
was ordained in 1984. He was a late vocation and was formerly a Christian
Brother," he said. Monday, September 26, 2011
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Date:
26 Sep 2011
Time:
10:26:41
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Amnesty to report on clerical abuse........ Archbishop Diarmuid Martin will face
tough questions today on clerical child sex abuse scandals, with a major human
rights report which compares some of the acts perpetrated to torture. The
Amnesty International Ireland report also includes Red C surveys of the public
and their reactions to revelations contained in previous investigations into
clerical abuse reports. Dr Martin will attend the launch of the 400-page dossier
on clerical abuse, as will Children’s Minister Frances Fitzgerald. A key part of
the report asks where the responsibility of both Church and state failed,
resulting in the neglect and physical and sexual abuse of children. The
research, In Plain Sight by Dr Carole Holohan, will examine the institutional
abuse documented in the Ferns, Ryan, Murphy and Cloyne reports from a human
rights perspective. More than 80% of respondents expressed anger at the state
and society in general for not doing more to prevent the abuse. Half found the
Ryan report on institutional abuse too overwhelming to know what to think. One
third said they found the subject too upsetting to engage with. A section of the
study will also examine how children from impoverished backgrounds were more
likely to be victims of abuse perpetrated by religious orders. Colm O’Gorman,
Amnesty’s executive director, himself a victim of sex abuser Fr Sean Fortune, is
understood to have taken a personal interest in the study. He is expected to
outline concerns over the lack of prosecutions of clerical sex abusers at the
launch. The report will ask whether wider society turns a blind eye to child
abuse, and how important children from different backgrounds, such as Travellers
or those with mental health problems, are to society. The report will say much
of the abuse described in the Ryan Report meets the legal definition of torture
under human rights law. It will also say those who failed as guardians, civil
servants, clergy, gardaí and members of religious orders have avoided
accountability. By Juno McEnroe, Monday, September 26, 2011
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Date:
26 Sep 2011
Time:
10:27:45
Comments
Irish children ‘tortured’ in state and church institutions – scathing
report..... The Abuse of thousands of innocent children in State and church run
institutions in Ireland amounted to torture, a scathing report from Amnesty has
found. Youngsters suffered decades of inhuman and degrading treatment by being
brutalised, beaten and starved, the human rights watchdog said. The horrific
details of neglect, physical abuse and rape were revealed in recent years in
four sickening State ordered reports - Ferns, Ryan, Murphy and Cloyne. Colm
O'Gorman, executive director of Amnesty International Ireland, said: "The abuse
of tens of thousands of Irish children is perhaps the greatest human rights
failure in the history of the state. "Much of the abuse described in the Ryan
Report meets the legal definition of torture under international human rights
law. "Children were tortured. They were brutalised, beaten, starved and abused.
"There has been little justice for these victims. Those who failed as guardians,
civil servants, clergy, gardai and members of religious orders have avoided
accountability." Mr O'Gorman - a survivor of clerical abuse - said the Ferns,
Ryan, Murphy and Cloyne Reports told what happened to children, but not why.
Amnesty International Ireland commissioned a new report, carried out by Dr
Carole Holohan, to explore why it happened to ensure it never happens again. In
Plain Sight was launched by Children's Minister Frances Fitzgerald in the Royal
Hibernian Academy in Dublin. Mr O'Gorman continued: "This abuse happened, not
because we didn't know about it, but because many people across society turned a
blind eye to it. "It is not true that everyone knew, but deep veins of knowledge
existed across Irish society and people in positions of power ignored their
responsibility to act. "Attitudes to poverty at both the public and political
level, were also significant factors. "Society judged and criminalised children
for being poor rather than address the underlying factors that condemned their
families to poverty." - The Cloyne Report, published in July, revealed former
Bishop John Magee - a one-time Vatican aide and papal envoy - deliberately
misled authorities and failed to report clerical abuse allegations as recently
as three years ago. - In November 2009 the Murphy Report found four successive
archbishops in Dublin had covered up allegations of abuse and did not report
claims to gardai for decades. - Six months earlier the damning Ryan Report
shocked the nation with revelations tens of thousands of children were neglected
and suffered physical and sexual abuse for decades in orphanages, industrial
schools and residential institutions run by religious orders. - And the Ferns
Report, published in October 2005, revealed more than 100 allegations had been
made against 21 priests over 40 years - with hierarchy putting the interests of
priests before children. Mr O'Gorman said Amnesty's research reveals the true
scandal was not that the system failed children, but that there was no
functioning system. "Instead children were abandoned to a chaotic, unregulated
arrangement where no one was accountable for failures to protect and care for
them," he added. "The legacy of this for today's children is obvious, with our
current child protection system itself being described as dysfunctional and not
fit for purpose." An Amnesty International/Red C poll also found the vast
majority of Irish people believe wider society should have done more to protect
children from abuse. Mr O'Gorman said: "People realise that this is not just
about the crimes of the clergy or the failures of the state, but is a much
bigger problem: the institutionalised lack of accountability in the Irish state.
"Attempts to achieve real reform in how this State functions will be meaningless
unless we learn from what must be our greatest collective failure, one which
resulted in the abuse and torture of tens of thousands of children." By Sarah
Stack, Monday September 26 2011
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Date:
27 Sep 2011
Time:
09:00:19
Comments
“Children were tortured. They were brutalised; beaten, starved and abused. There
has been little justice for these victims. Those who failed as guardians, civil
servants, clergy, gardaí and members of religious orders have avoided
accountability. “The Ferns, Ryan, Murphy and Cloyne Reports tell us what
happened to these children, but not why it happened. We commissioned this report
to explore that question because only by doing so can we ensure this never
happens again. “This abuse happened, not because we didn’t know about it, but
because many people across society turned a blind eye to it. It is not true that
everyone knew, but deep veins of knowledge existed across Irish society and
people in positions of power ignored their responsibility to act. Full Report
here:
http://bit.ly/in_plain_sight
Remote User:
Date:
28 Sep 2011
Time:
10:38:25
Comments
Launch of ‘In Plain Sight’ - Report by Amnesty International Irl....... Speech
by Minister Fitzgerald......Monday 26 September, 2011....... Thank you for
having me here today to launch this Report. I want to commend Amnesty
International Ireland for commissioning such a weighty and important study,
which looks at four major inquiries and reports into child abuse scandals in
Ireland, and the landscape as it now looks. This report provides a very useful
service. It catalogues and details a history of unspeakable abuse against the
most vulnerable in our society; our children. It reminds us that Irish children
were subjected to treatment that would be horrifying if it were done to
prisoners of war, never mind little boys and girls. Rape, burning, beating,
biting. Horrendous, awful torture. That very awfulness of what happened may go
some way to explaining why, as the report says, so many people find the topic
too overwhelming to deal with. But the problem with that reaction, that urge to
deny, to shut our ears and eyes, is that it can allow the past to recur. It is
easy for us as a society to fall into the trap of believing that our current
knowledge about what happened equates to safety; the assumption is that because
we as a society know that abuse can happen, we somehow make it less likely to
happen. It’s is a fallacy. Knowledge is of little use without action. That is
shown again and again in this report. In fact it’s reflected in the very title
of the document; in plain sight. It says boldly what we now must accept; people
knew about children being abused long before it was put in print in the Ferns,
Cloyne, Murphy and Dublin reports. Members of congregations knew of fellow
members who were assaulting or depriving or exploiting those in their care.
Diocese knew of accusations against clergy, communities knew of deprivation and
servitude in industrial schools, the courts knew of families torn apart and
children willfully institutionalized. In fact, in many cases the courts were the
ones tearing the families apart with high-handed patronizing arrogance. And it
is clear that the apparatus of the state was also aware and complicit; Gardai
failed to develop prosecutions where they could have, the justice system failed
to some of those that were brought and throughout, legislators allowed law to be
used to punish children, not protect them. So in that context it is easy to see
how people could be overwhelmed by the topic. Because it strikes at our very
national identity. Whatever happens to us, we Irish like to believe we are
fundamentally a good people. Kind. Generous. Brave. Open-minded. So how could we
have allowed this systemic abuse of children to have gone on for so long. How
could a decent society have let this happen? Part of the answer is outlined in
the report. It outlines the factors that allowed this abuse to occur and it
shows how some of those factors still exist. My cabinet colleagues and I are
acutely aware of that latter fact. In fact, my Department and Ministry exist in
part to address it. But one causitive factor, one national attribute is becoming
ever clearer to me as I read more of what happened in our schools, clubs,
churches, homes and communities. Deference. At every turn, Irish people kept
their mouths shut out of deference to state, system, church and community. When
they should have been unified in fury and outrage they were instead silenced,
afraid to even whisper a criticism against the powerful. Much of the blame for
that lies in a past where the chasm between the powerful and powerless was too
vast to close, but let’s not fool ourselves into believing that abuse occurred
in a sepia-toned Ireland that is dead and gone. Abuse – awful shocking abuse -
happened long after we knew of the atrocities of the distant past. And again it
was covered by deference. It was facilitated by the well-meaning and the weak,
by the cowardly and the complicit, by the silent and the supportive. The
fundamental lesson for me in this is that we must create a society in which
no-one is afraid to speak. In which no-one is afraid to challenge authority and
power, because deference to the powerful is a guaranteed way to help that power
corrupt. We have to move Irish society to a position where we are not afraid of
debate; where there are no sacred systems that take precedence over our people.
Children matter. Families matter. People’s health, hopes and happiness matter.
Everything else is subservient to those things. We must make sure that no system
and no people are ever allowed to become so important that lives are destroyed
to protect their reputation. The State has acknowledged its failures, most
recently following the publication of the Cloyne report where myself and my
colleague the Minster for Justice, Equality and Defence echoed Taoiseach Enda
Kenny’s apology for any State failings identified in the report. I know that
words can only go so far, and the Government, principally through my Department
and the Department of Justice and Equality, has undertaken to follow those words
with decisive actions which I believe will improve the lot of all children on
this island, and allow them to live their lives without the fear which was
allowed to hold such a tight rein over so many for so long. We must recognise
that more can always be done and we must never become complacent. We must also
recognise that society has a role in caring for children – too often in the past
people who had direct knowledge or suspicions of abuse, chose to turn a blind
eye. As Minister for Children and Youth Affairs I am driving a series of
measures designed to strengthen our child protection framework. This includes
the introduction of legislation to underpin the Children First Guidance, which
is designed to enhance child protection through putting in place the laws, the
practices and the mechanisms to ensure that the harrowing legacy of child abuse
in Ireland, outlined by the Ferns, Ryan, Murphy and Cloyne reports, is consigned
to the past. This will go a long way towards the creation of an over-arching
mindset that child abuse, in any form cannot and should not be tolerated. This
legislation is something which has been called for by many, and it will happen.
Children First will also be supported by an assurance framework which will
include strong emphasis on inspection and the need to provide demonstrable
evidence that the rules are being properly implemented across all sectors. In
addition to the above my colleague the Minister for Justice, Equality and
Defence is finalising legislation which will put the vetting of employees on a
statutory footing and also allow for the sharing of soft information as part of
the vetting process. Minister Shatter is also progressing legislation on
Withholding Information on Crimes against Children and Vulnerable Adults. This
will, essentially, make it an offence for a person who has information that
could help in the arrest, prosecution or conviction of an offender, for a
serious offence committed against a child or vulnerable adult, not to pass that
information on to the Gardaí, where they know that information could help. The
measures I have outlined are in addition to a wide range of ongoing actions set
out in the Implementation Plan in response to the recommendations of the Ryan
Commission. Actions being taken as part of the Plan, such as the recruitment of
additional Child Protection Social Workers, will I believe make a difference at
the coalface. The Amnesty report looks at power, accountability and the role of
wider society in holding power to account. It is quite obvious that power
corrupted where that power went unchallenged at both organisational, Government
and societal level. It is also quite obvious that many in society feel a sense
of shame at what has been allowed to happen to children who deserved our
protection, respect and understanding. A critical error was the unquestioning
deference to an organisation making itself out to be the paragon of virtue it
obviously was not. In his preface Colm O’Gorman argues that those charged with
acting for the general good of society should be clearly and meaningfully
accountable to the people in whose name they act. I wholeheartedly accept this
assessment. I know that I and my colleagues will be judged on the decisions we
make. I believe that the work we are doing and the plans we are making will
better serve children’s interests. The Report also considers in detail the
status given to the child, particularly children forced into residential
institutions for a myriad of reasons. When children had the courage to speak out
about abuses being perpetrated, they were not listened to, not believed, and not
given the credit they deserved. Their voices had no weight. I believe that now
more than ever we are listening to our children and, most importantly, taking
their views and concerns seriously. People are becoming more attuned to the
signs of abuse. My Department has been to the fore in opening up to children the
debate about the future direction of this country and their place in it. The
level of participation by children in Department-sponsored activities is
significant. Children and their representative groups are involved in
discussions on the National Children’s Strategy. Children in residential
institutions are consulted on their care and future plans. The HSE is working
hard to ensure that all children in fostering arrangements have access to a
social worker so that they have someone to relate all experiences - good and bad
- to. Plans for a Referendum on children’s rights, looking to balance the rights
of children and parents in the Constitution, will also bring this debate into
every home and school, and this is to be welcomed. It will take some time to
absorb the detail of this report, which will give rise to much debate. I look
forward to being part of that debate and to doing everything in my power to
effect real and lasting change. Thank you. Ends.
Remote User:
Date:
29 Sep 2011
Time:
10:25:05
Comments
Ministers to decide on 'full' abuse inquiry......... Stormont ministers meet
today to decide on the powers for a full-blown inquiry into institutionalised
abuse of children in Catholic-run children’s homes. Ahead of this afternoon’s
single-issue special session, Junior ministers Jonathan Bell and Martina
Anderson are due to meet victims’ and survivors’ groups to spell out the plans.
Amnesty International last night warned the Executive not to “betray” the
victims of institutional abuse by establishing an inquiry without adequate
powers to investigate allegations of systemic abuse at homes across the province
over decades. The organisation argued some victims fear that their demands for a
statutory inquiry, with adequate powers of investigation, are about to be
ignored in favour of a less rigorous approach. In a letter to ministers,
Amnesty’s NI programme director Patrick Corrigan said: “In order to investigate
some of the worst crimes imaginable against children, Northern Ireland needs an
inquiry which has the authority to obtain all the information it needs.”
Referring to the letter, Mr Corrigan added: “We urge the Executive to deliver
the sort of statutory inquiry which victims have asked for.” But First Minister
Peter Robinson warned that new legislation may have to be introduced for such an
inquiry. He added: “It is important that the statutory element does not increase
the pain that victims have already gone through.” By Noel McAdam, Thursday, 29
September 2011
Remote User:
Date:
29 Sep 2011
Time:
10:28:08
Comments
Former teacher jailed for sexual abuse of girl...... A former secondary school
teacher was yesterday sentenced to three years in jail concerning 14 separate
sexual offences committed against a 15-year-old female pupil. At Ennis Circuit
Court, Judge Carroll Moran said the man (61) – who cannot be named for legal
reasons – was guilty of “a serious breach of trust by a teacher, a person of
authority against a 15-year-old girl”. The offences took place two years ago.
The married father of four children pleaded guilty to 10 counts of sexual
exploitation and four of defilement of the girl, who was aged 15 at the time of
the offences over a six-week period between September and November 2009. Judge
Moran said yesterday that most of the offences took place behind a press in a
classroom in the Co Clare school, but also in other rooms in the school, and one
offence took place in a bedroom at the home of the accused. Judge Moran said
that DNA evidence and CCTV footage corroborated statements the victim provided
to gardaí. Judge Moran said that, in addition, gardaí retrieved 218 text
messages the accused sent to the girl, which “revealed highly inappropriate and
sexually explicit contents”. At the sentencing hearing last July, Det Sgt
Michael Moloney said that, in an interview with gardaí, the accused had said: “I
am deeply sorry. I was in a position of trust and I should have stopped it.” Det
Sgt Moloney said that the girl informed her parents in November 2009 of what had
occurred and they complained to the school authorities. Yesterday, Judge Moran
said the man had suffered severe disgrace in his community and was forced to
retire from his teaching post in March of this year. Judge Moran said that the
girl did not wish to provide a victim impact statement. The judge added: “She
has done very well academically in school, is a good athlete and has an outgoing
personality.” The judge said the man pleaded guilty at the earliest opportunity
and that there had been no coercion or threat of violence in carrying out the
offences. Judge Moran said that gardaí believe that the man’s remorse is genuine
and that the consultant psychologist’s report suggested that the accused is
highly unlikely to reoffend in the future. However, Judge Moran said the man was
always aware of the age of the girl and had to be because she was one of his
pupils. He said the offences were serious as they involved the premature
sexualisation of a young girl, which must have consequences for her experiences
in later life. Judge Moran said the offences were committed recently, at a time
when the accused must have been aware of the very severe view taken by the
courts and society of the sexual exploitation of children. He said: “I must
impose a prison sentence due to the very serious nature of the offences,
notwithstanding the mitigating factors.” Judge Moran said that the man’s name
would be placed on the sex offenders’ register. In response to a request from
Michael Collins, defending, for a portion of the sentence to be suspended, Judge
Moran said he would not suspend any of the sentence. By Gordon Deegan,
September, 2011
Remote User:
Date:
29 Sep 2011
Time:
10:30:11
Comments
Church ‘not alone to blame’ over abuse....... The role of the Irish state and
society in enabling the abuse and neglect of tens of thousands of children in
religious-run institutions has come under the spotlight in an Amnesty report.
The In Plain Sight report, commissioned by the Irish section of the
international human rights group, examines the Ferns, Ryan, Murphy and Cloyne
Reports into abuses by Catholic priests and religious in dioceses and
institutions, but says the Catholic Church was not alone to blame. Colm
O’Gorman, the executive director of Amnesty Ireland, said some of the early
responses to the four reports had amounted to "scapegoating and two-dimensional
blame". "The reports identify what happened, but what has been absent from
broader discourse is why it happened. All this happened in plain sight. It’s not
that these things were not known." Dr Carole Holohan, the author of the study,
said dismissive attitudes to poor families, deference to the Church, lack of
legal protections and the absence of state and regulation, all contributed.
Among her key findings were that there were no clear lines of responsibility for
children in care and so no procedures for fostering or ensuring accountability.
"It wasn’t that the system didn’t work, but rather that there was no system."
She also found the law was skewed against children in residential institutions
because they were generally committed by the courts so they were branded
criminals in the public eye. "Fear, an unwillingness and an inability to
question agents of the Church, and disbelief of the testimony of victims until
recent times, indicate that wider societal attitudes had a significant role to
play in allowing abuse to continue," she said. The state had also had a
"deferential relationship with the Catholic Church" which caused politicians and
officials to dismiss the concerns of parents, children and lay workers.
Children’s Minister Frances Fitzgerald said: "At every turn, Irish people kept
their mouths shut out of deference to state, system, Church and community. When
they should have been unified in fury and outrage they were instead silenced,
afraid to even whisper a criticism against the powerful. "The fundamental lesson
for all of us is that we must create a society in which no one is afraid to
speak or afraid to challenge those in power. We must make sure that no system or
no people are allowed to become so important that lives are destroyed to protect
reputations." She said legislation to put the Children First guidelines on a
statutory footing, to regulate the Garda vetting of people working with
children, and to introduce mandatory reporting was all pending. She also said a
referendum of children’s rights remained a priority and would take place next
year, although she could not give a date. By Caroline O’Doherty,September, 2011
Remote User:
Date:
29 Sep 2011
Time:
10:33:48
Comments
'Horrifying if done to prisoners of war'....... Minister For Children: The In
Plain Sight report reminds us that Irish children were subjected to “treatment
that would be horrifying if it were done to prisoners of war, never mind little
boys and girls”, Minister for Children and Youth Affairs Frances Fitzgerald said
yesterday. “Rape, burning, beating, biting. Horrendous, awful torture.”
Launching the In Plain Sight report, she said it “says boldly what we now must
accept; people knew about children being abused long before it was put in print
in the Ferns, Cloyne, Murphy and Dublin reports”. This “strikes at our very
national identity. Whatever happens to us, we Irish like to believe we are
fundamentally a good people – kind, generous, brave, open-minded. “So how could
we have allowed this systemic abuse of children to have gone on for so long? How
could a decent society have let this happen? “One causative factor, one national
attribute is becoming ever clearer to me as I read more of what happened in our
schools, clubs, churches, homes and communities. Deference,” she said. “At every
turn, Irish people kept their mouths shut out of deference to State, system,
church and community; when they should have been unified in fury and outrage
they were instead silenced, afraid to even whisper a criticism against the
powerful. “Much of the blame for that lies in a past where the chasm between the
powerful and powerless was too vast to close, but let’s not fool ourselves into
believing that abuse occurred in a sepia-toned Ireland that is dead and gone.
“Abuse – awful, shocking abuse – happened long after we knew of the atrocities
of the distant past. And again it was covered by deference,” she said. “A
critical error was the unquestioning deference to an organisation making itself
out to be the paragon of virtue it obviously was not. “We have to move Irish
society to a position where we are not afraid of debate, where there are no
sacred systems that take precedence over our people. “We must make sure that no
system and no people are ever allowed to become so important that lives are
destroyed to protect their reputation.” The “very awfulness of what happened may
go some way to explaining why, as the report says, so many people find the topic
too overwhelming to deal with”, she said in reference to a Red C poll finding
published to coincide with the report. “But the problem with that reaction, that
urge to deny, to shut our ears and eyes, is that it can allow the past to
recur.”The poll took place on July 25th and 27th last. The Cloyne report was
published on July 13th, with the Taoiseach’s controversial Dáil response on July
20th. It found that 52 per cent of people found the content of the Ryan report
on child abuse issues “overwhelming”, with 35 per cent saying it was “too
upsetting to engage with”, while 58 per cent felt “helpless” as a result. On the
other hand, it made 89 per cent angry at those who abused the children and 84
per cent “angry that wider society didn’t do more”. Seventy-one per cent of
those surveyed believed that “wider Irish society bears some responsibility for
what has been revealed in the Ryan, Ferns, Murphy and Cloyne reports”. And 88
per cent believed that “individual members of society should have demanded that
the State act to prevent child abuse”, while 85 per cent felt that “individual
members of Irish society should have done more to protect these children”. Half
believed “wider society is prejudiced against children in care in the State
today” Patsy McGarry, September, 2011
Remote User:
Date:
30 Sep 2011
Time:
01:51:14
Comments
The moment I stepped through those gates around 1,30. pm 16,7,1947 I went from
an inocent 10 year old,my life as I know it changed forever, Artane destroyed
thousands of us who were there, they took away our freedom and destroyed our
younger years and left the mark of despair on our souls forever never to be the
same again. Our young bodys never got the nourishment our bodys needed while
growing up the most inportant years of our young lives , ten to sixteen, our
minds and bodys really never matured, and today we who are stll alive are still
liveing with this nightmare, in my opinion maybe it's too late there should be a
class action againest the Irish Goverment and the Church for taken away our
civil rights as one person says prisoners of war had protection , We had
none.Then as one says what good is all the money in the world if one cant sleep
without Nightmares.kind regards. Anonymous.
Remote User:
Date:
30 Sep 2011
Time:
05:53:32
Comments
The only person who took intrest in our sorrid plight in all those years was
Father Flangan in the forties, When he brought it to tha attention of the Then
Irish Goverment and the Church plus the Irish media, what did the media and the
rest do, told him to keep out of Irish affairs and ridiculed him , if only they
had listened to him we would not be in this sorry mess, he vowed to come back
but died suddenly maybe to the joy of Irish Church and Goverment, we will never
know what a difference he might have made and the Irish people were blind deaf
and dumb to our plight. Rest in peace Father Flanagan you tried more than
others.kind regards. Anonymous.
Remote User:
Date:
30 Sep 2011
Time:
10:55:13
Comments
Guidelines on child safety to be mandatory........ A safety programme to educate
and protect students from abuse must be taught in all primary schools from
today. Despite being introduced almost 20 years ago, dozens of schools have
refused to teach the Stay Safe programme. However, from this morning all 3,300
primary schools will be obliged to do so under updated child protection
guidelines. Teachers and other school staff are already required to report
suspicions of abuse, including neglect, to a designated liaison person (DLP) —
usually the principal — who deals with health authorities, gardaí or others in
relation to child abuse concerns. But now it will be a requirement in all
primary and second-level schools that: *The name of the DLP must be displayed
prominently near the main entrance. *As well as informing the board where a
report involving a student has been made to the HSE, the DLP must now also tell
them when advice was sought from the HSE but no report made; the principal must
report the number of all such cases to every board meeting. *Schools must make
their child protection policy available to all staff and the parents’
association, and it must be readily accessible to parents on request. *Child
protection policies must be reviewed annually and plans made to address
identified areas for improvement. The guidelines, to be published today by
Education Minister Ruairi Quinn, include improved oversights for boards of
management. Parents and staff should have easier access to information about
school policies and how to report suspicions of abuse. Stay Safe has been in use
since the early 1990s but a 2009 Department of Education survey suggested that
about 150 schools were not teaching it. Some Catholic primary schools did not
introduce it because of sensitivities around sexuality issues it discussed and
it has been suggested that resistance, particularly in its early stages, was
stronger in certain Catholic dioceses. The 58-page document seen by the Irish
Examiner states: “The Stay Safe programme for primary schools plays a valuable
role in helping children develop the skills necessary to enable them to
recognise and resist abuse and potentially abusive situations.” It has been
agreed by the department with school board representatives, teacher unions and
others over the last two years and its finalisation was on hold until there was
new Children First guidance, which was published by Children’s Minister Frances
Fitzgerald in July. “Rather than wait until requirements for mandatory reporting
of abuse suspicions are given statutory effect, Mr Quinn has ordered that the
school guidelines take immediate effect.” By Niall Murray,Friday, September 30,
2011
Remote User:
Date:
30 Sep 2011
Time:
10:57:33
Comments
Child abuse inquiry in North gets go-ahead......... An Inquiry into church and
state institutional abuse of children in Northern Ireland is to be carried out
over the next two to three years, First Minister Peter Robinson and acting
Deputy First Minister John O’Dowd have announced. A special meeting of the
Northern Executive at Stormont yesterday presided over by Mr Robinson and Mr
O’Dowd gave the formal go-ahead for the inquiry which will investigate
allegations of physical and sexual abuse going back to 1945. The inquiry into
historical institutional child abuse will operate on a twin-track system.
Initially victims of abuse will be able to give evidence privately to an
“acknowledgement forum” while special legislation is put in place to compel
witnesses to give evidence and documents to be presented to the inquiry. Under
the proposals an advocacy service to support victims is to be created within
about two months while the forum is scheduled to be up and running by the end of
the year or early next year. Catholic religious orders, state and voluntary
groups will be invited to provide evidence to the forum on a voluntary basis.
Should any group refuse they can be subsequently obliged to so do when the
legislation is in place in about two years’ time. From start-up, the inquiry is
expected to be completed within 2½ years. Thereafter the Northern Executive will
have six months to consider the report before it is published. The composition
of the inquiry team and who should lead it are yet to be finalised although it
is expected to be headed by a senior legal figure. No ruling has been made about
who should be liable for possible compensation. This issue is still under
consideration by the North’s Attorney General, John Larkin. There was no
announcement on the cost of the inquiry or whether there will be a ceiling on
costs, but sources said it was likely to run into “millions of pounds rather
than tens of millions of pounds as in the South”. Researchers will also be
appointed soon to examine cases and gather documents in preparation for the
opening of the forum. “In our meetings with victims we have been moved by their
experiences and how they continue to live with the traumatic legacy of the past.
We have listened to them and designed a process to meet their needs,” said Mr
Robinson. This inquiry will be given the necessary statutory powers to compel
people and documents. “We will be taking forward legislation in the Assembly to
confer statutory powers on the Inquiry and Investigation into Historical
Institutional Child Abuse. “It could take up to two years before the legislation
is complete, however, this will not delay the investigation and inquiry’s work,”
said Mr Robinson. Mr O’Dowd hoped the announcement would mark the beginning of a
process that “can help to bring a degree of closure to the legacy of hurt and
suffering left after the awful experiences of the past”. Leading victims’
represent-atives Margaret McGuckin and John McCourt welcomed the announcement.
“They have listened to us. They have listened to how important it is that
records are found and it is a proper investigation that will help all victims.
Mr McCourt said yesterday was a victory for the victims of institutional abuse
in Northern Ireland. By Gerry Moriarty, Friday, September 30, 2011
Remote User:
Date:
30 Sep 2011
Time:
11:13:22
Comments
Jesuits berate Taoiseach over Cloyne......... Fine Gael has been accused of
abandoning its Christian Democratic roots and the Labour Party of
“anti-clericalism” in the autumn edition of Jesuit magazine Studies. An
editorial by Fr Fergus O’Donoghue says Taoiseach Enda Kenny “could have made a
great speech on July 20th, 2011, when he addressed the Dáil about the Cloyne
report . . . That was the perfect time for a Government leader to encourage
reflection rather than merely articulate public anger.” He says: “Really good
leaders tell the crowd where it should go, rather than simply march in front of
it, which is what our present Taoiseach was doing. “We have had many examples of
bad leadership in Irish politics: Charles J Haughey once looked clever and
sophisticated, but was really cheap and tawdry; it is only four years since
Bertie Ahern seemed masterly, but now is reduced to being the failed master of
our collective self-delusion. “The applause from commentators after the
Taoiseach’s speech was vociferous and comparisons were made with Éamon de
Valera’s ‘historic’ reply to Winston Churchill – a speech so ‘historic’ that it
has been largely forgotten. “Aged pundits produced more anti-Catholic diatribes;
some of our ‘religious affairs’ correspondents proved, yet again, that they have
plenty of opinions, but no theology,” he says. A leading member of the Fine Gael
party “called for the expulsion of the Papal Nuncio; a Government Minister made
extraordinary remarks about the legal obligation to break the seal of
confession. Fine Gael seems to have abandoned its Christian Democratic roots,
preferring the humourless embrace of political correctness.” He asks: “If the
Irish right is losing its soul, what of the Irish left?” Labour’s
“anti-clericalism conveys nostalgia for the French Third Republic but it wants
to be in power, so its radicalism has been muted to inaudibility. “It now
realises that we are governed in ‘Frankfurt’s way’, not ‘Labour’s way’, but this
allows Labour to be even more committed to secularism and the hope of making
Ireland a southwesterly version of Scandinavia, which has long been the
spiritual home of the European left.” He acknowledged that after the Cloyne
report, “public anger was justified: an arrogant bishop had proved his pastoral
ineptitude by his fixation with the opinions of a Vatican department, led by a
cardinal noted for an obsession with clerical privilege”. Pope Benedict,
however, had “renewed the institutional church’s dialogue with the modern
world”, but “a lot of time has been lost. “Irish Catholicism, once creative and
transformative, had long allowed itself to become merely a conservative and
controlling force in society. Worse still, it more or less disengaged from Irish
intellectual life in the late 20th century. Irish Catholicism is in urgent need
of self-reinvention. “It has done this several times in the course of its
history and is capable of doing so again. Several Irish bishops have begun
excellent pastoral initiatives, but have not made them widely known. Their
shyness should not continue,” he says. “Our recession has become a prolonged
lesson in humility.” The EU “now controls so much of our lives that our
Government functions as a debt-collection agency”. The need “to recover a sense
of ourselves is imperative. The demonisation of our past has to stop, as does
the cycle of blame about everything that has gone wrong in Ireland in the past
hundred years.” Looking to “important anniversaries between 2011 and 2016”, he
said these “could be occasions of yet more recrimination but, with good
leadership in every aspect of Irish life, they will be times to begin healing,
forgiveness and self-acceptance”. By Patsy McGarry, Friday, September 30, 2011
Remote User:
Date:
30 Sep 2011
Time:
11:17:13
Comments
Horrors of child abuse could be repeated........ Child abuse remains a serious
threat in Ireland despite over a decade of inquires and reports revealing the
suffering of tens of thousands of children at the hands of Church and state. A
major study says continuing lack of accountability in key institutions, public
discomfort with the subject of abuse, and state reluctance to prosecute those
who turned a blind eye to it mean the horrors of the past could be repeated. The
Amnesty International Ireland research was accepted by Children’s Minister
Frances Fitzgerald. "We should not fool ourselves into believing that abuse
occurred in a sepia-toned Ireland that is dead and gone," she said. "It happened
long after we knew it was happening. "It’s easy for us as a society to fall into
a trap of believing that the current knowledge of what happened equates to
safety. "The assumption that because we know that abuse can happen, we make it
less likely to happen, is fallacy because knowledge is of little use without
action." Norah Gibbons, the director of advocacy at children’s charity Barnardos,
also warned of the "ongoing prevalence of an organisational culture that focuses
on the protection of the institution or agency over the protection of children".
A key finding of the study, which examined the Ferns, Ryan, Murphy and Cloyne
reports into clerical and institutional child abuse, is the failure of the
criminal justice system to date to prosecute those in positions of authority who
concealed crimes. Lead author Carole Holohan said: "The reports raise serious
questions about the rule of law, given the evidence of deferential treatment
shown to priests and bishops by members of the gardaí." Solicitor Pearse Mehigan,
who also contributed, said every file ever referred to the DPP alleging abuse by
clergy and the religious should be reopened and examined to establish "whether
or not there were political machinations in force behind the decision-making
process". "If the failure of the criminal justice system to prosecute
criminality on the grand scale revealed in the various reports into clerical
child abuse goes unaddressed, then an environment of impunity will continue to
exist." The In Plain Sight study, which runs to over 400 pages, also catalogues
the various forms of abuse and neglect recorded in the four reports and
concludes they satisfy the definitions of torture, slavery and cruel and inhuman
treatment as laid down under international human rights law. Amnesty Ireland
executive director Colm O’Gorman said: "The human rights violations referred to
are some of the greatest human rights violations in the history of this state."
An accompanying opinion poll revealed the public’s ongoing difficulty with the
subject of child abuse. It found that 58% of adults felt helpless to deal with
the issues raised in the four reports, 50% believed society at large would
prefer to turn a blind eye to child abuse, and 50% said society remained
prejudiced against children who were in the care of the state. By Caroline
O’Doherty, September, 2011
- Remote User:
- Date:
- 01 Oct 2011
- Time:
- 10:32:22
Comments
State seeking to gain control over church………..
OPINION: The Government’s undiplomatic outburst
shows it has another agenda, writes Seamus Murphy…….
Following the publication of the Cloyne report, the
Government denounced the Vatican for undermining
Irish laws and demanded a full and comprehensive
explanation. It got just that recently; and it is
not interested. On child protection, Archbishop
Diarmuid Martin has given good leadership to the
Irish church, but that wasn’t enough to give weight
to his plea that the Government take the Vatican
response seriously. The Government’s current excuse
for its undiplomatic outburst and refusal to engage
with the Vatican response is that it was expressing
Irish people’s feelings. But the Government should
lead, not follow the loudest shouters.