Clerical Whispers

Sunday, January 03, 2010

Ex-archbishop sentenced in Argentina over sex abuse

A former Roman Catholic archbishop in Argentina been sentenced to eight years in prison for sexually abusing a young seminarian while still in office.

Edgardo Storni, 73, was in charge of the archdiocese of Santa Fe when he abused the male student in 1992.

He will serve his sentence under house arrest because of his age, however his lawyers say he will appeal.

Storni's victim said he was relieved by the conviction and it would allow him to move on with his life.

Judge Maria Mascheroni said Storni had taken advantage of his position of authority over his student

Internal investigation

He is the fourth priest in Argentina to be convicted of sex crimes.

An internal church investigation into alleged sexual misconduct carried out by the former cleric, commenced in 1994 but Agence France-Presse reported that church officials did not comment on this conviction.

The BBC's correspondent Candace Piette in Buenos Aires says the case against Storni gained momentum when an Argentine journalist wrote a book in 2000 describing the abuse of seminarians during spiritual retreats in his diocese.

Although many of these allegations were dismissed by several judges, the case involving this particular seminarian went ahead.

Storni, who currently lives on a farm owned by the archdiocese in Cordoba, resigned from his role as archbishop in 2002.

Storni's lawyer Eduardo Jauchen said this case had been based on "rumours, suspicions and one-sided accounts".
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Disclaimer

No responsibility or liability shall attach itself to us or to the blogspot ‘Clerical Whispers’ for any or all of the articles placed here.

The placing of an article hereupon does not necessarily imply that we agree or accept the contents of the article as being necessarily factual in theology, dogma or otherwise.

SIC: BBC

Bishops refuse to bow out of patronages

The Catholic bishops have refused to supply the Department of Education with a list of schools where they are willing to give up patronage, suggesting instead that the department compile a list which they will then consider.

Talks between the department and the bishops on transferring the patronage of some primary schools out of Church hands will continue in the new year, but the department has no immediate plans for reform in the area.

A meeting took place in mid-November between education officials and representatives of the hierarchy but, contrary to the department’s expectations, the bishops did not produce a list of schools where they would be willing to give up patronage.

A spokesman for education minister Batt O’Keeffe told The Sunday Business Post that discussions with the bishops on school patronage were at an early stage.

‘‘There isn’t really a timeframe," he said. The spokesman emphasised that the minister had no power under legislation to remove a patron from a school.

Officials in the Department of Education are now examining areas where it believes there may be demand for a change in patronage.

It is believed that the locations proposed by the department are likely to be settled urban areas, rather than faster developing new urban areas where new non-Catholic schools are more likely to be set up. It is not clear to what extent the bishops will be prepared to give up the patronage of many schools which have a long history of a Catholic ethos.

In a recent newspaper article, Bishop Leo O’Reilly, the chairman of the Bishops’ Commission on Education, said that it remained the choice of many parents to have a Catholic ethos in their children’s schools.

‘‘Parental choice means the wishes of all parents, as far as possible, must be respected, including those of Catholic parents," Bishop O’Reilly wrote.

In a statement, the minister’s spokesman said that any changes ‘‘need to be planned and managed, and the desirability in individual school cases of consultation with all stakeholders - parents, teachers and local communities - is vital. The work of the Department Church group is to undertake a detailed assessment of areas in which schools could be identified where there is more school provision than needed by the demand for Catholic education, and where existing schools could be used to provide for diversity of parental choice’’.

In the wake of the Murphy Report into the handling of clerical sex abuse claims in Dublin, there have been calls for the bishops named in the report to step down as patrons of primary schools.

The position of a school patron is recognised in law, and the patron appoints two members of a school’s eight-member board of management.

The appointment of teachers is also subject to the approval of the patron.
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Disclaimer

No responsibility or liability shall attach itself to us or to the blogspot ‘Clerical Whispers’ for any or all of the articles placed here.

The placing of an article hereupon does not necessarily imply that we agree or accept the contents of the article as being necessarily factual in theology, dogma or otherwise.

SIC: SBP

Church falls from grace

The Irish Catholic Church will hope it never again has to live through a year like 2009, a year when the litany of woes which befell it was unprecedented.

The Catholic Church has been at the centre of sex abuse scandals in the United States and elsewhere before, but its public excoriation here is arguably its greatest fall from grace anywhere, given the unequalled access to power and influence the institutional Church has enjoyed since the founding of the state.

Since the start of 2009, three high-profile Catholic bishops have been forced to step aside for mishandling claims of rape and sexual assault against children.

The year was marked by the launch of an inquiry into the diocese of Cloyne and the conclusion of a separate inquiry into abuse in the Dublin archdiocese.

A third mid-year report revealed ‘‘endemic’’ levels of rape and sexual molestation had occurred at state-supported institutions run by Catholic congregations going back as far as the 1930s.

The investigation into the handling of abuse allegations in the Cork diocese of Cloyne was announced last January in response to a report by the Church’s monitoring body, the National Board for Safeguarding Children (NBSC). It found that child protection practices in Cloyne were ‘‘inadequate, even dangerous’’.

Bishop John Magee, a former missionary in Nigeria who also holds the unique record of being secretary to three popes - Paul VI, John Paul I and John Paul II - stood aside from his post to facilitate the inquiry.

Counting the two concluded inquiries and the extant Cloyne probe, the three judicial inquiries will have covered a period ranging from the pre Emergency Free State to this year.

Nobody can doubt the prevailing thesis which has emerged thus far - that the Church which purports to live the word of a loving Jesus has utterly failed to do so.

The Cloyne inquiry is likely to conclude in late 2010, meaning there is more public excoriation to come.

The fallout from the Commission to Inquire into Child Abuse, chaired by High Court judge Sean Ryan, was as unexpected as it was profound when it was published in May.

The nine-year long inquiry found that rape and sexual abuse of children was ‘‘endemic’’ in Irish Catholic Churchrun industrial schools, places of detention and orphanages.

Religious orders had devastated thousands of children’s lives; among their victims were children who had nowhere else to turn to seek refuge from rape and violent beatings.

The state’s paltry inspection system failed utterly to prevent decades of physical assault, rape and degradation carried out by members of religious orders, Ryan’s inquiry found. The breadth of the commission’s reportage was unprecedented in an Irish public inquiry.

The report - which ran to 2,600 pages over five volumes - examined the treatment and mistreatment of children in almost 260 Church-run institutions , and heard from thousands of witnesses.

Sexual molestation and rape were ‘‘endemic’’ in boys’ facilities, a disproportionate number of which were run by the Christian Brothers.

Although girls were less likely to suffer sexual abuse at the hands of clerics, the report found widespread degradation was perpetrated by nuns, including the revelation that, in some schools, a high level of ritualised beating was routine.

‘‘Girls were struck with implements designed to maximise pain, and were struck on all parts of the body," the report revealed. ‘‘Personal and family denigration was widespread."

Ryan’s report found that the congregations responded to evidence of abuse by moving offenders to other locations, where many abused again.

‘‘There was evidence that such men took up teaching positions, sometimes within days of receiving dispensations because of serious allegations or admissions of sexual abuse," the report said.

‘‘The safety of children in general was not a consideration." The subsequent report into the handling of abuse claims in the Dublin archdiocese between 1975 and 2004, chaired by Judge Yvonne Murphy, blew the lid off similar practices in parishes in the Dublin archdiocese.

Most critically, the Dublin archdiocese inquiry found four consecutive archbishops - up to and including former archbishop Desmond Connell, who was made a cardinal after he retired in Dublin in 2004, and some auxiliary bishops beneath them, had mishandled complaints of abuse.

The first of the former Dublinbased auxiliary bishops - later Bishop of Limerick, Donal Murray - stepped aside nine days ago after he could no longer resist the pressure.

In one case, Murray’s handling of an abuse allegation was described as ‘‘inexcusable’’. He was one of five serving Irish bishops whose handling of allegations of abuse was considered in the Murphy report.

The Bishop of Kildare and Leighin, Jim Moriarty, last Wednesday offered his resignation to Pope Benedict XVI, accepting that he should have been more proactive in challenging the culture within the Church which facilitated child abuse.

Bishop Moriarty was auxiliary bishop in Dublin from1991 to 2002. In 1993, he received a complaint about ‘Fr Edmondus’, concerning the priest’s contact with young children.

This was the priest who abused victims’ rights campaigner Marie Collins when she was a 13-year-old patient at Our Lady’s Hospital for Sick Children in Crumlin, in 1960.

Moriarty discussed the complaint with Connell and local clerics, but took little further action, meaning that the concerns were ‘‘not taken as seriously as they should have been’’, the Murphy report found.

Then, on Christmas Eve, the Dublin resignations of two serving auxiliary bishops, Eamon Walsh and Raymond Field, were announced.

Immediately prior to Pope Benedict XVI accepting Murray’s resignation, the Vatican pledged to reform the entire structure of the Irish Church.

It remains to be seen what this will mean in practice.

The Vatican has so far failed to address the decision of two consecutive papal nuncios to ignore correspondence from Murphy’s inquiry, in which the commission asked the papal nunciature to forward any relevant information to the investigation team.

The Archbishop of Dublin, Diarmuid Martin, said that the reforms proposed by Rome must be ‘‘far-reaching’’. He added that responsibility for the litany of abuse uncovered in the inquiry must be taken by all who hold a position of authority. ‘‘There have been serious difficulties of structure and communication at management level in the Archdiocese of Dublin.

‘‘The Murphy Report indicated how decisions were taken which resulted in further children being abused. Accountability must be assumed for that, and radical reform is required in the archdiocese, not just in the area of children protection," Martin said.

Rome has not been more specific in its outline of the proposed reforms, while a spokeswoman for Martin’s office told The Sunday Business Pos t that Martin had no further details as yet.

Martin has been praised for his role in reforming child protection practices in the capital.

But while Maeve Lewis of One In Four said that Martin deserved credit, it was ‘‘simply unacceptable’’ that the implementation of child protection measures nationwide remained largely at the discretion of bishops, some of whom had a track record of disregard for the welfare of victims of clerical abuse.

The handling of abuse claims in the diocese of Cloyne is in the investigative phase. Minister for Children Barry Andrews ordered Judge Murphy’s team - which includes barrister Ita Mangan and solicitor Hugh O’Neill - to examine the handling of clerical abuse complaints after it emerged that the diocesan management failed to report clerical abuse allegations to the HSE.

The Cloyne case will undoubtedly heap further damage on the beleaguered Church, and might also raise further questions over the role played by An Garda Siochána. Magee told gardaí in December 2005 about a complaint of abuse dating back to the early 1980s against ‘Fr W’.

The bishop acted contrary to agreed childcare guidelines established after the 2005 Ferns Inquiry by not telling the HSE about the claims against the priest.

At the time the commission was asked to probe Cloyne, there were four cases of alleged abuse made against several clerics in the diocese which Magee had not told the HSE about.

But, crucially, in each of these cases, Magee had informed gardaí about the claims against the priest, and in each case the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP), James Hamilton, examined files relating to the complaints.

Gardaí also failed to inform the HSE that the complaint existed, and it was only after the case of Fr W was highlighted by One In Four that the HSE became aware of the allegation.

In the background to the mishandling of abuse cases is the lack of any system by which agencies such as the gardaí and HSE can exchange information relating to potential child abusers.

An HSE audit in 2008 floundered because the bishops received legal advice that there was no legal protection to ensure protection from civil liability if they collated and passed so-called ‘soft information’ to other agencies about persons suspected, though not convicted, of abusive conduct.

The Irish Catholic Church is not always a homogeneous entity, and conflict has arisen between religious orders and dioceses over the response to both the Murphy and Ryan reports.

In particular, fissures emerged during the end of 2009 between the 18 religious orders which pledged to give more money to cover the state’s €1 billion-plus redress bill for victims of institutional abuse.

Some of the congregations defied a specific request by the government to keep the details of their financial assets and pledges confidential.

The Taoiseach office had informed the orders that the government would prefer to inform victims’ representatives first about the value of the congregation’s assets and their increased offers of compensation, before the offers made by the Church bodies were publicised.

This was confirmed to The Sunday Business Post by the Provincial of the Dominican Order, Fr Pat Lucy. Lucy’s spokesman, Fr Bernard Treacy, explained that the order was ‘‘withholding details of their offer out of respect for the victims and in line with the government’s request’’.

By contrast, the Christian Brothers caught Brian Cowen and education minister Batt O’Keeffe by surprise - releasing details of their offer on their website and in a press statement in early December, which prompted 14 of the congregations to follow suit.

O’Keeffe told the Dáil that his department had wanted to give the survivors an opportunity to be ‘‘the first to know’’ about the details of the congregations’ offers. That was ultimately denied to them.

In total, it is expected that the congregations will hand over a sum equivalent to €360 million in cash and unencumbered properties to a state founded trust for victims.
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Disclaimer

No responsibility or liability shall attach itself to us or to the blogspot ‘Clerical Whispers’ for any or all of the articles placed here.

The placing of an article hereupon does not necessarily imply that we agree or accept the contents of the article as being necessarily factual in theology, dogma or otherwise.

SIC: SBP

Irish Atheists Protest "Blasphemy" Law

A law making "blasphemy" punishable by a fine of up to 25,000 Euros or over $35,000 has gone into effect in Ireland.

Atheist Ireland, a group of Irish atheists, has published a list on their website of statements that would be actionable under the new law.

According to CNN the new anti blasphemy law would be broken by anyone, "--grossly abusive or insulting in relation to matters held sacred by any religion, thereby causing outrage among a substantial number of the adherents of that religion."

However one can "--try to defend themselves by proving that a reasonable person would find literary, artistic, political, scientific or academic value in what they said or published."

When Ireland achieved its independence, it established itself as a country where the Catholic Church had a privileged place.

Divorce and birth control were, at one time, illegal in the Irish Republic. The passage of the "blasphemy law" which apparently applies to all religions is apparently at attempt at "fairness" for other faiths, such as Islam. It is, as anyone with a passing familiarity with logic, a legislative train wreck.

People in Ireland will be obliged to spend endless time and sums of money defending themselves, proving that at article or even a casual statement is protected under the literary, artistic, political, scientific or academic value clause.

In response to the blasphemy law, Atheist Ireland has published a list of quotes from the following people that might be construed as illegal under the new blasphemy law: "Jesus Christ, Muhammad, Mark Twain, Tom Lehrer, Randy Newman, James Kirkup, Monty Python, Rev Ian Paisley, Conor Cruise O'Brien, Frank Zappa, Salman Rushdie, Bjork, Amanda Donohoe, George Carlin, Paul Woodfull, Jerry Springer the Opera, Tim Minchin, Richard Dawkins, Pope Benedict XVI, Christopher Hitchens, PZ Myers, Ian O'Doherty, Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor and Dermot Ahern."
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Disclaimer

No responsibility or liability shall attach itself to us or to the blogspot ‘Clerical Whispers’ for any or all of the articles placed here.

The placing of an article hereupon does not necessarily imply that we agree or accept the contents of the article as being necessarily factual in theology, dogma or otherwise.

SIC: AC

Irish Church deference becoming relic of a past era

It has been a difficult year for the Catholic Church in the Irish Republic with the Murphy and Ryan reports detailing its, and to a lesser extent, the state's failings in dealing with child sex abuse by priests and religious orders.

It's lunchtime at Maynooth College and the church's bells could easily be tolling for lost innocence.

Students, very few of them now doing theology, saunter past the imposing light-grey buildings that were once home to the biggest seminary in the world.

But today's scholars, in the wake of the Ryan and Murphy reports, have little time for the Catholic Church.

"I believe the church has a lot to answer for," one tells me.

Another says: "Everyone more or less knew this was going on and how corrupt the higher echelons of the Church were."

A third adds: "Trying to cover it up was the worst thing they could have done."

It was that cover-up of child sex abuse by four Dublin Archbishops that shocked many.

They were seen as putting the church's reputation ahead of the plight of innocent children. Church leaders were also perceived as being unable to distinguish between right and wrong.

It shocked many priests as well, including Fr Vincent Twomey, a moral theologian based in Maynooth who studied in Germany under Pope Benedict.

He says: "They didn't do anything bad, they say, that's their defence - I would say they did nothing full stop and that is bad.

"And secondly there is evidence of cover-up. There was also the whole debate over Cardinal Connell's rather silly comments about mental reservations - in other words, justifying lying.

"That was the last straw for me as well."

Andrew Madden's last straw was many years ago. He was sexually abused by a priest when he was just 12.

A campaigner for victims, he believes the Catholic Church has lost its moral authority - the only authority it should ever have had.

"They'll always have a certain rump of support in the country, but for many informed people, the lack of accountability and the arrogance that we've seen has led to their moral authority no longer existing.

"There will be wider implications. There's clearly a huge debate going on about the role the Catholic Church has in our publicly-funded services, like health and education."

The Irish constitution allows parents to choose their children's type of schooling.

Brian Hayes, the education spokesman for the main opposition party, Fine Gael, believes now is the time for discussion on the necessary changes that will result in reduced Catholic influence, while also respecting parents' choice.

"Ninety-three per cent of all our primary schools are effectively Catholic religious schools and I think the church itself would admit that's far too many, given the composition of Irish society," he said.

"So, what we do need is a public debate on this."

Much-changed Ireland

With talk of further inquiries into how dioceses across the island handled cases of clerical sex abuse and discussion of further resignations by bishops, Fr Vincent Twomey believes there should be root-and-branch reform inside the hierarchy.

"These bishops, 33 of them, far too many of them whose greatest distinction is their incompetence. There are very fine exceptions.

"Effectively, they've been a self-perpetuating mediocracy over the years - in general it has been a matter of power and holding onto power.

"What that has to do with the Gospel is quite secondary."

The last few months have been difficult for the Catholic Church, but with the issues of clerical child sex abuse still very much in the news the next few months are unlikely to be any easier.

The church is still coming to terms with a much-changed Ireland where age-old deference is increasingly a relic of a past era.
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Disclaimer

No responsibility or liability shall attach itself to us or to the blogspot ‘Clerical Whispers’ for any or all of the articles placed here.

The placing of an article hereupon does not necessarily imply that we agree or accept the contents of the article as being necessarily factual in theology, dogma or otherwise.

SIC: BBC

Uganda Catholic Priests Form New Church

Twenty renegade Catholic priests who are either married or want to marry have broken from the mainstream Roman Catholic Church and formed a new church where celibacy is not required, members said.

The Ugandan government said Thursday it was investigating the breakaway Catholic Apostolic National Church in Uganda and would ban it if found to be illegal. Vatican officials said the priests were now considered ''outside'' the Catholic Church and would likely be excommunicated.

The creation of the splinter church underscored the increasingly vexing problem of enforcing celibacy for Roman Catholic priests in Africa, which has the world's fastest-growing Catholic population but where there have been several cases of priests living openly with women and fathering children.

Earlier this year, the Vatican summoned African bishops to Rome for a three-week meeting on problems of the church in Africa, and celibacy was a key topic of discussion. The Vatican, however, has remained firm that priests must not marry, although there are exceptions for priests of the Eastern rite and for converts from Anglicanism.

The breakaway Ugandan church has as its head a former Zambian Catholic priest, the Rev. Luciano Anzanga Mbewe, who was excommunicated earlier this year for having founded what the Vatican called a schismatic church, the Catholic Apostolic National Church of Zambia, which allows for a married priesthood.

The Ugandan offshoot is located in the eastern town of Jinja. Mbewe is expected to visit soon to officially launch the church and ordain new priests, said Rev. Leonard Lubega, who says he has been appointed bishop-elect by Mbewe.

Mbewe has said he was inspired by the former Zambian archbishop, Emmanuel Milingo, who was married in 2001 to a South Korean woman by the Rev. Sun Myung Moon of the Unification Church.

Milingo was excommunicated in 2006 after installing four married men as bishops in the United States. Two weeks ago, the Vatican defrocked Milingo entirely, stripping him of his priestly functions so any future ordinations by him would be invalid.

Lubega said the Catholic Apostolic National Church in Uganda already has over 12,000 followers.

''We are Catholics but not Roman Catholics,'' Lubega said, adding that the new church -- while not under Pope Benedict XVI -- recognizes him and prays for him.

At least three of the priests have said they are married. One is Rev. Henry Mutto, who said he recently got married. ''Some of us already have wives. Others will get (one) soon,'' he said.

Uganda's vice president, Gilbert Bukenya said authorities were investigating the church, which he called a sect.

''We want to know its roots. If we discover that it is illegal we will ban it,'' he said.

Archbishop Cyprian Kizito Lwanga, the Roman Catholic archbishop of Kampala, called on the government not to allow such renegade religious groups to operate, saying they might cause confusion among Ugandans.

''I call upon government to avoid registering such new churches,'' he said. ''They can bring about religious conflicts.''
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Disclaimer

No responsibility or liability shall attach itself to us or to the blogspot ‘Clerical Whispers’ for any or all of the articles placed here.

The placing of an article hereupon does not necessarily imply that we agree or accept the contents of the article as being necessarily factual in theology, dogma or otherwise.

SIC: NYT

Pope Benedict XVI appeals for peace in 2010

The Pope has called for peace and the protection of children as he celebrated a Mass to mark the start of 2010.

Pope Benedict XVI said peace began with mutual respect between people, regardless of their ethnicity or faith.

He said the shared characteristics of children such as laughter and tears made it clear all men were brothers.

Marking the Roman Catholic Church's World Day of Peace, the Pope appealed to armed groups to "stop, reflect and abandon the way of violence".

"Respect others, regardless of their skin colour, nationality, language, religion," he said.

The leader of the world's 1.1 billion Roman Catholics added that the value of respect for all should be taught from an early age.

He remarked that it was increasingly common for children from different countries and backgrounds to share the same classroom.

"Their faces are a prophecy of the kind of humanity we are called upon to create: a family of families and peoples," said Pope Benedict.

Pictures of young people caught up in conflicts with faces "disfigured by pain and desperation" were a silent appeal for peace, said the 82-year-old pontiff.

He also called for people to take more care of the environment, saying that the degradation of man led to the degradation of the planet.

Pope Benedict was speaking in St Peter's Basilica a week after he was knocked down in the Rome cathedral by a woman during a Christmas Eve liturgy.

The pontiff was unhurt in the melee, but an elderly French cardinal broke his hip.

The Vatican said the 25-year-old woman involved was mentally unstable.
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Disclaimer

No responsibility or liability shall attach itself to us or to the blogspot ‘Clerical Whispers’ for any or all of the articles placed here.

The placing of an article hereupon does not necessarily imply that we agree or accept the contents of the article as being necessarily factual in theology, dogma or otherwise.

SIC: BBC

Bishop of Derry - "Catholic church must earn confidence"

The leadership of the Catholic Church needs to "earn a new confidence,” the Bishop of Derry, Most Rev Dr Séamus Hegarty, said in his Christmas message at the city’s Cathedral.

Dr Hegarty delivered his message during Christmas Masses at St Eugene’s Cathedral on Christmas Day.

Addressing the recent publication of the Murphy report into child sex abuse in the archdiocese of Dublin, Bishop Hegarty described the response of the lay community to the findings as “understandable.”

“Since we gathered together last Christmas, many people have continued to suffer through the economic downturn,” he said. “This has eroded people’s confidence. “

“Sadly, this erosion of confidence is not confined to the financial sphere. The Ryan and Murphy Reports have shocked and dramatically affected many people’s relationship with the leadership of the church. This is understandable.”

“As we go forward the leadership of the church has to earn a new confidence and will only do so when we model ourselves on Jesus, who entered the world as a vulnerable child in Bethlehem,” he said.

Bishop Hegarty recently said that he would welcome a similar inquiry in the Diocese of Raphoe where he once served as Bishop.
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Disclaimer

No responsibility or liability shall attach itself to us or to the blogspot ‘Clerical Whispers’ for any or all of the articles placed here.

The placing of an article hereupon does not necessarily imply that we agree or accept the contents of the article as being necessarily factual in theology, dogma or otherwise.

SIC: CIN

Bishop 'must go' if involved in cover-up

The embattled Bishop of Galway should resign if he was part of the culture of church cover-ups of paedophile priests, according to the 'Irish Catholic' newspaper.

A leading article published today suggests that Bishop Martin Drennan would be obliged to go if the principle of "collective responsibility" was found to apply to his tenure as an auxiliary bishop in the archdiocese of Dublin. This principle was accepted by Bishop of Kildare and Leighlin, Jim Moriarty.

He stepped down not because he did wrong but on the grounds of "collective responsibility" for secretive structures that put the institution above the welfare of children.

Logic

In an article titled 'When did the bad days end?', editor Gary O'Sullivan writes that the crisis facing the Church over resignations of bishops now needed a shape and logic to it.

"If some measure is not brought to bear on this, it could be argued that every bishop who was part of the bishops' conference prior to 2002 was part of the collective culture of cover-up and obfuscation and as a result should resign," he said.

"This is why it is so important now to determine when the culture changed, when the 'Moriarty principle' ceases to have effect, that is when collective responsibility ceases."

But Mr O'Sullivan suggests that Bishop Drennan should stay if it could be shown that in his time in the Dublin archdiocese from 1997 to 2005 the concealment culture had changed.

And he pleads for some form of fault line be drawn up to determine when this culture changed.
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Disclaimer

No responsibility or liability shall attach itself to us or to the blogspot ‘Clerical Whispers’ for any or all of the articles placed here.

The placing of an article hereupon does not necessarily imply that we agree or accept the contents of the article as being necessarily factual in theology, dogma or otherwise.

SIC: II

Church leaders pay tribute to 'one of our most able sons'

The death of Cardinal Cahal Daly meant Ireland lost "one of its brightest lights and most able sons", said Cardinal Sean Brady, his successor as Primate of All Ireland and Archbishop of Armagh.

Tributes from Church and State, led by the President and the Taoiseach, echoed Cardinal Brady's assessment that Cardinal Daly (92) played a vital role in promoting reconciliation, peace and justice at a critical moment in Irish history.

"I believe, when fully assessed and appreciated, the legacy of Cardinal Cahal Daly to the ecclesiastical and civil history of Ireland will be seen as immense," Cardinal Brady said.

An expert theologian at the Second Vatican Council, 1962-65, Cardinal Daly worked untiringly for renewal in liturgical reform; renewal of religious life; the vocation of the lay faithful; catechetics; the social doctrine of the Church; and unity among Christians, added Cardinal Brady.

"He was firm and courageous in his absolute rejection of violence as a means of achieving political ends.

"With leaders of other Christian traditions, his work for reconciliation helped to create the environment and principles upon which a lasting political accommodation was eventually reached."

Academic

Cardinal Daly, who was the leader of the Catholic Church in Ireland from 1990 until his retirement in 1996, died peacefully in the presence of family and friends at the City Hospital in Belfast, where he had been treated for a heart condition since Monday.

From Loughguile, Co Antrim, Cardinal Daly, a major academic and trenchant public speaker who served as a bishop in Longford and Belfast before his elevation to the premier See of Armagh, is survived by his sister Rosaleen, his brother Paddy, sisters-in-law Barbara and Mavis, his nieces and nephews, his extended family and all who mourn him in the dioceses of Ardagh and Clonmacnois, Down and Connor, and Armagh.

President Mary McAleese said Cardinal Daly showed "immense courage in advocating a peaceful resolution to the conflict in the North and he was deeply committed to inter-church relations.

He was an outstanding scholar and writer, she added, who maintained his academic interests right up to the time of his death".

Describing Cardinal Daly as a trenchant supporter of peace, Taoiseach Brian Cowen said he made a huge contribution to both the Catholic Church and civic society in Ireland.

"He was a member of the New Ireland Forum and later the Forum for Peace and Reconciliation," Mr Cowen added. "He was an outspoken critic of those who used violence to achieve political objectives.

"He gave strong backing to the emerging peace process in Northern Ireland and determinedly used his influence in every way he could to bring about a peaceful solution."

Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny described Cardinal Daly as a celebrated ecclesiastic who played a central role in resolving the conflict in the North.

"Cardinal Daly and his Christian colleagues strove tirelessly for peace and sanity in the midst of great turmoil in the North," said Mr Kenny.

Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Shaun Woodward, praised the late cardinal's wisdom that he showed during the dark days of the Troubles.

The Church of Ireland Primate, Rev Alan Harper, said Cardinal Daly was a fearless and forthright champion of peace and justice, always speaking out unambiguously on community issues during the darkest days of the Troubles.

Contribution

Presbyterian Moderator, Dr Stafford Carson, said Cardinal Daly, an outstanding academic, would be remembered for the huge contribution he made to the developing of better relationships between the Protestant and Roman Catholic Churches.

"His Co Antrim roots, of which he was always proud, gave him a deep understanding of the essential part that Presbyterians have played in the history of our community, something he was always happy to explain to others", added Dr Carson.

"Completely and totally opposed to violence, he was an outspoken critic of the armed campaign of the IRA and recognised that any future arrangements for the governance of Northern Ireland had to involve Unionist and Nationalist, Protestant and Catholic in order to create a community in which everyone could feel at home."
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Disclaimer

No responsibility or liability shall attach itself to us or to the blogspot ‘Clerical Whispers’ for any or all of the articles placed here.

The placing of an article hereupon does not necessarily imply that we agree or accept the contents of the article as being necessarily factual in theology, dogma or otherwise.

SIC: II

Connell to blame - Drennan

Embattled Bishop of Galway Martin Drennan last night firmly laid the blame for the mishandling of paedophile priests in Dublin at the feet of Cardinal Desmond Connell.

In his latest attempt to fight off calls for his resignation, Bishop Drennan said all the major decisions about handling paedophile priests in the Dublin archdiocese were made by Cardinal Connell.

The claim will heap pressure on the 83-year-old cardinal to make a statement on the reports into clerical abuse which have plunged the Church into chaos.

Bishop Drennan, an auxiliary in Dublin from 1997 to 2005, named two former auxiliary bishops, James Moriarty and Dermot O'Mahony, as having specific responsibilities for notorious paedophile cleric, Noel Reynolds, who admitted to sexually abusing more than 100 children.

In a statement, Bishop Drennan gave details of what he claimed was his limited knowledge of Fr Reynolds' case.

He said retired Bishop O'Mahony had pastoral responsibility for hospital chaplains and he liaised with the Rehabilitation Institute where Fr Reynolds was chaplain between 1997 and 1998.

Bishop Drennan said he first became aware of allegations of abuse by Fr Reynolds against two sisters 'Martha' and 'Mary' in November 1998 in Kilmore West parish which was under the pastoral care of Bishop Moriarty who "was to deal with whatever issues and questions would arise".

He said he was unaware of the legal stance taken by the archdiocese when the sisters initiated a case in 2001.

Resigned

Dr Moriarty is one of four former auxiliary bishops who resigned in the wa ke of criticisms of them in the Murphy report, accepting the principle of collective responsibility for not challenging the prevailing culture of secrecy in the archdiocese.

But Bishop Drennan, who was named in the report, has consistently said he did nothing wrong and that there was no ground for his resignation.

Referring to how the report drew attention to a major breakdown in communication in the archdiocese, Bishop Drennan said, at the time of his appointment, he was not furnished with information concerning priests working in his pastoral area of Bray and East Wicklow.

"During the period covered by the Murphy report, when I was an auxiliary bishop in the archdiocese, the Archbishop made all major decisions, which was his responsibility by virtue of his office," added Bishop Drennan.

Bishop Drennan said he took up duty in the Dublin diocese in late September 1997 when Fr Reynolds was already appointed to the National Rehabilitation Institute, and he would have understood this appointment to be part of the normal summer appointments, which then Archbishop Connell always made.

Bishop Drennan said he was unaware of any allegations of sexual abuse against Fr Reynolds until Archbishop Connell informed the auxiliaries at one of their monthly meetings in May or June 1998 that an allegation had been made and was being investigated.

He added he did not attend a meeting of priests from parishes where Reynolds had worked, at which they were told about the allegations.
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Pope leads Cardinal Daly tributes

The Pope has hailed the peace-building work of Ireland's former Roman Catholic Primate, Cardinal Cahal Daly, as his body lay in state in Belfast.

Pope Benedict said he was deeply saddened by the death of Cardinal Daly, who was 92, and passed his condolences to his family, fellow clergy and all the people of Ireland.

"I recall with gratitude Cardinal Daly's long years of devoted pastoral service to the church as priest, bishop and primate of all Ireland, his assistance as a member of the college of cardinals and especially his sustained efforts in the promotion of justice and peace in Northern Ireland," he said.

He paid tribute to the late cleric as hundreds of mourners filed past his open coffin inside St Peter's Cathedral in west Belfast.

Earlier, senior clerics joined church representatives of different faiths, politicians and members of the public as the body of the 92-year-old was carried inside.

The retired church leader died on Thursday in Belfast City Hospital after a short illness.

Cardinal Daly was Archbishop of Armagh and Catholic Primate of all Ireland from 1990 until 1996, but for much of his career he was based at St Peter's.

His body will lie in state inside the cathedral until Sunday, before it is taken to Armagh ahead of Requiem Mass at Ireland's ecclesiastical capital, St Patric's Cathedral on Tuesday.

Pope Benedict said his thoughts and prayers were with the mourners as they prepared to lay the cardinal to rest.

"To all gathered for the solemn rites of Christian burial and especially to Cardinal Daly's relatives and friends, I cordially impart my apostolic blessing as a pledge of consolation and hope in the Lord," he said in a statement.
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'Extraordinary churchman' remembered at peace Mass

WARM TRIBUTE was paid to the late Cardinal Cahal Day at the annual world day of peace Mass which took place at the Church of the Sacred Heart in Dublin’s Donnybrook yesterday.

In attendance were three former taoisigh, representatives of the President, the Taoiseach, the Oireachtas, judiciary, diplomatic corps, Dublin City Council, papal orders and local parishes.

In his homily Donnybrook parish priest Fr Martin Clarke said “I was privileged to know this extraordinary churchman whose singular commitment to peace on this island was tireless and consistent, often working behind the scenes to achieve the peace we now enjoy. He was not just a peace-lover but also a peace-maker.”

Fr Clarke noted that “in the beatitudes, Jesus says ‘blessed are the peacemakers, they shall be called children of God’. But as one commentator noted, ‘the blessing is on the peace-makers, not necessarily on the peace-lovers’. ”

He said: “It is easy to become despondent when we hear endless reports of unresolved conflict in so many locations. But we must surely recognise the peace that has been achieved and sustained in so many parts of the world.

“The European Union, for instance, is an extraordinary testament to the determination of countries ravaged by two world wars to ensure that such events will never happen again.

“And here on this island of Ireland, the enduring success of the Northern Ireland peace process . . . remind us that, with perseverance, seemingly intractable conflict can be resolved.” He continued: “Every Christian has an obligation not only to pray for peace but also to make his or her contribution to the establishment of peace on earth . . . deepen understanding and offer forgiveness.”

The attendance included President Mary McAleese’s aide-de-comp, the Taoiseach’s aide-de-comp and Minister for Social and Family Affairs Mary Hanafin.

Also there were the Minister of State for European Affairs Dick Roche, Minister of State for Agriculture Trevor Sargent and Lord Mayor of Dublin Cllr Emer Costello.
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Tributes to cardinal focus on peace role

THE BODY of Cardinal Cahal Daly will be taken today to St Peter’s Cathedral in Belfast, where it will lie in repose.

His remains will be taken from there to St Patrick’s Cathedral in Armagh tomorrow, where it will lie until requiem Mass at noon on Tuesday.

A special prayer service at St Peter’s will be led by Bishop Noel Treanor of Down and Connor.

He will be buried in the cathedral grounds close to his immediate predecessors cardinals Ó Fiaich, Conway and d’Alton.

Dr Daly (92) died in hospital on New Year’s Eve. He was taken to the specialist coronary care unit at the Belfast City Hospital on Monday, where he was treated for heart problems.

Cardinal Daly had a history of heart trouble and suffered a heart attack in 1982. He missed the funeral of Pope John Paul II in 2005 because of the ill-health following his retirement in 1996.

Cardinal Seán Brady, the Catholic primate, visited his predecessor in hospital a short time before Dr Daly’s death was announced. He said the former archbishop of Armagh died peacefully, surrounded by close friends and family.

“It is difficult to do full justice to the significance and achievements of his long, full and happy life,” he said.

“But I believe, when fully assessed and appreciated, the legacy of Cardinal Cahal Daly to the ecclesiastical and civil history of Ireland will be seen as immense.”

Tributes have been paid by the President, the Taoiseach, and the main political parties in Ireland, both North and South. Northern Secretary Shaun Woodward and former British prime minister Tony Blair also expressed their sadness at the death, while praising his contribution to peace.

Leaders of the main Protestant churches have been quick to pay tribute to Cardinal Daly.

Dr Stafford Carson, the Presbyterian Moderator, said the late cardinal was an outstanding academic who would always be remembered for what he called “the huge contribution he made to the developing of better relationships between the Protestant and Roman Catholic churches”.

“His Co Antrim roots, of which he was always proud, gave him a deep understanding of the essential part that Presbyterians have played in the history of our community,” he said.

Dr Carson also praised Dr Daly for standing “totally opposed to violence” and for being “an outspoken critic of the armed campaign of the IRA”.

He concluded that Dr Daly “recognised that any future arrangements for the governance of Northern Ireland had to involve unionist and nationalist, Protestant and Catholic, in order to create a community in which everyone could feel at home”.

The Church of Ireland primate, Rev Alan Harper, expressed his deep regret.

“During the most challenging of times, the cardinal gave wise and courageous leadership, both as bishop of Down and Connor and subsequently as archbishop of Armagh,” he said.

“The cardinal was a most distinguished scholar as well as an outstanding leader of the Roman Catholic people of Ireland,” Canon Ian Ellis, who edits the independent Church of Ireland Gazette, recalled.

“Shortly after Cardinal Daly was appointed as bishop of Down and Connor, I attended a meeting of the Council of the Anglican Centre in Rome . . . Each day I found myself sharing meals with officials from different departments in the curia. I remember one saying to me that, with Cahal Daly’s appointment to Down and Connor, he supposed Fr Des Wilson would soon be reinstated [in west Belfast], following differences with bishop Philbin, whom Cahal Daly succeeded.

“When I returned home, it was soon reported in the news that this in fact had happened.

“The episode illustrated, for me, the immense knowledge of world affairs that is concentrated in the Vatican, but also the nature of Cahal Daly himself.”

The president of the Methodist Church in Ireland, the Rev Donald P Ker, praised Cardinal Daly “as a man of strong principles, coupled with a gentle Christian spirit”.
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'I was not aware of allegations of abuse until Archbishop Connell informed us'

BISHOP MARTIN Drennan of Galway replied yesterday to four questions posed to him by this newspaper last Tuesday concerning the handling of allegations of child sex abuse made against the late Fr Noel Reynolds.

The allegations were made to the archdiocese after Bishop Drennan was ordained an Auxiliary Bishop of Dublin in September 1997 and also affected his areas of responsibility in the archdiocese, which were south Dublin and north Wicklow.

The questions and responses follow.

Was he aware of information available to the archdiocese about Fr Reynolds while he was chaplain at the National Rehabilitation Institute in Dún Laoghaire up to July 1998 and which was located within his area of the archdiocese? If so did he do anything about this?

“I took up duty in Dublin diocese in late September 1997 at which time Fr Reynolds was already appointed to the National Rehabilitation Institute. I would have understood this appointment to be part of the normal summer appointments, which the Archbishop always made. I was not told about Fr Reynolds’s history nor was it indicated that there was something unusual about his transfer to the National Rehabilitation Institute.

“Bishop Moriarty. He was to deal with whatever issues and questions would arise.”

Was he aware of the meeting attended by priests* of his own area of the archdiocese concerning Fr Reynolds? If so, did he do anything relevant following that meeting?

“What the report says is that priests in all the places where Fr Reynolds worked were brought together (cf 35.43), not all the priests of my area of responsibility. They were told about the allegations against Fr Reynolds. I did not attend that meeting, but I did have a meeting with the then parish priest of Glendalough, because of the implications for a parish and especially for a school in my area and because of the possibility of other victims coming forward.”

*The reference in the question is to priests of Glendalough parish.

Was he aware of the legal stance* adopted by the archdiocese against Martha and Mary after they initiated legal action in 2001? If so, did he do anything about it?

“I was not aware of the legal stance taken . . . The Murphy report draws attention to breakdown in communication in the archdiocese. At the time of my appointment, I was not furnished with information concerning priests working in my pastoral area.

“During the period covered by the Murphy report, when I was an auxiliary bishop in the archdiocese, the Archbishop made all major decisions, which was his responsibility by virtue of his office.”

*In opposing a legal action by Martha and Mary the archdiocese argued that, as it was not a legal entity, no claims could be made against it where allegations of abuse by Fr Reynolds of Martha and Mary were concerned. It denied it was the priest’s employer or had any supervisory role in relation to him. It claimed Cardinal Connell was not responsible in law for any alleged wrongdoings by the priest. It said the wrongs alleged against Fr Reynolds were criminal acts and were not a part of his duties.
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Pope's pastoral letter likely before Lent, says prelate

ARCHBISHOP OF Dublin Diarmuid Martin has said Pope Benedict’s pastoral letter to Irish Catholics is likely to be sent before Lent.

Ash Wednesday this year is on February 17th and he has also indicated that a synod of the Irish Catholic Church is unlikely.

On December 11th, following publication of the Murphy report, Catholic primate Cardinal Seán Brady and Archbishop Martin met Pope Benedict at the Vatican.

Afterwards the Pope said in a statement that he planned issuing a pastoral letter “to the faithful of Ireland” in which he would “clearly indicate the initiatives that are to be taken in response to the situation”.

Archbishop Martin was chief celebrant at a World Day of Peace Mass at the Sacred Heart Church in Dublin’s Donnybrook yesterday morning.

Speaking afterwards to The Irish Times he said the pope’s pastoral letter could be expected “maybe even before Lent.” He hoped it “would contain some indications as to how we go into and celebrate Lent because Lent is a period of penance. Lent is a period of renewal. Lent is a period which leads us to the resurrection of Easter.”

As to the current situation in the archdiocese he said: “Well, the auxiliary bishops of Dublin are still auxiliary bishops until their resignation is accepted or not accepted by the pope. And we’ll have to wait and see. This is Christmas time and it’ll be some time, as I’ve said, before we have an indication.” Asked whether he had any comment to make on the position of the Bishop of Galway Martin Drennan, he said “no”.

As to whether a synod was likely he was “not too sure we’re quite ready for a synod of the Irish church and I’m not too sure if people quite understand what a synod of the Irish church might be like”.

He continued: “It could be anything from a very traditional canonical synod to an assembly of the Irish church. But I’ve said an ongoing talk shop may not be the answer either. I think that we do requires leadership and some of us are called to do that. That’s what I’ll try and do.”

He recalled that “in the Pro-Catherdal at Christmas I said one thing which I’ve been reflecting on myself and that is in the history of God’s relations with his people that there’s been a history of infidelity on the part of his people but of fidelity by God, and that when we talk about reform and change and renewal of the church we have to turn there, to God, to give us the leadership and to open our hearts to a conversion of ourselves.

“That, for me, is the challenge to see how we can get the entire believing community in Dublin to renew itself in its faith.”

He said: “When I talk about renewal it’s not simply about renewal of child protection structures it’s a much deeper renewal. The church in Dublin, the church in Ireland really needs that and we’ve to start looking in ways that are very different.”

He added: “Cardinal Daly, in that sense, was a person who was ahead of his times in the way he thought.

“He was open to other traditions in Europe and I think we have to start, we are moving out of an . . . occasionally you have to have these seismic moments when you have a real change in the way . . . a qualitative leap to a different view of church.

“I’ve been reflecting a lot. I’ve been talking to people about it. But I’m not going to make any statements until I have something to say on a broad range of issues.”

On Cardinal Daly in particular he said the he was “a man who spanned a huge range of Irish, recent church history, both in his academic life and as a bishop in three dioceses.

“He went to be cardinal in Armagh when he was quite on in years and wasn’t well. But he accepted responsibility and leadership. Very, very much so.

“He was a man . . . an extraordinary man in his rejection of violence. That didn’t make him popular with everybody, the rejection of violence, but he was absolutely consistent in that.”

Asked about the late cardinal’s handling of allegations of clerical child sex abuse, he said “I can’t say, honestly. I was away at the time. I just don’t have any . . . I have no idea what the situation there was in his .”
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Cardinal Cathal Daly lies in state

The lying-in-state of Cardinal Cahal Daly continues today at St Peter’s Cathedral in Belfast.

The Mass of the Dead was celebrated at noon today and Cardinal Daly's remains will lie in state until 9pm.

On Sunday, the lying-in-state will commence at 9am.

A Liturgy of the Word and removal of the remains will take place at 3pm.

The funeral cortege will travel to Armagh, to arrive for Sunday Mass at 5.30pm at St Patrick's Cathedral, where the cardinal was archbishop and Catholic primate from 1990-1996.

Afterwards there will be a lying-in-state until 10pm.

On Monday, the lying-in-state at St Patrick’s Cathedral will begin at nine o’clock in the morning, continuing until nine o’clock that night.

The Office for the Dead will be read there at six o’clock in the evening. Requiem Mass for the Cardinal will be at noon on Tuesday. It will be followed by burial in the cathedral grounds.

Cardinal Daly, who was 92, died peacefully at 6.45pm on New Year’s Eve at the City Hospital in Belfast.

He is survived by his sister Rosaleen and brother Paddy, his sisters-in-law Barbara and Mavis, his nieces and nephews.

His successor as Archbishop of Armagh, the Catholic primate Cardinal Seán Brady, in a tribute, said the influence of Cardinal Daly on the work of the Irish Bishops’ Conference was “vast”, while “at a critical and troubled time in Irish history” he was “firm and courageous in his absolute rejection of violence as a means of achieving political ends”.

President Mary McAleese said Cardinal Daly “showed immense courage in his efforts to advocate for a peaceful resolution to the conflict in Northern Ireland and he was deeply committed to inter-church relations”. He was “an outstanding scholar and writer and maintained his academic interests right up to the time of his death”, she said.

Taoiseach Brian Cowen described Cardinal Daly as “a trenchant supporter of peace” who “determinedly used his influence in every way he could to bring about a peaceful solution” in Northern Ireland.

Sinn Féin’s Martin McGuinness admitted that Cardinal Daly and the republican movement had never been politically close. “However, in the course of recent years I met with him on numerous occasions, all of which were friendly,” he said.

Former British prime minister Tony Blair said Cardinal Daly’s “life is a real and lasting example of effective religious leadership working to build peace and resolve conflict”.

DUP minister Arlene Foster paid tribute “to his consistent opposition to the use of violence”.
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Saturday, January 02, 2010

Prayers Of Winter

Recovering From Winter Illness

“God of power and might, be with [insert person’s name] as he/she recovers from a winter illness. Warm him/her in the light of Your love, that he/she might find the time, rest, and treatment to feel better soon. Remind [insert person’s name] that he/she is Your beloved child and that You are with him/her during this illness, and always. Amen.”

Beauty Of Winter

"God of creation, thank you for the beauty of winter- for snow, icy window panes, evergreen trees, warm coats, sledding, and hot cocoa. Let us enjoy Your creation in all its glory, this winter and always. Amen."

Road Safety

"God of safety, keep me and my loved ones safe on icy roads. Help me pay attention and drive cautiously. Grant me energy and patience if the drive takes longer than usual. Keep me warm and safe from harm. Be with me, be with me, be with me, in Your loving and precious name. Amen."

Prayer for the Increase of Priestly and Religious Vocations

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the Eternal Father,

Son of the Virgin Mary,
we thank you for offering your life in sacrifice on
the Cross, and for renewing this sacrifice
in every Mass celebrated throughout the world.

In the Power of the Holy Spirit
we adore you and proclaim
your living presence in the Eucharist.

We desire to imitate the love you show us
in your death and resurrection,
by loving and serving one another.

We ask you to call many young people to religious
life, and to provide the holy and generous priests
that are so needed in you Church today.

Lord Jesus, hear our prayer.

Amen.

Prayer For Priests

O Jesus, our great High Priest,

Hear my humble prayers on behalf of your priest, Father [N].

Give him a deep faith a bright and firm hope
and a burning love
which will ever increase
in the course of his priestly life.

In his loneliness, comfort him

In his sorrows, strengthen him

In his frustrations,

point out to him that it is through suffering
that the soul is purified,

and show him that he is needed by the Church,

he is needed by souls,

he is needed for the work of redemption.

O loving Mother Mary, Mother of Priests,
take to your heart your son who is close to you

because of his priestly ordination,

and because of the power

which he has received

to carry on the work of Christ
in a world which needs him so much.

Be his comfort,
be his joy,
be his strength,

and especially help him

to live and to defend
the ideals of consecrated celibacy.

Amen.

Prayer to St Luke

Most charming and saintly Physician, you were animated by the heavenly Spirit of love.

In faithfully detailing the humanity of Jesus, you also showed his divinity and his genuine compassion for all human beings.

Inspire our physicians with your professionalism and with the divine compassion for their patients.

Enable them to cure the ills of both body and spirit that afflict so many in our day.

Amen