Criminalise buyers of sex Ruhama urges

Ruhama, the organisation that supports women in prostitution, has urged the Government to introduce legislation that criminalises the buyers of sex and decriminalises those who are prostituted.
 
The call was made as a report in the Sunday Independent revealed that a gang of Romanian criminals is behind a prostitution racket in Limerick city.

Gerardine Rowley, Communications and Policy Manager of Ruhama, said Ireland had seen “a huge increase in migrant women in the sex trade over the last decade.”

She told CatholicIreland.net, “When one looks at the profile of these women, they are coming from poor countries where there is a lack of employment and educational opportunities for women. I think their vulnerability is quite obvious.”

“We see the same in Dublin where some of the women who are in street prostitution are drug users and some are homeless.”

The organisation has called on the Government to introduce legislation to criminalise the buying of sex, warning that it is the buyers who are “fuelling the trade”.

Referring to the publication of a series of recommendations in a Department of Justice Report on prostitution legislation at the end of June, she said Ruhama was now urging the Government to take action and move “beyond having a report and recommendations” and instead “act on those recommendations.”

The Government held a conference and a consultation process on the future direction of prostitution legislation in Ireland last year.

“The debate and consultation process was very comprehensive. It met with women in prostitution, those who were opposed to criminalising the buying of sex and those who were for it.”

Members of the Joint Oireachtas Committee also visited Sweden and saw first-hand the effects of bringing in a law that criminalises the buying of sex because Sweden has had this legislation since 1999 and have since carried out a ten-year evaluation.

“I think it is about realism and about being honest and challenging the complacency towards those who buy sex,” Gerardine Rowley said.

The situation in Limerick prompted rugby star, Jerry Flannery, who is a publican in the city, to publicly criticise prostitution and urge men to make more of a social effort rather than resort to buying sex.

Welcoming his comments, Gerardine Rowley told CatholicIreland.net, “If there are no buyers, then there are no women for sale on the streets or in brothels, no traffickers and no pimps.”

“I think it is important that the focus is on the buyers and that legislation now moves towards curbing the sex trade by criminalising the buyers, and making it socially unacceptable,” she said.

However, she disagreed with Jerry Flannery over his depiction of the men who buy sex as people who don’t have or can’t have sexual relations with other people.

“It is a commonly held view, but from our experience at the frontline with women in prostitution and from studies internationally, the majority of buyers seem to be married or have sexual relationships. So prostitution is not a service to people who can’t have sexual relationships, prostitution seems to be more about power than sex for the buyers.”

Warning that the time for “debating and discussing is over”, Ms Rowley added, “Now is the time for the Government to act on the recommendations on prostitution legislation which were published in June.”

“We are not saying it is going to get rid of prostitution, it is only one aspect of the legislation that needs to be enforced. During the consultation process, Ruhama put forward recommendations around the role of modern telecommunications in the organising of prostitution. There are other recommendations in the Government’s report that we would hope they would also bring forward.”

Referring to the fact that at this time of year many parents are considering their children’s future as they look at their CAO offers, Gerardine Rowley said, “There is no parent out there that is considering a career in the sex trade as a good option for their children.”

“We sometimes hear excuses made for the sex trade which claim that women make a lot of money, but most people, if they have children, are not sitting down with them and saying this is something I want for my daughter or son … “

As to the situation in Limerick, she said that from Ruhama’s knowledge of what is happening there, they are very concerned about the involvement of organised crime.

“The Gardai in Limerick, just like in some of the districts here in Dublin, did carry out targeted operations against the buyers of sex and we would hope that would continue. They prosecuted a number of men and those men’s names, when they went to court, were in the newspapers.”

“While we are not advocating a blanket name and shame – sometimes when people are caught for a crime, it can be a deterrent. We all know that when something is made a crime, be it the wearing of a seatbelt or drink driving, it does stop people and make people think twice.”

Ruhama is part of the Turn Off the Red Light campaign which has the backing of almost 70 organisations who want to see legislation that will criminalise the buying of sex and make it socially unacceptable.

Omagh parish celebrates first ordination in 25 years

The first ordination in the Sacred Heart Church in Omagh in twenty-five years took place on Sunday 25th August.
 
Fr Brendan Collins from Clanabogan was ordained for the Diocese of Derry by retired Auxiliary Bishop of Derry, Dr Francis Lagan.

Fr Collins has been serving in St Eugene’s Cathedral in Derry since he was ordained a deacon in the Basilica of Santa Maria Sopra Minerva in Rome two years ago.

The newly-ordained priest celebrated his First Mass in the Sacred Heart Church in Omagh.

The twenty-nine-year-old priest studied Business and ICT at Omagh College and the University of Ulster. Prior to entering the priesthood, he worked in retail management.

He told the Ulster Herald that it was his “dream to be ordained in his parish.”

“Explaining why I want to be a priest is very difficult,” he said. “It is about witnessing to other people. Everyone and everything I encountered along the way has taken me to where I am today.”

Cardinal Zen says he is willing to risk jail

The former Bishop of Hong Kong, Cardinal Joseph Zen Ze-kiun, is prepared to go to jail if the promise made to the British colony when Britain handed Hong Kong back to China in 1997 (that is, free democratic elections and universal suffrage by 2017) is not kept.
While it looks less and less likely that China will agree to free elections in one of its territories, the debate in Hong Kong, Asia’s financial hub, has been getting more and more heated by the month. 

On the occasion of Hong Kong’s handover anniversary last 1 July, 430 thousand people marched through the city’s forest of sky-scrappers, in what was described as the biggest pro-democratic demonstration held in a decade.

But the greatest concern for the Chinese government and its allies in Hong Kong, is Occupy Central, a movement inspired by the Occupy Wall Street protest movement of 2011. 

Occupy Central was launched by a professor and a Protestant pastor and its aim is to paralyse the financial district in July next year, with a series of peaceful protests and acts of civil disobedience. The government runs the risk of the former colony’s image of stability and safety for business being compromised.

Unlike the rest of China, Hong Kong’s 7 million-strong population enjoys complete freedom of expression and religion and an independent judicial system. But its leaders – starting with the Chief Executive of Hong Kong who governs the former colony – are elected by a select number of voters, in a complex voting system which critics say was deliberately conceived to favour Beijing's allies. 

The opposition and the Occupy Central movement are asking the government to introduce a clearer voting process and allow universal suffrage so that the next Chief Executive can be elected in a more direct manner.

In a recent interview with Reuters, Cardinal Zen – who recently retired and has always been a critic of Beijing – said he was worried about potential infiltrations by pro-China protesters. 

Their aim is to provoke clashes, inciting the government to respond with force. "I'm worried we may finish with some violence ... Then they have the pretext to crush everything," the 81-year old prelate said.

Centuries-old Scottish cemetery restores its records

In a move to preserve records of the Scots who died in Kolkata, 11 registers containing about 4,000 burial records at the Scottish cemetery in the city have been restored.
The registers, which date back to the 1840s, not only have immense archival value but also have sentimental value for the present-day Scots as many of them have their ancestors or close relatives buried there.

“It’s an important restoration work. They carry crucial records on Scots who lived in India but the registers were in a bad shape due to age of the papers,” GM Kapur, convenor of West Bengal and Calcutta regional chapter of Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH), which restored the registers, said.

The registers have detailed records of the number of the grave, date and place of birth of the deceased, date and hour of death, profession and address as well as the cause of death.

There are about 1,800 graves in the cemetery.

The first entry in the oldest register is of Ann Emily Shaw, a 16-month-old baby and resident of Creek Row, who died of cholera on November 8, 1840.

The second entry is of Donald MacLeod, who served as medical inspector general of Her Majesty’s Hospital in India and resided at 22, Theatre Street.

Born in the Isle of Skye in Scotland, MacLeod died in Kolkata on November 12, 1840, at the age of 65.

Established in 1826, the cemetery at Park Circus is the only Scottish cemetery in Kolkata and considered by many Scots as ‘a piece of Scotland in Kolkata’.

Presently, the cemetery is under the maintenance of St. Andrew’s Church, the only Scottish church in the city.

Kolkata Scottish Heritage Trust, a UK-based organization, took up an initiative in 2008 to restore and preserve Scottish heritages in Kolkata.

Located in a congested area south of AJC Bose (Lower Circular) Road at 3 Karaya Road, Kolkata 700014, it covers an area of six acres and contains approximately 1,800 graves.

Their appeal was heard and the Scottish Cemetery was finally opened in 1826 and expanded over the years. It is now full, no longer in use and over the years has fallen into decay.

The Scots had come to Kolkata mainly as administrators in the East India Company but later moved on to running the jute and tea businesses.

Fear does not interfere with nuns' hospital work in Egypt

'It is the first time I am afraid to go out, really afraid,' said Italian Comboni Sister Pina De Angelis, from Cairo's Italian Hospital, who has been in Egypt for 28 years, reports the Catholic News Service.

The Egyptian army's takeover in early July, and its ensuing pursuit of people it claims are Muslim militants, have led to deadly clashes throughout the country, including within ear-reach of the century-old hospital where Sister Pina and six other nuns from five different Catholic orders live and work.

But fears of what is outside the hospital gates - including a spike in attacks on the country's Christian institutions - appeared to interfere little with the sisters' chores inside the historic medical facility built by Egypt's one-time vibrant Italian community.

Turning from the news on TV, Sister Pina reported that, as usual, she got up at crack of dawn and was often not in bed till well after midnight, in her role as co-ordinator for the hospital's other six nuns who serve as nurses alongside a much larger medical staff made up of mostly Muslims.

In addition to coordinating the nurses, corresponding with institutions outside the hospital, organising medical assistance for Egypt's Catholic clergy as well as for the occasional sick Italian tourist, Sister Pina said she also served as just plain friend to those in need.

'Sometimes (Muslim) patients look for me and want to talk. One older man, a dialysis patient, always asks to see me, and if he doesn't find me, the next time he sees me he asks 'why didn't you look for me",' Sister Pina told Catholic News Service.

Sister Pina said that as things got increasingly tense in Egypt, colleagues and friends asked her why she did not want to return to Italy. She said she responded that 'now is the right time to stay here because, first of all, I don't want to escape from difficulties, and second, so that Egyptians see that we are part of the Egyptian people.'

Victorian inquiry deadline extended

Victoria's parliamentary inquiry into the handling of child abuse by religious and other organisations has been given extra time to finalise its report. 

The inquiry had been due to hand down its report by September 30 but that has been pushed back until November 15, reports AAP on Yahoo7.

Victorian Parliamentary committee chair, Georgie Crozier, said deliberations were progressing well, but the committee had sought additional information and some matters continued to be analysed.

'We are acutely aware of how important this inquiry is for victims and that they are awaiting our report with anticipation,' Ms Crozier said in a statement.

Gregory III: Democracy is built with peace. U.S. attack is a criminal act

"We must listen to the Pope's appeal for peace in Syria. If western countries want to create true democracy then they must build it on reconciliation, through dialogue between Christians and Muslims, not with weapons. This attacked being planned by the United States is a criminal act, which will only reap more victims, in addition to the tens of thousands of these two years of war. This will destroy the Arab world's trust in the West", says Gregory III Laham, Patriarch of Antioch of the East, of Alexandria and Jerusalem of the Melkites. 

His appeal entrusted to AsiaNews comes after rumors of an imminent United States attack against Damascus. The intervention is supported by other countries: France, Great Britain, Turkey and the Arab League. The religious leader has sent out Pope Francis' August 25 appeal to all of Syria's parishes.

"The voice of Christians - said the Patriarch - is that of the Holy Father. At this time we must be pragmatic. Syria needs stability and an armed attack against the government really has no sense at all".

Gregory III asks, "What or who have led Syria to this thin red line, this point of no return? Who created this hell in which our people have been living for months?". "Every day - he explains - Islamic extremists from all over the world are pouring into Syria with the sole intent to kill and not one country has done anything to stop them, even the U.S. has decided to send in more weapons." The prelate stresses that the planned U.S. attack will affect the Syrian population above all and is no less serious than the use of chemical weapons.

According to the Patriarch, Western countries continue to support a non existent opposition, which has no authority on the ground in Syria. "All preparation for the Geneva 2 Conference  - he said - has been stopped. The word dialogue is now forgotten. For months the Western countries have wasted time in discussions, while people were dying under Assad's bombs and attacks by Islamic al-Qaeda extremists. "

Gregory III warns that a possible victory of the Islamists will give birth to a country divided into small enclaves, which will force Christians into a ghetto. "Our community dwindles every day. Young people are fleeing, families leave their homes and villages." For the prelate, "the disappearance of the Christians is a danger not only for Syria, but for all of Europe." "Our presence - he says - is the essential condition for a moderate Islam, which exists thanks to the Christians. If we leave, there can be no democracy in Syria. This is supported also by the Muslims themselves, who fear the Islamist's madness . Many say that they cannot live where there are no Christians".

Fr. Dominique, sowing seeds of faith in Vietnam amid war and Communist persecution

War, persecution and materialism failed to erase the presence of Catholics in Vietnam, thanks to the witness of priests and lay people who have nurtured the faith. 

In the south of the country memories of Fr. Dominique Nguyen Dinh Cam are still vivid.  

The priest was arrested and sentenced to prison by the communist authorities after the reunification. 

His years of captivity, the faithful who knew him say "sapped his physical, but not his spiritual strength".  

His testimony, along with that of Cardinal Francis Xavier Nguyen Van Thuan and other great heroes of the faith, are the most obvious sign of the vitality of the Church.

In 1972, a devastating conflict (the "red fire summer") raged in the central highlands of Vietnam. Fr. Dominique led his parishioners outside of the war-torn areas, stopping in a safe area of ​​the province of Binh Tuy (in the south). With the approval of future Card. Van Thuan - then bishop of Nha Trang - December 22, 1973 he founded the parish of Tin Mung, becoming the first vicar.

In 1976, one year after the reunification of the country under the auspices of the communist government of the North, the priest was arrested. His close friendship with the cardinal, who was also arrested and jailed for a long period in communist prisons, was among the reasons for his arrest. 

Fr. Dominique was released in 1981, thanks to a "local revolutionary government," and returned to the parish of Tin Mung where he continued to serve the faithful with renewed vigor, in spite of the suffering he was subjected to in prison. His health was severely affected, but "his faith was still strong," and even in prison he was able- through various efforts - "to build up the Church."

The priest worked hard to promote vocations, to fill the void left by years of severe persecution by the Communist authorities. After 21 years of intense pastoral work, on June 1, 1994, he was assigned to the parish of Binh An, in the Diocese of Phan Thiet, once again giving example of "strength" that comes "from faith", capable of overcoming any obstacle. 

Today, the diocese is composed of more than 2,400 faithful and, in recent years, has been able to give to the Church in Vietnam three priests, nine sisters and four seminarians. 

A journey that began 40 years ago after the birth of the parish of Tin Mung and that, even today, produces "good fruits" in spite of persecution and violence.

Minya: schools, churches and orphanages burnt to erase all traces of a Christian presence

With at least 20 attacks against churches, Christian schools and orphanages, Minya Governorate is the part of ​​Egypt where Islamists struck with greatest violence and brutality. 

"The Islamists", one resident said, "burnt and destroyed everything. Their goal was to erase all the traces of a Christian presence; even the orphanages were looted and destroyed."

After storming the Prince Tadros el-Shatbi Church, the armed Islamic extremists turned their attention to two homes for disadvantaged children located near the parish church, residents said.

They stole church offerings, clothes, and children's games before torching the entire building. The fire lasted over 5 hours.

"Fortunately," the source said, "the children were taken to safety before the arrival of the Islamists."

Like other Christians sites, the two homes that housed hundreds of orphans are now a pile of rubble.

The criminals did not only destroy the two orphanages but also the homes of some families working for the orphanages as well as a nearby art gallery that sold objects and artefacts made by orphans to raise money.

Shurkri Huzayn, 40, is the orphanage guard. He, too, grew up as an orphan at the facility. 

He witnessed the Salafist attack.

"What kind of people are they? Even unbelievers would not attack an orphanage," he said.

Islamists raged particularly against anything that symbolised the Christianity and modernity, including computers.

After they left the building, the terrorists burnt nearby shops and schools, such as the St Joseph Coptic School, which is run by nuns, a pharmacy and a restaurant. Anti-Christian graffiti were sprayed on the walls along a road.

A few days after the massacre, the guard said that Copts wrote a message on the wall of the orphanage in response to the militants' insults that read, "Despite of what you did, we ask God to forgive you," and "God exists."

According to a teacher at St Joseph, the attack will have a major impact on Christians' daily life.

"The teachers," she noted, "do not know when the school year will start. The school is open to Christians and Muslims and has taught hundreds of children from rural areas, many of whom were housed in the two orphanages."

Patriarch Sako calls on Christians not to flee Iraq

"Help Christian villages in the north of Iraq," pleaded Mar Rapheal Luis Sako I, patriarch of the Chaldean Church, during his pastoral visit to the Joint Diocese of Zakho and Emmadea on 15-23 August.

Some 40 local villages and towns face a major crisis because of Shia-Sunni confrontation in Iraq and Syria. 

Already hampered by the lack of water and electricity, residents have almost no access to medical care in hospitals or clinics.

"These villages are in dire need, and we call on our benefactors, from all the dioceses and Chaldean churches, to help the Christian population, because their presence is very important," the patriarch said.

In recent months, the diocese of Mosul, Kirkuk, Zackho, Emmadea and Erbil have experienced first-hand the Shia-Sunni conflict in Syria, the confrontation between Iraq's central and provincial governments over oil resources and the attacks by Muslim extremists against civilians, including Christians.

In recent years, hundreds of families have fled the country finding refuge in the West or in other countries of the Middle East. At the same time, many thousands of Syrian Muslim Kurds fled to Iraqi Kurdistan.

In a pastoral letter to the Christians of northern Iraq, the Chaldean patriarch stressed the importance of the Christian presence, them to resist and not to flee.

"Christians in Kurdistan are indigenous citizens," he explained. "They have deep roots that cannot be eradicated for they go back two thousand years. Several of them have sacrificed their lives along with their Muslim brothers for freedom, dignity, and coexistence."

For Patriarch Sako, Christians are a key factor in preserving the cultural and religious pluralism that for centuries characterised Iraq, the cradle of the first civilisation and home of the first diocese.

"I invite you to participate actively in all aspects of life: cultural, political, and social," the prelate said.

However, it is with sorrow that he also spoke about the great exodus of the Christian population, reduced in almost a decade from one million to less than 400,000.

"Do not sell your homes and your land. They are your fathers' legacy. You must keep your land forever instead of becoming migrants and foreigners in the diaspora." 

As an example, the patriarch mentioned the story of the village of Akra.

"In my visit to Mosul," he said, "I met 35 families from Akra, who moved to Duhok where they bought a village called 'Romtha'. Here they built their homes, a church, a community hall and a school and started to farm the fields. "

"Do not be afraid of difficulties," the patriarch said, "because they renew and elevate your presence."

Moscow Patriarchate: acting as "international executioners," the US is sacrificing Muslims and Christians in Syria

As a Western military intervention against the regime of Bashar al-Assad appears increasingly likely, the Russian Orthodox Church expresses "strong concern" about possible developments of the crisis, this following US charges that the regime used chemical weapons against civilians.

"Once again, as was the case in Iraq, the United States is acting as an international executioner", said Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, head of the Department for External Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate.

Speaking to AsiaNews, the representative of the Russian Orthodox Church strongly criticised the US position, which is "completely one-sided."

"Without the endorsement of the United Nations, they want to decide the fate of a whole country of millions of inhabitants."

"Once again," Hilarion warned, "thousands of lives will be sacrificed on the altar of an imaginary democracy;" among them, according to the Metropolitan, there are, first of all, "Christians, about whose fate no one cares."

They are at "risk of becoming hostages to the situation and the main victims of radical extremist forces, who, with the help of the United States, will come to power."

"The international community," he concluded, "must do everything to avoid that events develop in this direction."

Card Tagle calls for honour and integrity against rampant corruption

For Card Luis Antonio Tagle, archbishop of Manila, "honour and integrity" should prevail in every domain of ​​life, family and work.

Calling on the hundreds of thousands of people opposed to the Fund for Priority Development Assistance (PDAF) to take care of the poor, the prelate attacked the programme as a pork barrel scheme that is a source of corruption and malfeasance.

And he was alone, for Catholic activists, representatives of civil society groups and the non-religious joined him in protest.

For his part, President Aquino tried to downplay the issue by promising quick action.

Created in 1990 as the Countrywide Development Fund (CDF), the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) is a discretionary endowment available to members of Congress.

It allows lawmakers to fund organisations, associations and small-scale infrastructure or community projects that fall outside the scope of the national infrastructure programme.

Used to buy votes, the PDAF has been a trough for pork barrelling, a practice that has come under strong criticism because of the abuse, corruption and malfeasance it generates to the tune of billions of pesos (especially in 1996 and 2013).

Speaking in a Manila square before some 350,000 people who answered the call to join the "Million March", Card Tagle called on his fellow citizens to show "honour".

Addressing hundreds of thousands of expatriates, he called for more "honesty and patriotism", emotions that appeal to everyone, regardless of religious affiliation, which must be shown "in places of worship, mosques and churches."

As a keen observer of social issues and the problems of the poor, he wants more decisive action for the poor and the destitute, slamming pork barrel as "heart-breaking".

The cardinal was not alone at the rally. Catholic activists, socially involved as well as non-religious groups joined him in the street.

For Mgr Antonio Ledesma, archbishop of Cagayan de Oro, the funding scandal is a "grave immoral act" that must be eliminated for the good of the country, a tough stance against the government headed by President Benigno Aquino, who came to power in 2010 thanks to a campaign against corruption and in favour of good governance.

In recent days, Aquino promised changes to the way the fund is managed and its moneys distributed.

However, for critics, including activist groups and the Catholic Church, the president's pledge was just window-dressing to chip away at demonstrators' will and prevent further mass demonstrations against his administration.

Archbishop of Seoul: Instead of talking about euthanasia, the government should aid terminally ill

"My opinion on Euthanasia coincides with that of the Catholic Church: I am against it. Death should be a natural process" the Archbishop of Seoul, Msgr. Andrew Yeom Soo-jung, tells AsiaNews commenting on the Korean National Commission of Bioethics proposal to Parliament.
The proposal presented by the Commission - which rose to public prominence in the country for allowing the research of Dr. Hwang Woo-suk, who falsely claimed he could clone humans - recommend that doctors stop life-prolonging treatment for vegetative or terminally ill patients. According to the text "a document stating the patient's will is necessary," but for terminal or unconscious patients "it should be the family to decide".

Parliament began the discussion of the text this morning. "It is unjust - continues Msgr. Yeom to use unnecessary and even harmful medical treatments to patients. It is also unacceptable to cease necessary treatments and put forward the time of death artificially. If a treatment is "medically appropriate and necessary", it is right to continue it. On the contrary, if the treatment is "useless and unnecessary", it is not right to do it. Catholic doctrine in this regard is very clear. "
Instead of arguing for euthanasia, says the bishop, "there are practical conditions that need to be arranged: the establishment of the Hospice and Palliative care system, expansion of facilities, activation of Hospital Ethics Committees, education for the health care provider, improvement of public perception on death, financial support for the dying patients...etc. Without the above conditions, the intent of the Recommendation may cause negative result of approving the contempt for human life".

Pope's Prayer Intentions - September 2013

Value of Silence : That people today, often overwhelmed by noise, may rediscover the value of silence and listen to the voice of God and their brothers and sisters.

Persecuted Christians : That Christians suffering persecution in many parts of the world may by their witness be prophets of Christ's love.

900 years overdue – Oxford library asked to return monks' book

AN attempt is under way to have one of the oldest manuscripts produced in Ireland returned here.

The 'Annals of Innisfallen', which date from the 12th Century, are housed in the Bodleian Library (inset) at Oxford University and have made only one return visit to Killarney, near where they were written, in 1983.

Arts and Heritage Minister Jimmy Deenihan said he would be making a request to have the annals returned to Kerry so that they can be housed at Killarney House, which is undergoing a complete refurbishment.

"We'll have the proper security at Killarney House to protect them, which we never had before," said Mr Deenihan.

"A request will be made by the Irish Government to have them returned. It would be a major tourist attraction to the area and it's fitting that they should be housed in Killarney near where they were written."

Inscribed on vellum by the monks of Innisfallen Abbey over a 300-year period, the annals chronicle the medieval history of Ireland.

Unlike the 'Book of Kells', which is in Latin, the 'Annals of Innisfallen' were inscribed in Irish and English and contain more than 2,500 entries spanning the years 433 and 1450.

In 1981, Killarney Urban Council and the Trustees of Muckross House wrote to Taoiseach Charles Haughey asking him to begin negotiations for their recovery.

Twenty years later, Fianna Fail councillor Brian O'Leary made another bid to have the annals housed at Muckross, but guaranteeing their security proved an issue.

A reproduction of the annals will be on display at Killarney library on Culture Night, September 20.

Church art thieves 'waiting to sell' – gardai

AN appeal for information on the theft of valuable Catholic church paintings has not led to a single call.
 

Despite offering a substantial reward for information on the theft of the six 'Stations of the Cross' paintings from St Peter and Paul's Church, near Athenry, Co Galway, two months ago, not one call was received.

Detectives now believe the gang behind the thefts may be biding their time before attempting to sell them off and could wait for up to a year before making any move.

Local parish priest Fr Michael McNamara said he and the local parish were slowly having to accept that the paintings may never be returned.

"There was not one call after we offered the reward," he said.

The church is now making final inquiries on having replicas of the missing six paintings made.

"We were hoping all the time they would be returned to us, but at this stage we have to accept we may never get them back. If we hear nothing in the next few weeks we will go ahead with the replicas and hope to have them ready for Christmas.

"Detectives believe they are still in the country and the thieves are waiting for an opportunity to sell them on, but it could take a year before anything is done."

The church is also erecting CCTV cameras next week in a bid to avoid any further thefts.

"I hate having to put CCTV in the church but people say we'll have to lock the church during the day if we don't," he added.

The six 'Stations of the Cross', painted by Irish artist Evie Hone, were stolen on June 22.

Gardai believe the theft was carried out by a professional gang after no trace or fingerprint was discovered following the robbery.

The keys to the back door of the church had been stolen one week prior to the incident. 

The pieces had not been secured to the wall and no damage was done to the church during the robbery. 

Gardai have alerted auction houses in Ireland to be on the lookout. Interpol is also assisting in the investigation.

The six oil paintings stolen depict the scenes from the third, fourth, fifth, tenth, eleventh and twelfth Stations of the Cross. 

Anybody with information can call Crimestoppers on 1800 25 00 25

'Penniless' priest fights for school pay

A "PENNILESS" schoolteacher priest, who was cleared by his school board of allegations of sexually abusing a student, has been granted leave by the High Court to challenge a decision of the Minister for Education not to pay him his salary.

Fr Tommy Conroy, of Clonamona, Dranford, Gorey, Co Wexford, is also challenging a decision of Gorey Community School not to re-engage him following administrative leave with pay pending school board inquiries into allegations of sexual abuse made against him by a student.

Barrister Oliver Costello told the High Court yesterday that Fr Conroy had not been paid since the end of May and was now virtually penniless.

Mr Justice Daniel Herbert granted him leave to judicially review both decisions.

Fr Conroy stated in an affidavit that following a full investigation by the school's board of management in October 2012 the board decided he had not engaged in sexual impropriety with the student and no disciplinary action was taken or proposed against him.

He had remained on leave with pay and agreed to a request from the board to undergo a risk assessment which he had completed.

Fr Conroy said during leave of absence he had not received correspondence from the Teaching Council about renewing his certificate to teach. This was sent to the school and not to his home.

Through inadvertence it had lapsed and he had omitted to renew it at the time.

The council had recently refused his application for a renewal and he was currently appealing its decision through its internal appeals process.

DUTIES

Since October last year he had been willing and anxious to resume his teaching duties at the secondary school but the board had refused to allow him to resume pending the reissuing of his teaching certificate.

Fr Conroy, "for the avoidance of doubt", stated there was no disciplinary process in being against him at the behest of either the minister or the board and so far as he was aware none was contemplated. 

On May 29, 2013, the minister notified the school of his decision to no longer pay his salary and he had been without income since. He believed the decision to be in breach of fair procedures and natural justice.

Mr Costello told the court he believed the minister had acted in excess of his powers and submitted there was evidence of teachers being allowed to teach while not holding a valid teaching certificate.

He said the matter of the certificate may have been used as a smokescreen to prevent Fr Conroy from taking up his duties again. 

His solicitor had an apprehension that other forces were at play that were not the ones being advanced.

The minister had attached no or inadequate weight to the fact that the board investigation had cleared Fr Conroy of the substantive allegations against him and, while no disciplinary action had been taken or proposed, the minister, by stopping his salary, was effectively imposing a disciplinary sanction against him.

Irish priest faces sex abuse charges in Chilean court

AN IRISH-BORN Catholic priest appeared in a Chilean court on charges in a sexual abuse case involving two young children.


Fr John O'Reilly faced the Fourth Southern Metropolitan Court in Santiago, Chile, as prosecutors presented a psychological report that said the priest suffered from an "immature and infantile sexuality", "narcissistic conduct" and "insecurity and fragile self-esteem".

The case covers the suspected abuse of two young girls, aged six and 10, in 2007.

They were in Fr O'Reilly's care at the time.

The girls were students at the Colegio Cumbres, a private school in an affluent Santiago suburb.

Fr O'Reilly spoke briefly to journalists upon his arrival at the court yesterday, maintaining his innocence.

"Whatever God wants," the priest responded when asked about his thoughts on facing possible prison time. "We all have to be respectful of that. Whatever God wants."

Fr O'Reilly is a member of the Legion of Christ, a group of priests and seminarians founded in 1941 in Mexico. 

The group reached notoriety in 2005 when its founder and leader, Marcial Maciel, stepped down after a sexual abuse scandal.

Until 1983, the group required members to take a vow against criticising their superiors. Pope Benedict XVI banned that vow after the Maciel scandal.

Fr O'Reilly was the Colegio Cumbres' chaplain and spiritual director until July of last year, when news of his possible involvement in the abuse scandal broke.

"The mother of our student made reference to Fr John O'Reilly," read a letter the school sent home to parents and obtained by Chilean local press.

"The priest and Colegio Cumbres agreed to the suspension of all of Fr O'Reilly's activities in the school until the situation is clarified."

About 50 members of the Legion of Christ and people connected to Colegio Cumbres arrived at court to show their support for Fr O'Reilly.

The psychological report also said that he suffered from what it called a "social adaptation deficit" and recommended that, regardless of the case's outcome, he not be allowed to continue to work with children.

Council refuses permission for private graveyard

A parish priest is among those disappointed over the refusal of planning permission for the first privately operated graveyard in Cork.

Fr John Newman said the decision will deprive parishioners of the right to be buried in their own locality.

Developer Dave McCarthy plans to appeal Cork County Council’s refusal of permission for the proposed 400-plot graveyard at Rathcooney, Glanmire.

Fr Newman had written a letter to the local authority supporting Mr McCarthy’s application.

He said the proposal had widespread local support as there were no new plots available in local graveyards.

Yesterday, Glanmire-based Fr Newman reiterated his support, saying he was “disappointed” over the lack of plots.

He said many people who had lived in Glanmire all their lives were being buried several miles away, at St Catherine’s Cemetery in Kilcully or even further afield.

Fr Newman said elderly relatives were unable to easily visit graveyards which were a distance from their homes.

Mr McCarthy, meanwhile, said he was also “very disappointed” by the council’s decision and would shortly lodge an appeal with An Bord Pleanála.

Mr McCarthy, who also lives locally, said his family had links, going back 100 years, with the old Rathcooney Cemetery which is at capacity. However, he said there are other families who have longer associations with Rathcooney.

The developer said he had started pre-planning discussions with the local authority as far back as Feb 2011 and had put a lot of time and money into presenting a plan which he thought would be acceptable.

His architect, Conor O’Sullivan of CSOA, said comprehensive traffic impact assessments had been carried out as well as hydrogeological assessments.

“We initially looked at creating 600 burial plots on the site but downgraded that to 400 when the council requested we include enough car parking space for 100 cars,” Mr McCarthy said.

Mr O’Sullivan added that the council had initially sought a clear 80m “sightline” for traffic on either side of the entrance to the proposed graveyard.

“This would have involved us taking out a bend in the road, which we were prepared to do,” he said.

However, the council’s decision to turn down planning was then made on the basis that the sightline should be 90m at minimum and preferably 120m.

Fianna Fáil TD Billy Kelleher and Labour senator John Gilroy, who both live in the Glanmire area, had supported Mr McCarthy’s plans, on the basis that people living there should have the option of being buried there.

Mr Gilroy said he was annoyed at the decision as Glanmire badly needed the facility.

“This was a proposal which would have greatly benefited the community and I can’t understand why it has been turned down,” he said.

“I hear there is some suggestion that locals may get a petition together on this. I would expect thousands to put their signatures to it and I would certainly be one of the first.”

Prayer To The Holy Cross

I adore You, O glorious Cross,
which was adorned with the Heart and Body
of my Saviour Jesus Christ,
stained and covered with blood.

I adore You, O Holy Cross,
out of love for Him, Jesus,
who is my Saviour and my God.