FORMER MINISTER Frank Fahey has said the message he is getting from his constituents is that Bishop of Galway Martin Drennan should stay on.Bishop Drennan has robustly defended his time as an auxiliary bishop in Dublin saying the only abuse case he was informed of was dealt with appropriately as documented in the Murphy report.
Following a 45-minute interview with Keith Finnegan on Galway Bay FM at the weekend, 93 per cent of callers to the radio programme supported Bishop Drennan’s stance.
Deputy Fahey said that from evidence produced to date, the bishop’s role during his time in Dublin does not suggest he should resign.
“I think that his interview with Keith Finnegan showed that he is not guilty. He was not interviewed by the commission on clerical sex abuse in Dublin and the one case he had to deal with was dealt properly as stated in the Murphy report,” said Mr Fahey.
“If he is being called on to resign because of guilt by association, then I don’t think that is good enough and I’ve had an overwhelming response from people that I meet supporting him and that he should remain on as Bishop of Galway,” he added.
Mr Fahey also said the priests in Galway had questioned Bishop Drennan about his time in Dublin and as they also expressed confidence in him at the weekend, that was another reason why he should stay.
“Obviously the priests in this diocese, as elsewhere, are concerned and ashamed about what happened in Dublin diocese.
“Of course what happened there can not be excused. It was a terrible victimisation of the vulnerable young people who were abused and the way the Catholic Church handled it certainly was not satisfactory.
“But we must also take cognizance of the fact that we have parishes around Galway that don’t have priests to serve the Catholics now and the good priests that are still in this dioceses, who have done nothing wrong, should be supported,” said Mr Fahey.
Prayers were said in Galway Cathedral yesterday for the bishop, who celebrated two Masses during the morning.
Bishop Drennan did not refer to the continuing controversy over the Murphy report at yesterday’s Masses. However, he spoke of “dark times” for the church in his homily and said that after the darkness of winter came “the light of spring”.
A lay participant in one Mass called in prayer for “those who guide and lead our church, especially our Bishop Martin [Drennan]”.
A mass-goer distributed a letter after one Mass, in which he gave details of the sole reference to the bishop in the Murphy report. Robert Fuller of Renmore said if Bishop Drennan had been involved in neglecting or covering up allegations, he would be seeking his resignation.
However, “the current evidence backed by the Murphy report is that Bishop Drennan has behaved pro-actively for the protection and safety of children”, Mr Fuller said.
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