THE head of the Catholic Church has said beleaguered Bishop John Magee should not resign despite the mishandling of allegations of child sex abuse in his Cloyne diocese. In a move seen by many as an attempt to draw a line under the controversy which has rocked the Church, Cardinal Sean Brady publicly backed Bishop Magee saying he “should stay in place and be held accountable”.
Despite numerous calls for his resignation, a damning report from the National Board for Safeguarding Children (NBSC) which found the Cork-based bishop, by his inaction, had put children in danger and accusations that he lied to a separate HSE probe, Dr Magee has refused to quit.
Cardinal Brady said Bishop Magee had apologised, had taken responsibility for what had happened and was introducing changes.
“The main concern here is the safeguarding of children. I have known John Magee for almost 50 years and I have always found him a reliable and dependable person.
“I know trust has been damaged, but trust can be restored and built up and even earned by genuine steps being taken to address the issues and the concerns of victims. The whole issue has raised important considerations which must be addressed and I think they are being addressed,” he said.
The cardinal said he could understand how people would make calls for Bishop Magee’s resignation, as people were very angry and the concerns of victims had to be heeded.
“However, on reflection, I think he should not resign,” he said.
The cardinal said Bishop Magee had begun to address the serious issues raised and it also took a lot of courage for him to publish the NBSC report.
The cardinal said the bishop had learnt a very painful lesson and would do everything in his power to ensure the same terrible thing did not happen again.
Maeve Lewis, director of One in Four, a support group for victims of sexual abuse, said the agency “disagreed profoundly” with Cardinal Brady’s pledge of support for Bishop Magee.
“It shows just how little the Church understands the devastating effects of sexual abuse,” Ms Lewis said. “This calls all the other dioceses into question.”
While acknowledging that sections of the Church had come out against Dr Magee, she said: “What Cardinal Brady has said is quite unequivocal and again as usual the victims voices are being ignored in all of this.”
In a public lecture in Killarney last night, Cardinal Brady said: “If it was not for the quiet fidelity of thousands of priests and religious in the last few years, the impact of the scandals would have been even more damaging than they have been.”
Catholic primate Cardinal Seán Brady has this evening rejected calls for the Bishop of Cloyne John Magee to resign.
In an interview broadcast on RTÉ Television, Cardinal Brady described Bishop Magee as a "dependable and reliable" person who would do everything in his power to ensure that clerical sexual abuse did not happen in his diocese again.
Cardinal Brady's comments follow last week's decision by the Minister for Children Barry Andrews decision to refer the Catholic Diocese of Cloyne to a commission investigating clerical abuse in the Dublin archdiocese last week.
Speaking this evening, Cardinal Brady said he believed that Bishop Magee had learned painful lessons.
"I am aware of those calls for his (Bishop Magee's) resignation and I understand why people would make those calls because some people are very angry...however, on reflection I think he should not resign. He has begun to address these serious issues, he has published the report, and apologised. He has introduced changes which need to be continued to ensure and to keep safeguarding at the top of the list of priorities," said Cardinal Brady.
"I have known Bishop Magee for almost 50 years. I think he is dependable and reliable. I think he has learned a very painful lesson and I think that he will do everything in his power to make sure that this terrible thing does not happen again in his diocese," he added.
Cloyne, which covers most of rural Co Cork, has already been the subject of a separate report which criticised its handling of abuse allegations levelled against members of the clergy. The report was conducted by the National Board for Safeguarding Children in the Catholic Church in Ireland (NBSC), a body set up by, but independent of the Catholic Church.
Bishop Magee recently apologised to victims of clerical sex abuse after the report found his diocese had put children at risk of harm through an "inability" to respond appropriately to abuse allegations. The Bishop has faced a large number of calls for his resignation but has signalled his intention to remain.
Following last week's decision to refer the diocese of Cloyne to the commission investigating clerical abuse in the Dublin archdiocese, Bishop Magee, has pledged to co-operate fully with the inquiry.
The One in Four charity, which supports victims of sexual violence, said tonight that Cardinal Brady was
demonstrating a complete lack of understanding about the dynamics of sexual abuse and the appalling impact that it has on children.
“Bishop Magee misled the HSE by confirming he was in compliance with child protection procedures when he was not. It is only after public outcry that the Bishop has come to recognise his errors and to apologise for his actions,” said One in Four executive director Maeve Lewis.
The organisation called again for Bishop Magee to resign this evening.
CARDINAL Sean Brady sparked fury last night after he gave his backing to under-fire Bishop of Cloyne John Magee, writes John Cooney.
Victims groups hit out after the cardinal said Dr Magee should stay in office despite many calls for his resignation over his handling of child clerical sexual abuse.
Cardinal Brady said he believed the embattled bishop had learnt painful lessons from the Cloyne controversy.
Speaking in Kerry, the cardinal said: "I think he should stay to make sure that this child safeguarding is kept as a total priority in that diocese."
THE Archbishop of Cloyne certainly has the support of his colleagues. Before Christmas, John Magee's handling of sex abuse of children in his diocese was criticised in the strongest terms by the Catholic Church's own watchdog, the National Board for Safeguarding Children.
The septuagenarian has rejected calls for his retirement, or resignation, from victims groups, public representatives and priests; well, one priest.
The minister with responsibility for children, Barry Andrews, has made it clear that he has no faith in the Bishop's assurances that all is now well in Cloyne and he has ordered yet another investigation.
Dr Magee must have experienced a warm glow of satisfaction when he received the endorsement of the Catholic Primate of All Ireland, Cardinal Sean Brady, Archbishop of Armagh, yesterday.
Pain was the Cardinal's theme, as he addressed priests on their annual retreat in Kerry.
He acknowledged that the scandalous behaviour of some clergy had caused immense pain to the victims and their families.
However, the Archbishop of Cloyne had also suffered pain. Dr Magee had "learned a painful lesson", the Cardinal said, and is the best man to ensure that the safeguarding of children is kept as a priority in the diocese.
He was talking about a man who, at best, was disingenuous in his claims that all abuse allegations were handled according to agreed child protection procedures.
We can only wonder whether the bishops, and now the Cardinal, realise how their naivety, if that is what it is, undermines their own dwindling authority.
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