Friday, September 01, 2023

Head of Catholic Church in Ireland facing resignation call from abuse survivor over invite to top US Cardinal

Archbishop of New York joins in 150th anniversary celebrations at St  Patrick's Cathedral in Armagh | BelfastTelegraph.co.uk

A clerical child sex abuse survivor has called for the leader of the Catholic Church in Ireland to resign.

Several survivors of child sex abuse at the hands of Catholic clergy have spoken out against the Archbishop Eamon Martin, primate of All Ireland, after he invited a top American Cardinal - criticised for his handling of child sex abuse allegations - to celebrate a special anniversary Mass in Armagh at the weekend.

Cardinal Timothy Dolan was invited to celebrate the Mass at St Patrick's Cathedral in Armagh on Sunday, to commemorate 150 years since the cathedral's dedication.

Also present at the special Mass on Sunday was Archbishop Martin's predecessor as primate of all-Ireland, Cardinal Sean Brady, who has faced significant criticism over his handling of child sex abuse allegations.

In 2010, Cardinal Brady denied accusations of a "cover up" when it became known he attended meetings in the 1970s where two abused teenagers signed vows of silence over complaints against the notorious sex offender Fr Brendan Smyth, who was jailed in 1990s for child abuse.

Cardinal Dolan, meanwhile, was reported by the New York Times around a decade ago to have requested permission to move almost $57million into a cemetery trust fund in order to protect Church assets amid demands from victims of sex abuse for compensation.

And in 2018, Cardinal Dolan argued against an amendment to the statute of limitations in New York for cases of sexual abuse.

Sean Faloon, a survivor of child sex abuse, highlighted the resignation of Bishop John McAreavey in 2018, as he called for Archbishop Martin to step down.

Bishop of Dromore John McAreavey resigned in 2018 after it emerged he had celebrated Mass alongside a priest he knew was a pedophile.

The priest in question was Fr Malachy Finnegan, a former teacher and president of St Colman's College in Newry - Mr Faloon's abuser.

Speaking to Belfast Live, Mr Faloon described the invite to Cardinal Dolan as a "two-fingered salute to survivors of sex abuse and child rape in the Catholic Church".

He continued: "I was raped by Finnegan around once a week, every week, for seven years. I was raped at least 350 times. It affects us every minute of our lives, every minute of every day.

"What I am calling for is that he [Archbishop Martin] has to resign. I'm not asking him to resign, I'm telling him he has to resign.

"Think of it this way, McAreavey resigned in 2018 one day after it was put out what he did not do [with regards to Fr Finnegan].

"I had struck a compromise with the Catholic Church - Brooks [the late Bishop Francis Gerard Brooks, Bishop of Dromore from 1975 to 1999] and McAreavey was aware of it. Finnegan was not allowed to be on the altar of any Church service, not at a wedding, not at a Mass, not at anything.

"That was agreed. He was invited to take part and co-celebrate an anniversary Mass in 2000 in Hilltown. McAreavey knew that he shouldn't be taking part, and he chose not to tell him not to take part.

"That was exposed in 2018 by the Nolan Show and the next day McAreavey stood down.

"He knows Cardinal Dolan's past. He chose to not only allow them to come and take part, he invited them himself."

Chris O'Leary, who said he was abused by the late Fr Leroy Valentine in St Loius, USA, also spoke to Belfast Live about Cardinal Dolan's involvement in the Mass in Armagh.

He said he was "triggered" to learn that Cardinal Dolan was being "feted" by the Catholic Church in Ireland.

Mr O'Leary added: "I absolutely agree that the invitation extended to Cardinal Dolan is a horrific offence given the events of the past and the very present lack of contrition on the part of the Catholic Church."

And Tony Gribben, another survivor of child sex abuse in the Dromore Diocese, described Cardinal Dolan's invitation, given the "well publicised concerns around his poor handling of clerical sexual abuse in the United States", as "grossly insensitive and disrespectful of clerical abuse victims and survivors".