It is widely reported that the Bishop of Galway Bishop, Martin Drennan does not intend to resign. Bishop Drennan states that he wasn’t asked to appear before the Commission, but it should be remembered that the Commission only investigated a representative sample of allegations against 46 priests - it found allegations against 172 (102 of which were inside the terms of reference). We don’t know who was involved in the handling of those other allegations because the point of investigating a representative sample is to establish the culture, practices and system that existed between 1975 and 2004. That system, which Bishop Drennan was a part of for 7 years covered up the sexual abuse of children and caused the sexual abuse of more children.
Bishop Drennan states that by the time of his appointment in 1997 child protection structures were already in place. The Framework document of 1996 which he refers to was flawed and Cardinal Connell told the Commission that it was not binding in canon or civil law so he could follow only those guidelines he wanted to follow – and the Commission makes it very clear that the guidelines were in place but were not being implemented. Change only began to occur with the appointment of a new head of Child Protection Services Mr Phil Garland in 2003.
Bishop Drennan advises against anger and adds insult to injury when he describes our calls for accountability as vengeful. He says he met with 60 priests from the Diocese of Galway and seems to enjoy their full support. I have today emailed the Bishop and asked him to formally invite 60 victims of sexual abuse by priests in Dublin to come and meet him in Galway to express their views.
I reiterate my call for Bishop Martin Drennan to resign.
END - 27/12/2009
Sunday, December 27, 2009
Friday, December 25, 2009
DUBLIN ABUSE REPORT
I welcome the resignations of Bishop Eamonn Walsh and Bishop Raymond Field late yesterday evening. They were Bishops in the Archdiocese of Dublin during a time when the Commission of Investigation found that the sexual abuse of children by priests was covered up by the Archdiocese and other Church authorities.
I am grateful to each of the Bishops who has resigned since the publication of the Murphy Report. It is an important part of the healing process to know that those who were in positions of power and responsibility at a time when such abuse was taking place are accountable today for their actions or inactions when such abuse was brought to their attention.
It is important for me to live in a society where those who have subordinated the welfare of vulnerable children to the betterment of any institution learn that such behaviour is not acceptable.
I reiterate my call for Bishop Martin Drennan to resign.
I am grateful to each of the Bishops who has resigned since the publication of the Murphy Report. It is an important part of the healing process to know that those who were in positions of power and responsibility at a time when such abuse was taking place are accountable today for their actions or inactions when such abuse was brought to their attention.
It is important for me to live in a society where those who have subordinated the welfare of vulnerable children to the betterment of any institution learn that such behaviour is not acceptable.
I reiterate my call for Bishop Martin Drennan to resign.
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
DUBLIN ABUSE REPORT
I welcome the resignation of Bishop James Moriarty. He was a Bishop in the Archdiocese of Dublin during a time when the Commission of Investigation found that the sexual abuse of children by priests was covered up by the Archdiocese and other Church authorities.
I note that both Bishop Murray and Bishop Moriarty have resigned for the good of the church and without accepting any responsibility for the cover up of child sexual abuse by priests. This is not surprising to me. In the Murphy Report:
Paragraph 1.15 tells us that all considerations, including the welfare of children, were subordinated to an overall priority which was the good of the church and,
Paragraph 1.59 tells us there was a disturbing failure to accept responsibility on behalf of some of the bishops who gave evidence.
It is plain to see that both of these findings of the Commission are still true of the Catholic bishops today.
I reiterate my earlier call for Bishops M Drennan, E Walsh and R Field to resign following publication of the Murphy Report.
END - 23/12/2009
I note that both Bishop Murray and Bishop Moriarty have resigned for the good of the church and without accepting any responsibility for the cover up of child sexual abuse by priests. This is not surprising to me. In the Murphy Report:
Paragraph 1.15 tells us that all considerations, including the welfare of children, were subordinated to an overall priority which was the good of the church and,
Paragraph 1.59 tells us there was a disturbing failure to accept responsibility on behalf of some of the bishops who gave evidence.
It is plain to see that both of these findings of the Commission are still true of the Catholic bishops today.
I reiterate my earlier call for Bishops M Drennan, E Walsh and R Field to resign following publication of the Murphy Report.
END - 23/12/2009
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
DUBLIN ABUSE REPORT
It is now 3 weeks since the Commission of Investigation published the Murphy Report into the handling of allegations of child sexual abuse by priests in the Catholic Archdiocese of Dublin. The Commission found that the sexual abuse of children by priests was covered up by the Archdiocese and that the structures and rules of the Catholic Church were found to have facilitated that cover-up.
Bishops Murray, Moriarty, Drennan, Walsh and Field, were auxiliary bishops of Dublin during some of the period (1975-2004) covered by the Commission of Investigation and remain bishops within the Irish Catholic Church in Ireland today.
I repeat my call for Bishops Murray, Moriarty, Drennan, Walsh and Field to resign immediately. They joined with other Bishops to issue a statement on 10th December 2009 to say that they are shamed by the extent to which child sexual abuse was covered up in the Archdiocese of Dublin, yet individually they claim to have done nothing wrong.
Their continued presence in office is an insult to every child sexually abused by a priest in the Dublin Archdiocese, they display a contemptible level of arrogance and a shocking lack of humility.
The Catholic Church in Ireland has totally failed to respond at all appropriately to the findings of the Murphy Report.
END - 16/12/2009
Bishops Murray, Moriarty, Drennan, Walsh and Field, were auxiliary bishops of Dublin during some of the period (1975-2004) covered by the Commission of Investigation and remain bishops within the Irish Catholic Church in Ireland today.
I repeat my call for Bishops Murray, Moriarty, Drennan, Walsh and Field to resign immediately. They joined with other Bishops to issue a statement on 10th December 2009 to say that they are shamed by the extent to which child sexual abuse was covered up in the Archdiocese of Dublin, yet individually they claim to have done nothing wrong.
Their continued presence in office is an insult to every child sexually abused by a priest in the Dublin Archdiocese, they display a contemptible level of arrogance and a shocking lack of humility.
The Catholic Church in Ireland has totally failed to respond at all appropriately to the findings of the Murphy Report.
END - 16/12/2009
Friday, December 4, 2009
OPEN LTR TO BISHOPS
Open Letter To:
Archbishop D. Martin
Bishop D. Murray
Bishop J. Moriarty
Bishop M. Drennan
Bishop E. Walsh
Bishop R. Field
Dear Sirs,
I write with reference to the publication of the Murphy Report into the handling of allegations of child sexual abuse against priests operating in or under the aegis of the Catholic Archdiocese of Dublin.
I started reading the Report at 10am in an office of the Department of Justice last Thursday morning and quickly became both very angry and very sad as chapter after chapter revealed sickening details of acts of abuse perpetrated by priests on vulnerable young children. No matter how many other Reports I may have read or how easily I recall my own childhood experiences at the hands of former priest Ivan Payne, there is nothing that prepares a decent human being for the details of how any adults, let alone priests, sexually abused young children.
And then there is the cover up of that abuse. The knowing calculating self-serving cover up of the sexual abuse of children in order to maintain secrecy, avoid scandal, protect the reputation of the Church and preserve its assets. The Report is quite clear that these were the pre-occupations of the Archdiocese in dealing with cases of child sexual abuse, adding that the Commission of Investigation has no doubt that child sexual abuse was covered up by the Archdiocese and that the structures and roles of the Church facilitated that cover up.
Bishop Murray your behaviour is described as inexcusable; you protest that this is not the only description of your behaviour. You are right: the Report also says you were aware for many years of complaints and/or suspicions of clerical child sexual abuse, dealt badly with a number of complaints, and you did not deal properly with the suspicions and concerns that were expressed to you, these comments don’t exactly balance out the finding of your actions being inexcusable.
Bishop Moriarty you told the people in Kildare and Leighlin that you were not directly criticised in the Report. Yes you were: you claimed your reason for not properly investigating Fr Edmondus was because you did not have access to the archives, but the Report says that you could have asked the Archbishop to conduct a search which would have revealed earlier sexual abuse by the priest. That, Bishop Moriarty, is criticism.
Bishops Drennan, Walsh and Field, you were auxiliary bishops of Dublin during some of the period (1975-2004) covered by the Commission of Investigation. The Report tells us that a number of auxiliary bishops were made aware of complaints of child sexual abuse by priests in their geographical areas. Others found out about such priests through the regular monthly meetings involving the Archbishop and the auxiliary bishops. It is not believable to me that none of you, as bishops attending those meetings, were unaware that child sexual abuse was covered up by the Archdiocese. You were Bishops working in a Diocese where children were sexually abused by priests, priests that the Diocese knew were dangerous. You were all part of a structure and culture that facilitated the sexual abuse of children.
Bishops Murray, Moriarty, Drennan, Walsh and Field it is time for you all to resign. Some of you have tried to keep a low profile, others are trying to hold onto office in a manner that has become obscene. And please don’t hide behind the fact that some of you were not criticised in the Report; the Report only details a sample of allegations against 46 priests but it found allegations against 172, and don’t forget there are almost 40 pages missing from the Report, what will they reveal when they are published? For the Murphy Report to so conclusively find that child sexual abuse was covered up by the Archdiocese at a time when you were all bishops in the Diocese, and for you all to remain in office is to add insult to injury to me, and many people like me, who were sexually abused by priests. It is deeply hurtful and distressing that none of you can see that the hurt and pain caused to so many children in the Archdiocese at a time when you were Bishops is reason enough for you all to respect those sad experiences and go.
Archbishop Martin you have told your fellow Bishops that they must come out and answer questions raised in the Report – there are no questions raised in the Report, each chapter concludes with findings, findings of fact. It doesn’t ask Bishop Murray if he thinks his actions were inexcusable, it tells us they were. It doesn’t accuse him of behaving inexcusably, it tells us he did. Archbishop you have no right to tell Bishops that they should respond to this Report and if their responses are acceptable to you and your priests then maybe things will be okay. Things are not okay; you are not the one to judge their actions, Judge Yvonne Murphy has done that and on the basis of her findings I say your fellow Bishops, as named here, should resign. And if they don’t, you should resign before your meeting with them next week. In the meantime stop trying to undermine the Commission of Investigation and its findings.
Yours sincerely,
Andrew Madden.
Archbishop D. Martin
Bishop D. Murray
Bishop J. Moriarty
Bishop M. Drennan
Bishop E. Walsh
Bishop R. Field
Dear Sirs,
I write with reference to the publication of the Murphy Report into the handling of allegations of child sexual abuse against priests operating in or under the aegis of the Catholic Archdiocese of Dublin.
I started reading the Report at 10am in an office of the Department of Justice last Thursday morning and quickly became both very angry and very sad as chapter after chapter revealed sickening details of acts of abuse perpetrated by priests on vulnerable young children. No matter how many other Reports I may have read or how easily I recall my own childhood experiences at the hands of former priest Ivan Payne, there is nothing that prepares a decent human being for the details of how any adults, let alone priests, sexually abused young children.
And then there is the cover up of that abuse. The knowing calculating self-serving cover up of the sexual abuse of children in order to maintain secrecy, avoid scandal, protect the reputation of the Church and preserve its assets. The Report is quite clear that these were the pre-occupations of the Archdiocese in dealing with cases of child sexual abuse, adding that the Commission of Investigation has no doubt that child sexual abuse was covered up by the Archdiocese and that the structures and roles of the Church facilitated that cover up.
Bishop Murray your behaviour is described as inexcusable; you protest that this is not the only description of your behaviour. You are right: the Report also says you were aware for many years of complaints and/or suspicions of clerical child sexual abuse, dealt badly with a number of complaints, and you did not deal properly with the suspicions and concerns that were expressed to you, these comments don’t exactly balance out the finding of your actions being inexcusable.
Bishop Moriarty you told the people in Kildare and Leighlin that you were not directly criticised in the Report. Yes you were: you claimed your reason for not properly investigating Fr Edmondus was because you did not have access to the archives, but the Report says that you could have asked the Archbishop to conduct a search which would have revealed earlier sexual abuse by the priest. That, Bishop Moriarty, is criticism.
Bishops Drennan, Walsh and Field, you were auxiliary bishops of Dublin during some of the period (1975-2004) covered by the Commission of Investigation. The Report tells us that a number of auxiliary bishops were made aware of complaints of child sexual abuse by priests in their geographical areas. Others found out about such priests through the regular monthly meetings involving the Archbishop and the auxiliary bishops. It is not believable to me that none of you, as bishops attending those meetings, were unaware that child sexual abuse was covered up by the Archdiocese. You were Bishops working in a Diocese where children were sexually abused by priests, priests that the Diocese knew were dangerous. You were all part of a structure and culture that facilitated the sexual abuse of children.
Bishops Murray, Moriarty, Drennan, Walsh and Field it is time for you all to resign. Some of you have tried to keep a low profile, others are trying to hold onto office in a manner that has become obscene. And please don’t hide behind the fact that some of you were not criticised in the Report; the Report only details a sample of allegations against 46 priests but it found allegations against 172, and don’t forget there are almost 40 pages missing from the Report, what will they reveal when they are published? For the Murphy Report to so conclusively find that child sexual abuse was covered up by the Archdiocese at a time when you were all bishops in the Diocese, and for you all to remain in office is to add insult to injury to me, and many people like me, who were sexually abused by priests. It is deeply hurtful and distressing that none of you can see that the hurt and pain caused to so many children in the Archdiocese at a time when you were Bishops is reason enough for you all to respect those sad experiences and go.
Archbishop Martin you have told your fellow Bishops that they must come out and answer questions raised in the Report – there are no questions raised in the Report, each chapter concludes with findings, findings of fact. It doesn’t ask Bishop Murray if he thinks his actions were inexcusable, it tells us they were. It doesn’t accuse him of behaving inexcusably, it tells us he did. Archbishop you have no right to tell Bishops that they should respond to this Report and if their responses are acceptable to you and your priests then maybe things will be okay. Things are not okay; you are not the one to judge their actions, Judge Yvonne Murphy has done that and on the basis of her findings I say your fellow Bishops, as named here, should resign. And if they don’t, you should resign before your meeting with them next week. In the meantime stop trying to undermine the Commission of Investigation and its findings.
Yours sincerely,
Andrew Madden.
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
DUBLIN ABUSE REPORT
Since the publication of the Murphy Report on Thursday 26th November 2009 the Catholic Church in Dublin and elsewhere has engaged in a process of damage limitation and of attempting to undermine the findings of the Report. This is a cause of considerable anger and deep distress to many victims of abuse including myself. Archbishop Diarmuid Martin, Bishop Eamon Walsh and Bishop Wille Walsh have all issued statements and comments in recent days which only serve to add insult and injury to those of us who have been sexually abused by priests and who have given evidence to the Commission of Investigation.
I am also shocked to see priests and ‘lay people’ gather together and issue a statement in support of Bishop Donal Murray. In the 14 years since I first went public I have never seen such people gather together and issue a similar statement in support of a single victim of child sexual abuse by a priest.
There was talk recently about a Service of Atonement at the Pro-Cathedral in Dublin planned by more ‘lay people’ in response to the Ryan and Dublin Reports. This service had the full support of Archbishop Martin providing it had the support of victims. I have now written to the organisers and told them not to bother, as any words expressed by bishops or anyone else at such a service would be utterly meaningless.
END 01/12/2009
I am also shocked to see priests and ‘lay people’ gather together and issue a statement in support of Bishop Donal Murray. In the 14 years since I first went public I have never seen such people gather together and issue a similar statement in support of a single victim of child sexual abuse by a priest.
There was talk recently about a Service of Atonement at the Pro-Cathedral in Dublin planned by more ‘lay people’ in response to the Ryan and Dublin Reports. This service had the full support of Archbishop Martin providing it had the support of victims. I have now written to the organisers and told them not to bother, as any words expressed by bishops or anyone else at such a service would be utterly meaningless.
END 01/12/2009
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