MONSIGNOR Denis O'Callaghan, now retired, features strongly in the recently published Catholic Church's National Board for Safeguarding Children report into the handling of child abuse allegations in Cloyne.It emerges from the report that Mons O'Callaghan was aware of many of the claims but failed to act decisively and, in one notable case, sought the return of a priest - against whom numerous complaints had been made - to full ministry.
It is interesting, in light of this, to review the contents of Monsignor O'Callaghan's memoir, 'Putting Hand to the Plough', published in 2007.
The book devotes some nine pages to a section headlined 'The Blight of Child Sex Abuse'. Within the section, Monsignor O'Callaghan cites the 1996 framework document and the updated version, 'Our Children, Our Church', published nine years later, in 2005.
He quotes, 'where reasonable grounds are established that child abuse has indeed occurred, the Director of Child Protection must report every allegation of abuse by a cleric, religious employee or volunteer of the church to the civil authority immediately'.
The Monsignor considers the requirement to step aside on administrative leave while the complaint is being processed.
He notes: 'This requirement of stepping aside from ministry is presented as a precautionary measure, not as an indication of guilt. It applies to other professions as well, even though it is far more traumatic for the priest who does not have a private life or a home distinct from his place of work'.
Recalling his own appointment by Bishop Magee as delegate for processing complaints of clerical sex abuse, Monsignor O'Callaghan writes: 'From the beginning we decided that our approach would be characterised as that of pastoral care for all those who were suffering the consequences of the sex abuse itself or the implications of the procedures put in place to deal with the complaint.
'After all, this pastoral care approach is where the Catholic Church finds itself at home in calling on long experience. Why should we put that experience aside and simply sign up to a list of civil procedures? Should not that pastoral care be the spirit in which we implemented those procedures?'
He admits that he found the role stressful, and notes: 'Fortunately I had a lot of involvement in wider areas of ministry in parish and diocese as well as many other interests to occupy my mind. It would have been far more stressful if I had been occupied more or less full time with the demands of a role constantly bringing one face to face with the trauma of both complainant and accused'.
In concluding, Monsignor O'Callaghan writes: 'Looking back we see how totally unprepared we were for the enormity of what came down the line. We are still facing some questions. Had our way of inculcating celibacy just as legal obligation exercised a negative influence on the clerical psyche? Is there something in the approach to sexuality in Irish culture which contributed to the problem? In this context the experience on the continent of Europe has been at a very moderate level in contrast to ours. This does leave us with a question'.
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(Source: TCM)