VICTIMS OF clerical sexual abuse have challenged former bishop of
Cloyne John Magee to meet them publicly and respond to the criticisms
made of him in the Cloyne report.
One woman who made a complaint
of abuse to Bishop Magee in the mid-2000s, and later testified to the
Commission of Investigation, criticised Bishop Magee’s failure to
publicly meet victims.
“I think all of us would like him to meet
us publicly and apologise for the manner in which he handled our
complaints – the Cloyne report was damning of him, and all he’s done is
issued a statement of apology through a public relations company,” he
said.
“If he has any respect for us at all he should meet us, but I
don’t expect him to do that because he has shown nothing but contempt
for us – he’s a coward, and all he’s concerned with is looking after
himself, but he has a duty, a duty to meet us,” she said.
Her comments follow a
Sunday Independent report that Bishop McGee has returned to the parish house provided to him by his diocese in Mitchelstown, Co Cork.
His whereabouts since the publication of the Cloyne report have been unknown.
He
declined to be interviewed, but later released a statement to the
newspaper similar to that which he gave following the Cloyne report.
“I
take this opportunity to refer once again to the statement issued on my
behalf on the day the Cloyne report was published, in which I accept
full responsibility for the failure of the diocese to effectively manage
allegations on child abuse,” according to the statement, which appeared
in yesterday’s newspaper.
“I also apologised to victims of abuse
in this statement and I unreservedly apologise to these victims again
today. I publicly apologised to victims in the diocese in Cobh Cathedral
on Christmas Eve in 2008. I wish to point out that I answered all
questions put to me by the Commission of Inquiry, and my responses are
on the public record. I have nothing to add to the answers given at this
time.”
The Cloyne report found that Bishop Magee misled the
minister for children by claiming the church’s guidelines for handling
abuse cases were being fully complied with. It also found he falsely
told the Health Service Executive allegations of abuse were being
reported to the Garda.
In all, two-thirds of complaints made
between 1996 and 2008 were not reported to the Garda, and no complaint
was passed to the executive during this period.
Another woman who
gave evidence to the Commission of Investigation said yesterday Bishop
Magee would have to face up to the anger of victims of clerical sexual
abuse.
“Bishop Magee should come forward now and hold a press conference
and answer the criticisms. Archbishop [of Cashel] Dermot Clifford said
it would be helpful if he was present to answer questions. At least
Clifford showed us respect by holding a press conference,” she said.
“I
see where Bishop Magee’s brother in Mitchelstown now has called for
people to respect him – but who has respect for us, has Magee shown any
respect for us? We’re entitled to feel as angry as Our Lord was in the
temple with the Pharisees,” she said.
Several bishops and priests
have called on Bishop Magee to answer questions in the Cloyne report.
Archbishop Clifford, who took over the running of the diocese of Cloyne
after Bishop John Magee stepped down, said last month he was hopeful his
predecessor would speak publicly about the report’s findings.
“He
will probably, I hope, come forward. This is a very excitable time.
Maybe there is a time when things are quieter for him to come and meet a
media group representative, which would not only tell people here, but
people who know him across the world. We hope that will happen,” Bishop
Clifford said in July.