THE BISHOP of Killaloe, Dr Willie Walsh, has apologised for the breaches of trust that have occurred in relation to the abuse of children in his own diocese.In a statement read out at all Masses in the diocese yesterday, Dr Walsh and the diocese’s priests expressed their own “deep sadness and shame”.
The statement said: “We acknowledge the deep pain and suffering experienced by you who have been victims of sexual abuse . . . Sexual abuse of children by any person is a heinous crime. That these crimes were committed by some of our priest colleagues is an appalling betrayal of the precious trust which has traditionally been given to us as priests.
“The failure of church authorities to respond in an appropriate manner not only compounded the suffering of victims but also allowed the abuse to continue.
“We want to assure you that our diocese has worked diligently putting structures in place to ensure that as far as humanly possible, such breach of trust will never occur in the future.
“We are committed to faithfully implementing the guidelines of State and church for the safeguarding of children. We also want to assure any victims of abuse, past or present, who wish to tell their story, that they will be listened to with kindness and respect.”
Last year, Dr Walsh confirmed that from 2003-2007, his own diocese paid out more than €1.4 million to victims of clerical sex abuse, with the largest payout of €619,717 made in 2007.
The abuse predated Dr Walsh’s appointment as Bishop of Killaloe in 1995.
The diocesan accounts showed that the diocese funded payouts from the €1.5 million sale of six acres of land at Dr Walsh’s Ennis residence in 2001.
Archbishop Kevin McNamara, who the Murphy report found handled child abuse complaints “badly” during his 1985-87 tenure in Dublin, is a Co Clare native.
In June 2004, Dr Walsh issued a public apology from the pulpit in the east Clare parishes of Mountshannon and Whitegate for the sexual abuse of children by a deceased parish priest, Fr Tom McNamara.
Fr McNamara served as parish priest for the Mountshannon area from the 1970s until the early 1990s.
Allegations concerning Fr McNamara were made to Dr Walsh’s predecessor, the late Bishop Michael Harty.
Dr Harty did not refer the complaints to gardaí, but instead sought a psychiatric evaluation of Fr McNamara.
Fr McNamara was allowed to continue as a parish priest after the psychiatrist’s evaluation stated that he would not reoffend.
In the November issue of The Furrow, Dr Walsh warned against calls to prosecute perpetrators of abuse.
“Apart from cases of extreme abuse, I do not see that there will be any healing in attempting to drag large numbers of elderly religious or lay people into courts.”
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