ARCHBISHOP KEVIN McNamara was one of four archbishops who handled child sex abuse complaints "badly".He did not report his knowledge of abuse to gardaí during his 1985-1987 tenure.
In fact the commission found he restored priestly duties to Fr William Carney in 1986 despite his having pleaded guilty to charges of child sex abuse in 1983 and despite continuing suspicions about him in relation to other children.
After initially suspending Fr Carney in April 1985, he agreed to allow him back if he attended a hospital in Waterford for alcohol treatment, though the priest did not have a drink problem.
The problem was that this priest, who initially wanted to foster children, was a serial abuser.
After treatment he was appointed to the parish of Clogher Road. He lived alone and children frequented his house and stayed overnight. He also took children swimming. Further complaints were made against him.
Dr McNamara, the report says, also promoted Fr Ivan Payne, later convicted of abuse, to the position of vice-officialis of the Marriage Tribunal despite the previous refusal of Archbishop Dermot Ryan to do so.
The report criticises his handling of complaints against Fr Tom Naughton. These were lodged by Mervyn Rundle and another altar boy.
He and others had, in the way they responded, "let down those families who, because they were good Catholics, trusted the church to do something about this man.
Archbishop McNamara was slow to respond to the complaint from the Rundles despite the priest admitting sexual abuse. As a result Fr Naughton was allowed to continue his abusive behaviour for several years".
Dr McNamara was the first archbishop to see the need for insurance cover against abuse claims.
The report notes "the archbishop's understanding of the need for insurance came from events much closer to home than the USA.
At this time the archdiocese had knowledge of approximately 20 priests against whom allegations of child sexual abuse had been made."
Dr McNamara died in 1987.
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