Pope John Paul II ignored Ratzinger's pleas to pursue sex abuse cardinal

Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger tried to persuade Pope John Paul II to mount a full investigation into a cardinal who abused boys and young monks, one of the Church’s most senior figures revealed yesterday.

But Ratzinger’s opponents in the Vatican managed to block the inquiry.

As the future Benedict XVI put it: “The other side won.”

The pervert cardinal was the late Hans Hermann Groer, removed as Archbishop of Vienna in 1995 following sex allegations.

The source for the story is Groer’s successor in Vienna, Cardinal Christoph Schoenborn, an intellectual whom some commentators have tipped as a possible future Pope.

That’s quite a revelation, in my book – but it doesn’t fit the script that the Benedict-hating media have written, so we’re not hearing too much about it.

Also, I suspect that former advisers to John Paul would rather not remind us that the late Pope didn’t do enough to curb sex abuse and cover-ups. Safer to blame Benedict, eh?

Here’s the quote from a report by Philip Pullella of Reuters:

Vienna’s Cardinal Christoph Schoenborn, in defence of the pope, told ORF Austrian television on Sunday that Benedict wanted a full probe when former Vienna Cardinal Hans Hermann Groer was removed in 1995 for alleged sexual abuse of a boy.

But other Curia officials persuaded the then Pope John Paul that the media had exaggerated the case and an inquiry would only create more bad publicity.

“[Ratzinger] told me, ‘the other side won’,” Schoenborn said.

The other side. I suspect he was referring to a Vatican old boys’ club that Cardinal Ratzinger never joined, and which didn’t want sex abuse cases to “damage the good name of the Church” (ie, disturb their back-slapping suppers in favoured trattorie).

And the irony is that the journalists who have written lazy and hate-filled articles about Benedict XVI – such as this dreadful piece by India Knight, someone I’d previously admired – are unwittingly providing protection to the really compromised figures in the Vatican and bishops’ conferences.

Groer, who was as guilty as hell, died in 2003. Here is a BBC report from 1998:

The news agency of the Roman Catholic Church in Austria says a former Archbishop of Vienna, Cardinal Hans Hermann Groer, is to go into exile, because of accusations against him of sexual misconduct.

The report follows the release of a statement by the church in Vienna in which Cardinal Groer, 78, asked for forgiveness but made no admission of guilt.

“In the past three years there have been many often incorrect statements concerning me. I ask God and the people for forgiveness if I have brought guilt upon myself,” he says in the statement.

Cardinal Groer stepped down as head of the Roman Catholic Church in Austria in 1995 following charges that he had sexually abused a schoolboy 20 years earlier. After his resignation there were further allegations that he sexually molested monks.

The charges were ignored by the Church hierarchy until two months ago when a papal investigation commenced.

The inquiry was ordered by the Pope after appeals from church leaders to settle the controversy and restore the Church’s status in Austria.

Now the statement follows a request from the Pope that Cardinal Groer give up his duties and is being taken as a sign that the investigation has found against him.

The BBC correspondent in Vienna says many Catholics in Austria are bitterly divided over the issue and some have accused the Church of covering up.

The Bishop’s chancellery in Vienna said no further steps are expected from Rome.

The correspondent says this is likely to further offend the many Catholics who think Hermann Groer should no longer be a cardinal.

No further steps from Rome.

Why?

Probably because, according to Cardinal Schoenborn – who has some maverick views but is certainly not a liar – the future Benedict XVI had lost his battle to mount a proper investigation of a sex abuser Cardinal, instead of the secretive and inconclusive one that apparently took place. No wonder he demanded full authority to investigate these cases and assumed greater responsibility for them in 2001.

He’s facing a terrible situation, no doubt about it; and no doubt also he made mistakes himself: the fact that he was far more vigilant than other cardinals doesn’t mean he was vigilant enough.

But history will show that it was Benedict XVI, not John Paul II, who initiated the “purification” of the Church to remove its “filth” – his words, and uttered long before this current crisis arose.
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SIC: TCUK

Abuse victims blast Pope for ignoring defrock calls

Former pupils of pervert US priest Lawrence Murphy last night branded Pope Benedict XVI "stupid" for ignoring calls to have him defrocked.

Steven Geier, 59, was one of up to 200 deaf schoolboys the late priest allegedly molested from the '50s to '70s in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

He said Murphy led him, then 14, into a closet, leering: "Oh, yes. God sent me."

He added: "I can't believe (the Pope) can be so stupid. Where's God's punishment?"

The Vatican denies the Pope, then Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, hushed up claims.
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SIC: MCUK

John Paul II "Miracle" Further Scrutinized

The Vatican this week marks the fifth anniversary of Pope John Paul II's death amid some doubts that the miracle needed for his saint-making cause will stand up to scrutiny and questions about his record combating pedophile priests.

The inexplicable cure of a young French nun from Parkinson's disease had initially seemed like the perfect case for a miracle as the Vatican fast-tracked John Paul's beatification.

The nun, who suffered from the same disease that ravaged John Paul for years, had prayed to him for relief and one morning two months after John Paul died, woke up completely, inexplicably cured.

But from the beginning, Sister Marie Simon-Pierre's mysterious cure seemed difficult for the Vatican to certify as a miracle. According to the Vatican's own rules, the medically inexplicable cure must be instantaneous, complete, and lasting.

While the nun's cure was by all indications instantaneous and complete, some would argue the world will have to wait her entire lifetime to determine whether it was lasting, in case the symptoms return.

New questions were raised in recent weeks, after a Polish newspaper reported that doubts had been cast about whether Simon-Pierre had Parkinson's to begin with.

The Rzeczpospolita daily, one of Poland's most respected and widely read newspapers, suggested that Simon-Pierre instead may have suffered from another neurological disease which has similar symptoms as Parkinson's but which can be cured.

Without citing sources, it said the Vatican had called in new experts to examine the case.

Responding to the report, the emeritus head of the Vatican's Congregation for the Causes of Saints, Cardinal Jose Saraiva Martins, suggested that what may have happened was that a doctor, who is asked in a preliminary phase by the Congregation to advise whether it's worth sending the case onto the fuller Vatican-appointed medical board, may have expressed some doubts.

"It could be that one of the two medical consultants perhaps had some doubts," he told reporters last week. "And this, unfortunately, leaked out. But we cannot confuse one thing with another."

"So it's wrong to say the doctors haven't approved the miracle," he said. "It's absurd because the doctors of the medical consultation board haven't pronounced themselves."

That said, he acknowledged that the doubts would require further investigation. In such cases, he said, the Congregation would ask more doctors to come in and offer an opinion.

The postulator who is spearheading John Paul's cause, Monsignor Slawomir Oder, has declined to comment on the reports, citing the Vatican rule for secrecy in the handling of the case.

Beatification is the first step toward possible sainthood. The Vatican must confirm one miracle has occurred due to the intercession of John Paul before he can be beatified. A second miracle is needed for him to be declared a saint.

Saraiva Martins was also asked how the Vatican could be certain that the cure is lasting, when a disease like Parkinson's is something that most commonly occurs late in life. For a woman who suffered from it in her 40s, how could the Vatican be certain she won't get it again?

The cardinal acknowledged the difficulty of the case, and hinted that waiting might be necessary. "It depends on the nature of the illness," he said. "For some illnesses, it's clear: it's totally cured. Some others return. That's why we need to wait."

Saraiva Martins stressed that he was speaking only in his capacity as someone knowledgeable with the Congregations' procedures and not as someone currently involved in the case.

Benedict put John Paul on the fast-track for possible sainthood just weeks after his April 2, 2005, death, heeding the calls of "Santo Subito!" or "Sainthood Immediately!" that erupted in St. Peter's Square during the funeral of the much-loved pontiff.

Benedict waived the customary five-year waiting period and allowed the investigation into John Paul's life and virtues to begin immediately. In December 2009, Benedict signed a decree attesting to his "heroic virtues."

And on Monday, Benedict will celebrate Mass at the Vatican marking the fifth anniversary of John Paul's death. The Vatican moved the service to Monday so the Mass wouldn't conflict with Good Friday.

But recently, new questions have been raised about John Paul's record in combating pedophile priests. John Paul presided over the church when the sex abuse scandal exploded in the United States in 2002 and the Vatican was swamped with complaints and lawsuits under his leadership.

Yet during most of his 26-year papacy, individual dioceses and not the Vatican took sole responsibility for investigating misbehavior.

But John Paul himself had long championed the founder of the Legionaries of Christ, the conservative order that fell into scandal after it revealed that its founder had fathered a child and had molested seminarians.

The Vatican began investigating allegations against the Rev. Marcial Maciel of Mexico in the 1950s, but it wasn't until 2006 - a year into Benedict's pontificate - that the Vatican instructed Maciel to lead a "reserved life of prayer and penance" in response to the abuse allegations - effectively removing him from power.

Subsequently, Benedict ordered a full-on investigation of the order since its entire existence was so closely intertwined with that of its discredited founder.

Saraiva Martins said historians who studied the pope's life as part of the sainthood process didn't find anything problematic in John Paul's handling of abuse scandals.

"According to them there was nothing that was a true obstacle to his cause of beatification," he said.

The OK from historians led to Benedict's decree last December that John Paul had led a virtuous life. As a result, all that's needed for him to be beatified is for the miracle to be confirmed.

But with such a high-profile case as John Paul's, the miracle is going to be heavily scrutinized - as will Simon-Pierre for the rest of her life.

Amid reports earlier this month that the nun had again fallen ill, the Aix-en-Provence archdiocese issued a statement March 10 attesting to her health.

"I categorically deny this rumor," Rev. Luc Marie Lalanne, archdiocese chancellor said. "Little Sister Marie Simon-Pierre remains to this day in perfect health."

Saraiva Martins said the case of Simon-Pierre is still very much in play. But he added that there are many other reports of inexplicable cures, or "graces" as he termed them, that have reached the Vatican in the five years since the pope died and any one of them could be used if need be. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
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SIC: CBS

Pope John Paul was model of untiring love, pope says

Pope John Paul II was a model of untiring love for God and for all men and women, Pope Benedict XVI said as he celebrated a memorial Mass for his predecessor.

"The entire life of the venerable John Paul II unfolded under the sign of this love, this ability to give himself generously without reserve, without measure and without calculation," Pope Benedict said March 29 during his homily at the Mass in St. Peter's Basilica.

The Mass was celebrated in advance of the fifth anniversary of Pope John Paul's death April 2, because the date fell on Good Friday this year.

Using the Mass readings for March 29, Pope Benedict said Pope John Paul had many of the same traits as the "suffering servant" described in the reading from the Book of Isaiah.

"The servant acts with indestructible firmness, with an energy that does not lessen until he has realized the task he was assigned," the pope said.

"He presents himself with the strength of his convictions and it will be the Holy Spirit that God places in him who gives him the ability to act with meekness and strength, assuring his success in the end."

"That which the inspired prophet says can be applied to our beloved John Paul II: the Lord called him to his service and, entrusting him with increasingly greater responsibility, accompanied him with his grace and his constant assistance."

"During his long pontificate, he did all he could to proclaim justice with firmness, without weakness or hesitation, especially when he faced resistance, hostility and refusal," the pope said.

Pope Benedict said his predecessor knew he was being led by God "and this allowed him to exercise a very fruitful ministry, for which, once again, we give fervid thanks to God."

The pope also spoke about the Gospel story of Mary of Bethany anointing the feet of Jesus with perfumed oil.

The gesture, he said, was an expression of faith and great love, an offering of profound devotion and of giving a great gift without thinking of the cost.

"Love does not calculate, does not measure, does not count the cost and does not erect barriers, but knows how to give with joy, seeks only the good of the other and overcomes pettiness, stinginess, grudges and the closure that men sometimes carry in their hearts," the pope said.

Pope John Paul demonstrated the same kind of love, he said.

"That which motivated him was love for Christ, to whom he had consecrated his life, a love that was superabundant and unconditional," the pope said.

Pope Benedict said Pope John Paul was sure about God's goodness and that certainty accompanied him throughout his life and marked the end of his life in a particular way.

"In fact, his progressive physical weakness never dented his rock-solid faith, his shining hope, his fervent love," the pope said.

"He let himself be used up for Christ, for the church and for the whole world; his was a suffering lived for love and with love until the very end," Pope Benedict said.

Pope Benedict also read a paragraph of his homily in Polish, urging the Polish people to transform their pride in Pope John Paul into a commitment to following his example of faith, hope and love.

After weeks of increasingly tough questions about Pope Benedict's role in handling accusations of sex abuse against clergy, the Mass included a prayer in German that he would continue to minister "with persevering meekness and firmness."

The prayers of the faithful also included a petition in Polish for Pope John Paul, "who served the church to the extreme limits of his strength."

During the Mass, Pope Benedict did not mention Pope John Paul's sainthood cause. In December, he formally decreed that Pope John Paul had heroically lived the Christian virtues and was venerable.

Before Pope John Paul can be beatified, the pope also must sign a decree recognizing a miracle attributed to the late pope's intervention.

The reported healing of a French nun suffering from Parkinson's disease is still being investigated by a team of physicians and theologians.
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SIC: CNS

Poland's top church leader defends pope

A news agency says Poland's top Roman Catholic leader is defending Pope Benedict XVI's handing of church abuse cases.

The PAP news agency quotes the Primate of Poland, Henryk Muszynski, as saying that criticism of Benedict amounts to a personal attack on the pontiff and an attempt to discredit the church.

The remarks are some of the first to be made on the case by church authorities in Poland, the strongly Catholic homeland of the late Pope John Paul II.

The church scandal rocking Germany, Ireland and the U.S. has so far received little attention in Poland.

PAP said Sunday that Muszynski, also the Archbishop of Gniezno, said accusations that Benedict helped keep quiet pedophilia cases involving priests are "completely unfounded."
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SIC: ETN

Klasnic to head church abuse victims commission

A commission to investigate claims of sexual abuse within the Catholic church has named former Styrian People’s Party (ÖVP) Governor Waltraud Klasnic as its head.

Viennese archbishop Christoph Cardinal Schönborn told national broadcaster ORF yesterday he will meet Klasnic to discuss details next week.

Schönborn stressed that the commission will act totally independently to clarify as many reported sex and violence cases at Catholic institutions as possible.

Klasnic, who was governor of the province of Styria between 1996 and 2005, said she planned to start working "as soon as possible – ideally before the end of April".

"This assignment is not an easy task, but an honorary duty for me," she said.

Various hotlines set up by independent platforms to give victims of violence and sexual abuse by clergy of the Catholic Church in Austria a chance to talk about their ordeals have been swamped by calls over the past few weeks.

A recent Integral Institut poll found 69 per cent of Austrians said the church was lacking in credibility, while another survey revealed that around one million Austrians were seriously considering leaving the Church.

More than 53,000 people left the Catholic Church in Austria in 2009, the highest in the country’s history.

Analysts have said the recent developments could serve up a new record number this year.
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SIC: AI

Resignation is not an option for the Pope (Op-Ed)

The paedophile abuse cases have become a big crisis for the Roman Catholic Church.

A crisis for the laity, a crisis for the clergy, a crisis for the bishops and, increasingly, a crisis for the Pope himself.

It has caused great damage to the victims, who need to be considered first.

In some cases the psychological damage will last a lifetime.

The crisis has damaged the image that the Church has of itself; it has damaged the authority of the Pope.

Priests see themselves as men of spiritual values, disciplined in their personal lives and requiring considerable personal sacrifices, including the sacrifice involved in a life of celibacy.

They usually have the respect of their own communities.

It is still the case that congregations usually trust their own priests; that is true of the Catholic Church and of the Church of England, but it is easy for the Catholic clergy to feel they may be suspected of criminal conduct with children, which they find as outrageous as does everyone else.

Like MPs who have never abused their expenses, many priests must feel that they are suffering guilt by association.

Most clergy live relatively austere religious lives.

The proportion who have ever had sexual allegations made against them is about one in 200.

That proportion has been high enough to cast some degree of suspicion on the priesthood as a whole.

The clergy are able to do their work because they are trusted, and that trust has been damaged.

The Catholic Church of previous eras had a policy that sexual offences should be hidden.

This policy of “cover-up” has done the greatest possible harm, both to the victims, who were not believed, and to the spread of abuse.

Until about ten years ago, most Catholic bishops thought it was their duty to protect the Church from scandal; they mistakenly believed that secrecy would act in the interest of the Church.

They protected paedophile priests from the police; they persuaded the unfortunate victims to sign secrecy agreements; they kept the stories out of the press; they moved the peccant priests from one parish or diocese to another.

Families were persuaded that their children, who had suffered abuse, were fantasists or liars.

The victims were made to feel that it was they who were guilty.

This essentially unjust and dangerous policy was particularly effective in strongly Catholic regions or countries, such as Ireland or southern Germany.

In England, where the Catholic Church has nothing like the same social influence, the general laity still had no idea that there was a serious problem of paedophile priests.

The process of reform in England started with press criticism in 2000 of the newly appointed Archbishop of Westminster, Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O’Connor.

That led to a change of policy in England and Wales. Cardinal Murphy-O’Connor responded in an open way, which led to the reform of the treatment of abuses in England.

The archbishop had been criticised for having, as Bishop of Arundel and Brighton, moved a suspect priest to the chaplaincy of Gatwick airport, where he might have been able to associate with children.

When the archbishop examined the criticisms, he decided that the policy of the English Church needed to be reformed and asked the eminent lawyer, Lord Nolan, to report on the issue.

In 2001 Lord Nolan produced his report, The Review on Child Protection in the Catholic Church in England and Wales.

The review recommended openness and the reporting of offenders to the police.

It was adopted.

Cardinal Murphy- O’Connor got his decision right.

He opted for reform, openness and the prosecution of offenders in the place of secrecy, concealment and movement of offenders.

Ireland did not have the benefit of a Nolan report, nor was there an early reform. The situation in Ireland shows how quickly the Church authorities could lose control of the abuse scandal.

The Irish Government published its report of horrifying abuses in the Republic.

The Northern Ireland Assembly intends to establish a similar inquiry.

Two Irish bishops have resigned.

Cardinal Sean Brady is considering his position as Archbishop of Armagh, the head of the Roman Catholic Church in Ireland.

Pope Benedict has announced an apostolic visitation of the Irish Church.

If the Archbishop of Armagh is having to consider his position, how high will resignations have to go?

Professor Hans Küng, the liberal Austrian theologian, has been a long-term critic of the post-Vatican II papacy.

He is quoted as saying that: “No one in the whole of the Catholic Church knows as much about abuse cases as the Pope. Honesty demands that Joseph Ratzinger himself, the man who for decades has been principally responsible for the worldwide cover-up, at last pronounce his own mea culpa.”

I am not sure what this means.

Is Professor Küng directly calling for Pope Benedict to resign, or is he merely calling for a further stage of apology, going beyond the Pope’s letter to the Irish?

Professor Küng seems to be treating the papacy as though it were governed by the same conventions as a secular political institution.

A minister, or even a prime minister, may have to resign if he loses the confidence of the public or fails in some part of his duty.

But there is no papal constitution of that kind.

No Pope has resigned since Gregory XII, in July 1415. The Pope is more like a monarch than a prime minister. One of the duties of each successive pope is to hand on his office to his successor.

A resignation would destroy the balance of authority; a resignation under pressure would not be the last.

In the course of his career, as an archbishop or as a cardinal, Pope Benedict has given his loyalty to previous popes. As Pope, he has loyal support, not least in England.

He may have made misjudgments in his earlier offices. If he did, his duty is to carry out the reforms he perceives to be necessary.

In effect, he should do what Cardinal Murphy-O’Connor did when he was Archbishop of Westminster. There is no mystery about the policies that need to be followed; the Church needs to apply the principles of the Nolan report on a universal scale.

In fact, Pope Benedict made a start on reforms when he was still at the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.

It is his duty to complete them; if the Pope cannot enforce them, who can?
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SIC: TOUK

Priest to move after Derry child abuse allegations

A parish priest has said he “deeply regrets” that Catholic Church authorities did not tell him about the lurid past of a cleric they placed under his roof.

Fr Declan Boland insisted he would not have allowed Fr John McCullagh to live in the parochial house in Strabane if he had known about his secret payment to an alleged abuse victim.

His thoughts on the scandal emerged came as he addressed parishioners during Mass in the Co Tyrone town yesterday afternoon.

Earlier this month the Belfast Telegraph revealed how Fr McCullagh had paid £12,000 to a woman who claimed she was abused by him.

It has since emerged that the disgraced cleric had been placed in Strabane’s parochial house by diocesan authorities in 2001.

The current whereabouts of Fr McCullagh — who Fr Boland confirmed has now moved out of the parochial house — are not known.

Before ending Mass yesterday, Fr Boland read a short statement to parishioners in which he spoke of his personal distress at the events.

Fr Boland said he had been unaware of the full details of Fr McCullagh’s past. When they did emerge, he said he had acted “swiftly and decisively”.

People listened in silence during the three-minute address, which began with details of how Fr McCullagh came to live at the parochial house.

He said Fr McCullagh had been offered accommodation there by the former parish priest, and he had used it “from time to time”.

“This arrangement was still in place when I became the parish priest in September 1999 and remained so until April 2001, when I was asked by the Bishop of Derry, Fr Hegarty, if this could become permanent,” he told the congregation.

Fr Boland said he was familiar with Fr McCullagh’s circumstances “only to the extent of knowledge available in the public forum”.

“If information that has come to light in the past 10 days had been available to me then, my response would have been quite different, with a very different outcome.

“It’s a matter of deep regret that I was not more fully informed by diocesan authorities.

“I now find myself, as the parish priest, having to deal with and handle a problem, and deal with a situation, which I should never have had to deal with — a situation not of my making.

“However, in the circumstances in which I have found myself in, I have acted swiftly and decisively — an action that for me was personally very distressing as an aged and frail brother priest was involved.

“Having consulted with the parish pastoral council and the Bishop of Derry, the conclusion has been reached that Fr McCullagh’s residency at the parochial house in Strabane is now over.”

Fr Boland said he appreciated the trust and confidence which parishioners had placed in him.

“I have always told you the truth,” he added. “In this matter, I am telling you the full truth and I will continue to tell you the truth in the future.

“I deeply appreciate the overwhelming support I have received from you in the past number of days and I ask you to hold me in your hearts and prayers.”
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SIC: BT

Twenty German priests in sex abuse case

A German Roman Catholic diocese says 20 of its current and former priests have been accused "in recent weeks" of sexual abuse as a scandal embroiling the Church widened.

The Trier bishopric in the west of the country said on Monday the "shocking" allegations involved crimes committed from the 1950s to 1990.

"For my part, I would like to encourage those victims who have not yet found the courage to come forward to do so," Bishop Stephan Ackermann told reporters, saying he was "stunned" by the cases that had come to light.

Ackermann said two people had already reported their cases to authorities while the Church had passed on information on an additional three to prosecutors.

Ten of the accused priests have since died, another two have retired.

Ackermann said the diocese was still conferring on how to handle three cases that fell under the criminal statute of limitations.

He said that beyond the new cases that had surfaced, three priests had been convicted of abuse in the 1990s.

Meanwhile, the prosecutor's office in the central city of Fulda confirmed sexual abuse charges had been filed against a former priest who had worked in nearby Erfurt.

It said the man had been previously charged with pedophilia but declined to provide further details.

Germany's Catholic Church has been thrown into crisis in recent weeks as dozens of people have come forward alleging they were abused as minors by priests. Most cases date back several years.

Similar scandals have also erupted in the Netherlands, Austria and Switzerland, while Ireland has been rocked by revelations about cover up efforts by the head of the Church there in the 1970s.

The Vatican has said it received 3000 reports between 2001 and 2010 of sexual abuse of children by Catholic clergy committed over the past 50 years.
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SIC: SMHAU

A Time for Contrition (Op-Ed)

During a frustrating argument with a Roman Catholic cardinal, Napoleon Bonaparte supposedly burst out: “Your eminence, are you not aware that I have the power to destroy the Catholic Church?”

The cardinal, the anecdote goes, responded ruefully: “Your majesty, we, the Catholic clergy, have done our best to destroy the church for the last 1,800 years. We have not succeeded, and neither will you.”

Two centuries later, the clergy has taken another shot at it. What the American and Irish churches have endured in the last decade and what German Catholics find themselves enduring today is all part of the same grim story: the exposure, years after the fact, of an appalling period in which the Catholic hierarchy responded to an explosion of priestly sex abuse with cover-ups, evasions and criminal negligence.

Now the scandal has touched the pope himself. There are two charges against Benedict XVI: first, that he allowed a pedophile priest to return to ministry while archbishop of Munich in 1980; and second, that as head of the Vatican’s Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith in the 1990s, he failed to defrock a Wisconsin priest who had abused deaf children 30 years before.

The second charge seems unfair. The case was finally forwarded to the Vatican by the archbishop of Milwaukee, Rembert Weakland, more than 20 years after the last allegation of abuse.

With the approval of then-Cardinal Ratzinger’s deputy, the statute of limitations was waived and a canonical trial ordered. It was only suspended because the priest was terminally ill; indeed, pretrial proceedings were halted just before he died.

But the first charge is more serious. The Vatican insists that the crucial decision was made without the future pope’s knowledge, but the paper trail suggests that he could have been in the loop. At best, then-Archbishop Ratzinger was negligent. At worst, he enabled further abuse.

For those of us who admire the pope, either possibility is distressing, but neither should come as a great surprise. The lesson of the American experience, now exhaustively documented, is that almost everyone was complicit in the scandal.

From diocese to diocese, the same cover-ups and gross errors of judgment repeated themselves regardless of who found themselves in charge. Neither theology nor geography mattered: the worst offenders were Cardinal Bernard Law of Boston and Cardinal Roger Mahony of Los Angeles — a conservative and a liberal, on opposite ends of the country.

This hasn’t prevented both sides in the Catholic culture war from claiming that the scandal vindicates their respective vision of the church. Liberal Catholics, echoed by the secular press, insist that the whole problem can be traced to clerical celibacy. Conservatives blame the moral relativism that swept the church in the upheavals of the 1970s, when the worst abuses and cover-ups took place.

In reality, the scandal implicates left and right alike. The permissive sexual culture that prevailed everywhere, seminaries included, during the silly season of the ’70s deserves a share of the blame, as does that era’s overemphasis on therapy.

(Again and again, bishops relied on psychiatrists rather than common sense in deciding how to handle abusive clerics.)

But it was the church’s conservative instincts — the insistence on institutional loyalty, obedience and the absolute authority of clerics — that allowed the abuse to spread unpunished.

What’s more, it was a conservative hierarchy’s bunker mentality that prevented the Vatican from reckoning with the scandal. In a characteristic moment in 2002, a prominent cardinal told a Spanish audience that “I am personally convinced that the constant presence in the press of the sins of Catholic priests, especially in the United States, is a planned campaign ... to discredit the church.”

That cardinal was Joseph Ratzinger, now Benedict XVI. Since then, he’s come to grips with the crisis in ways that his predecessor did not: after years of drift and denial under John Paul II, the Vatican has taken vigorous steps to promote zero tolerance, expedite the dismissal of abusive priests and organize investigations that should have happened long ago.

Because of Benedict’s recent efforts, and the efforts of clerics and laypeople dating back to the first wave of revelations in the 1980s, Catholics can reasonably hope that the crisis of abuse is a thing of the past.

But the crisis of authority endures.

There has been some accountability for the abusers, but not nearly enough for the bishops who enabled them.

And now the shadow of past sins threatens to engulf this papacy.

Popes do not resign.

But a pope can clean house.

And a pope can show contrition, on his own behalf and on behalf of an entire generation of bishops, for what was done and left undone in one of Catholicism’s darkest eras.

This is Holy Week, when the first pope, Peter, broke faith with Christ and wept for shame.

There is no better time for repentance.
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SIC: NYT

Appeals courts allow Vatican cases to proceed

Federal appeals courts have allowed two sexual abuse lawsuits against the Vatican to proceed in the states of Oregon and Kentucky.

The Kentucky case involves three people who alleged they were abused by three different priests between the 1920s and 1970s, according to a report in The Age.

The Oregon case involves a person allegedly abused in 1965 by a priest who was moved from Ireland to Chicago to Portland - and who was accused of abusing along the way.

Vatican lawyers have asked the Supreme Court to hear an appeal of the Oregon case, said the report.

Lawyers for both sides in the Oregon proceedings were in Washington two weeks ago making their arguments before a roomful of government officials, who could wind up weighing in if the Vatican - considered a foreign country with immunity to lawsuits - is found a liable party in an American case.

If the Supreme Court declines to take up the case and the lawsuits proceed, lawyers could begin subpoenaing decades of documents and calling Vatican officials under oath.

Correspondence between the Vatican and US clergy has always been subject to subpoena if the documents are located in the US, attorneys say.

In the Oregon case, lawyers are arguing that priests around the world are employees of the Pope, for whom he is responsible.

William McMurry, who is representing alleged abuse victims in the Kentucky case, said: "We're trying to get what's never been uncovered before - documents only the Vatican has. That's the linchpin of liability."
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SIC: CTHUS

Cardinal Ratzinger told of pedophile priest transfer

The future Pope Benedict XVI was kept more closely apprised of a sexual abuse case in Germany than previous church statements have suggested, raising fresh questions about his handling of a scandal unfolding under his direct supervision before he rose to the top of the church’s hierarchy.

Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, the future pope and archbishop in Munich at the time, was copied on a memo that informed him that a priest, whom he had approved sending to therapy in 1980 to overcome pedophilia, would be returned to pastoral work within days of beginning psychiatric treatment.

The priest was later convicted of molesting boys in another parish.

An initial statement on the matter issued earlier this month by the Archdiocese of Munich and Freising placed full responsibility for the decision to allow the priest to resume his duties on Cardinal Ratzinger’s deputy, the Rev. Gerhard Gruber.

But the memo, whose existence was confirmed by two church officials, shows that the future pope not only led a meeting on Jan. 15, 1980, approving the transfer of the priest, but was also kept informed about the priest’s reassignment.

What part he played in the decision making, and how much interest he showed in the case of the troubled priest, who had molested multiple boys in his previous job, remains unclear.

But the personnel chief who handled the matter from the beginning, the Rev. Friedrich Fahr, “always remained personally, exceptionally connected” to Cardinal Ratzinger, the church said.

The case of the German priest, the Rev. Peter Hullermann, has acquired fresh relevance because it unfolded at a time when Cardinal Ratzinger, who was later put in charge of handling thousands of abuse cases on behalf of the Vatican, was in a position to refer the priest for prosecution, or at least to stop him from coming into contact with children.

The German Archdiocese has acknowledged that “bad mistakes” were made in the handling of Father Hullermann, though it attributed those mistakes to people reporting to Cardinal Ratzinger rather than to the cardinal himself.

Church officials defend Benedict by saying the memo was routine and was “unlikely to have landed on the archbishop’s desk,” according to the Rev. Lorenz Wolf, judicial vicar at the Munich Archdiocese. But Father Wolf said he could not rule out that Cardinal Ratzinger had read it.

According to Father Wolf, who spoke with Father Gruber this week at the request of The New York Times, Father Gruber, the former vicar general, said that he could not remember a detailed conversation with Cardinal Ratzinger about Father Hullermann, but that Father Gruber refused to rule out that “the name had come up.”

Benedict is well known for handling priestly abuse cases in the Vatican before he became pope. While some have criticized his role in adjudicating such cases over the past two decades, he has also won praise from victims’ advocates for taking the issue more seriously, apologizing to American victims in 2008.

The future pope’s time in Munich, in the broader sweep of his life story, has until now been viewed mostly as a steppingstone on the road to the Vatican. But this period in his career has recently come under scrutiny — particularly six decisive weeks from December 1979 to February 1980.

In that short span, a review of letters, meeting minutes and documents from personnel files shows, Father Hullermann went from disgrace and suspension from his duties in Essen to working without restrictions as a priest in Munich, despite the fact that he was described in the letter requesting his transfer as a potential “danger.”

In September 1979, the chaplain was removed from his congregation after three sets of parents told his superior, the Rev. Norbert Essink, that he had molested their sons, charges he did not deny, according to notes taken by the superior and still in Father Hullermann’s personnel file in Essen.

On Dec. 20, 1979, Munich’s personnel chief, Father Fahr, received a phone call from his counterpart in the Essen Diocese, Klaus Malangré.

There is no official record of their conversation, but in a letter to Father Fahr dated that Jan. 3, Father Malangré referred to it as part of a formal request for Father Hullermann’s transfer to Munich to see a psychiatrist there.

Sexual abuse of boys is not explicitly mentioned in the letter, but the subtext is clear. “Reports from the congregation in which he was last active made us aware that Chaplain Hullermann presented a danger that caused us to immediately withdraw him from pastoral duties,” the letter said. By pointing out that “no proceedings against Chaplain Hullermann are pending,” Father Malangré also communicated that the danger in question was serious enough that it could have merited legal consequences.

He dropped another clear hint by suggesting that Father Hullermann could teach religion “at a girls’ school.”

On Jan. 9, Father Fahr prepared a summary of the situation for top officials at the diocese, before their weekly meeting, saying that a young chaplain needed “medical-psychotherapeutic treatment in Munich” and a place to live with “an understanding colleague.” Beyond that, it presented the priest from Essen in almost glowing terms, as a “very talented man, who could be used in a variety of ways.”

Father Fahr’s role in the case has thus far received little attention, in contrast to Father Gruber’s mea culpa.

Father Wolf, who is acting as the internal legal adviser on the Hullermann case, said in an interview this week that Father Fahr was “the filter” of all information concerning Father Hullermann. He was also, according to his obituary on the archdiocese Web site, a close friend of Cardinal Ratzinger.

A key moment came on Tuesday, Jan. 15, 1980. Cardinal Ratzinger presided that morning over the meeting of the diocesan council. His auxiliary bishops and department heads gathered in a conference room on the top floor of the bishop’s administrative offices, housed in a former monastery on a narrow lane in downtown Munich.

It was a busy day, with the deaths of five priests, the acquisition of a piece of art and pastoral care in Vietnamese for recent immigrants among the issues sharing the agenda with item 5d, the delicate matter of Father Hullermann’s future.

The minutes of the meeting include no references to the actual discussion that day, simply stating that a priest from Essen in need of psychiatric treatment required room and board in a Munich congregation. “The request is granted,” read the minutes, stipulating that Father Hullermann would live at St. John the Baptist Church in the northern part of the city.

Church officials have their own special name for the language in meeting minutes, which are internal but circulate among secretaries and other diocese staff members, said Father Wolf, who has a digitized archive of meeting minutes, including those for the Jan. 15 meeting. “It’s protocol-speak,” he said. “Those who know what it’s about understand, and those who don’t, don’t.”

Five days later, on Jan. 20, Cardinal Ratzinger’s office received a copy of the memo from his vicar general, Father Gruber, returning Father Hullermann to full duties, a spokesman for the archdiocese confirmed.

Father Hullermann resumed parish work practically on arrival in Munich, on Feb. 1, 1980. He was convicted in 1986 of molesting boys at another Bavarian parish.

This week, new accusations of sexual abuse emerged, both from his first assignment in a parish near Essen, in northern Germany, and from 1998 in the southern German town of Garching an der Alz.

Father Fahr died two years ago. A spokesman for the diocese in Essen said that Father Malangré was not available for an interview.

Father Malangré, now 88, recently had an accident and was confused and unreliable as a witness when questioned in an internal inquiry into the handling of Father Hullermann’s case, said the spokesman, Ulrich Lota.

Father Gruber, who took responsibility for the decision to put Father Hullermann back into a parish, was not present at the Jan. 15 meeting, according to Father Wolf, and has not answered repeated interview requests.
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SIC: CTHAS

Christ on cross ‘could be porn under Indon law’

Even the naked body of Christ may be considered as pornography after Indonesia’s Constitutional Court approved a new anti-porn law, Catholics fear.

The fears arose after the Constitutional Court declared the anti-pornography law (enacted by the Government in 2008) to be compatible with Indonesian public policy, Fides reports.

Fides sources say that in Indonesian civil society, among moderate Muslims, Christians, and Hindu groups, as well as associations dedicated to protecting freedom and human rights - especially in eastern Indonesia- have challenged the document.

“It is not that we are pro-pornography,” explained Catholic sources of Fides, “but because it is feared that this law - accepting a controversial generic definition of ‘pornography,’ which includes ‘any attitude and any artistic-cultural form of communication that excites a sexual instinct or is contrary to morality,’ lends itself easily to exploitation: the fundamentalist Muslim fringe can use it to penalize non-Muslims and, ultimately, seek to impose strictly traditional customs, even the Sharia.”

“Our angels are naked,” an Indonesian priest told Fides ironically. “Will they be outlawed? This law comes at a time when the country is also debating the blasphemy law, which carries similar risks.

Many Islamic leaders and intellectuals have called for a review of the measure on blasphemy, saying it is the wrong weapon to leave in the hands of radical Islamic groups.

In the case of the anti-pornography bill, however, threats and insults have hit Catholic Judge Maria Farida, one of the nine judges of the Constitutional Court (the only woman and the only Catholic of the Court) because she courageously voted against this bill. We wish to express our support and our prayers for her.”

Even when the text of the law was drafted two years ago, the Indonesian Bishops expressed strong doubts and misgivings, in part because the rules that regulate public morality and decency in Indonesia are already contained in other legislation.
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SIC: CTHAS

Austrian cardinal defends Pope over Church abuse

A senior Austrian cardinal has defended Pope Benedict XVI's record on tackling child abuse within the Church.

Cardinal Christoph Schoenborn said efforts by the then Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger to investigate a 1995 case were blocked by then Pope John Paul II.

Cardinal Schoenborn said the Vatican had argued an investigation would generate bad publicity.

The cardinal's comments follow a week when the Vatican's record on child abuse has been intensively scrutinised.

Cardinal Schoenborn told Austrian television that the current Pope tried to establish a Church investigation into abuse allegations against a previous Archbishop of Vienna, Cardinal Hans Hermann Groer.

The Austrian Church was rocked by allegations in 1995 that Cardinal Groer had molested youths at a monastery in the 1970s.

But it was not until 1998 that, on Vatican orders, Cardinal Groer relinquished all religious duties and sought exile in Germany. He died in Austria in 2003.

At the time of his resignation, Cardinal Groer, in a statement released by the Church in Vienna, asked for forgiveness but made no admission of guilt.

At the time, the Vatican drew sharp criticism from many Austrians for taking three years to act against Cardinal Groer.

Negative publicity

Cardinal Schoenborn, who replaced Cardinal Groer as Archbishop of Vienna in 1995, said Joseph Ratzinger was blocked in his efforts to confirm if there was a case to answer.

that the allegations were exaggerated and that an investigation would open the Church up to negative publicity.

"I can still very clearly remember the moment when Cardinal Ratzinger sadly told me that the other camp had asserted itself," Cardinal Schoenborn told ORF television.

"To accuse him of being someone who covers things up - having known the Pope for many years - I can say that is certainly not true," he added.

This is not the first time that Christoph Schoenborn has intervened in the scandal currently confronting the Church.

Earlier this month, he said clergy celibacy should be examined in trying to uncover the causes of abuse by priests.
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SIC: BBC

John Cooney: Pope battles to maintain his authority

CATHOLIC churches in Ireland and around the world have celebrated Palm Sunday with a joyful re-enactment of the triumphant entry into Jerusalem of their saviour, Jesus Christ.

From Bombay to Belmullet, from Lisbon to Lough Derg, Palm Sunday marked a solemn day in church worship, which had special fascination for children as they joined their parents in collecting olive branches.

But in the church calendar yesterday, joy was mixed with sorrow and repentance.

After the holy joy of the distribution of blessed palms, the liturgy took a sombre turn as the chants and readings in the long service related exclusively to the passion of Christ, which is recalled during Holy Week.

Holy Week highlights will include Maundy Thursday, popularly known as Christ's Last Supper with his apostles, which the church celebrates as originating the Eucharist, or Holy Communion.

Good Friday will recall Christ's death by crucifixion to redeem humankind, culminating on Easter Sunday, with the Resurrection.

This year's Holy Week services are taking place against a global clerical child sex abuse crisis that is rapidly becoming the greatest challenge to the 2010-year-old Catholic Church.

In Rome yesterday, Pope Benedict XVI was battling to maintain his papal authority against the growing clamour to confess his central role in abuse scandal cover-ups in the American diocese of Wisconsin when he was Prefect of the Vatican Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.

The Bavarian Pope is also under huge pressure to explain truthfully his role in permitting a known paedophile priest into active ministry with children in his then archdiocese of Munich and Freising.

In his Palm Sunday address, the Pontiff signalled to pilgrims, tourists and the faithful assembled in St Peter's Square that he would "not be intimidated" by accusations over the clerical sex abuse crisis. Jesus Christ "leads us towards courage which does not allow us to be intimidated by the chatter of dominant opinions, towards patience which supports and sustains others", he said.

While Pope Benedict made no specific reference to current accusations, Vatican watchers said he was referring to the worst week of his five-year pontificate that has put Curial cardinals and the Holy See's media spin doctors under massive public scrutiny.

Similarly, in Armagh, the leader of the Catholic Church in Ireland, Cardinal Sean Brady, was still resisting calls for his resignation, which have refused to stay muted since he admitted that in 1975 he swore to secrecy under canon law the testimonies of two children who had been savagely abused by paedophile monk Brendan Smyth, who continued his predatory assaults on more children for 18 years.

To the further embarrassment of the embattled 70-year-old cardinal, he had to travel on Saturday evening to a parish to tell shocked Mass-goers that their parish priest had agreed to take leave from his ministry over child protection complaints to be investigated by police to establish his guilt or innocence.

The Armagh priest's removal, temporary or otherwise, came after it was revealed that the cardinal is defending five legal cases in his capacity as Archbishop of Armagh and 200 as Primate of All Ireland.

In a further blow to the cardinal, a 'Sunday Independent' poll showed that 76pc of readers said he should resign.

This poll, which echoes the initial public outrage two weeks ago, indicates that Cardinal Brady has failed in his campaign to rally support for his continuation in office as a "wounded healer".

The same poll produced a previously unthinkable shift in Irish public opinion towards a Pontiff -- with 51pc of readers saying Pope Benedict should resign.

German magazine 'Der Spiegel' has suggested Benedict might consider resigning over the abuse scandals, a call dismissed by Vatican officials.

The Vatican's line of defence overlooks the fact the criticisms are being led by victims of clerical abuse who are demanding justice and truth from Pope Benedict, demands supported by a broad sweep of Catholic laity across the globe.

As Holy Week 2010 unfolds, neither Pope Benedict nor Cardinal Brady yet know if their futures will end with a resurrection or a crucifixion.
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SIC: II

Mary Kenny: Christians are at their best when persecuted, marginalised, disrespected and denied their rights

In cosy arrangements with power, or social acceptance by the Establishment, churches grow arrogant and complacent

The former Archbishop of Canterbury -- that is, the leader of Anglicans worldwide -- George Carey, with six other senior Church of England bishops, has accused Gordon Brown's government of "persecuting" Christians in Britain.

The main case of contention centres on a "dedicated nurse", Shirley Chaplin, who is taking her local National Health Hospital trust to a tribunal for removing her from patient care.

Mrs Chaplin's offence was to wear a crucifix around her neck while nursing.

Carey points out that the lady has worn the said crucifix ever since her girlhood Confirmation.

He and his colleagues (the Bishops of Winchester, Chester, Hereford, Blackburn, Litchfield and the former Bishop of Rochester) have concluded that, on a range of issues, Christians in Britain are being discriminated against.

People of other faiths are permitted to wear the emblems of their religions -- the Sikh turban, the Islamic niqab, even the Jewish star of David -- causing no objections. Christians, alone, are asked to remove "offensive" religious symbols.

In addition, say their Lordships, other elements of Christian rights have been constantly eroded. Christian faith schools are to have government-controlled sex education programme foisted on them (although the British government has a lamentable record of lowering young teenage pregnancies or sexually transmitted diseases).

Catholic adoption agencies have been all but closed down because of their quaint principle that abandoned or difficult-to-place children are better off with a mother and a father in a stable marriage rather than with Bruce and Keith in their civil partnership.

The collective of bishops probably do have a point when they mention bureaucratic discrimination against Christians, in contrast to bend-over-backwards tolerance of other faiths. This is now the entrenched thinking of political correctness: that a young girl who insists on wearing a burka to school is only "affirming her culture", whereas a young female who wears a crucifix is offending against secular neutrality. (Unless, like Madonna, she is sporting the crucifix as an ironic mockery, or, like Liz Hurley, as an iconic bit of bling.)

But political correctness is not always wrong in its instincts. Sometimes it is only trying to reverse past trends, or give a sporting chance to a previous underdog. The tolerance extended to Islam in Britain is partly because immigrants such as Pakistanis were often the butt of racism in the past, and contemptuously called "Pakis" by stand-up comedians.

There is, of course, a political reason to be nice to Islam, too -- in Labour marginal areas of Lancashire and Yorkshire, the Islamic constituency is significant and has consistently delivered the Labour vote. (Perhaps there is also a third reason: you don't want to be the object of a fatwa or a suicide bomber.)

Christians, on the other hand -- and certainly Anglicans, who are backed by history and the weight of an Established church -- have been in a favoured position for centuries. So why shouldn't they take their turn, now, at being the underdog?

Moreover, is it such a bad thing for Christians to be persecuted? Have the Anglican hierarchy somehow got it into their heads that being a Christian is about attaining the glittering prizes in life, a cosy seat in the House of Lords and "respect" from all? I don't think that is mentioned in the New Testament. Quite the contrary.

Jesus Christ didn't say: "Follow me and you will get access to human rights, respect and lack of discrimination." The words attributed to the Nazarene are: "Take up your cross and follow me." He goes on to say that "the world will hate you" for being a Christian. And that is what you must expect -- and accept, indeed.

Looking at the evidence, you might conclude that it is rather good for Christians to be persecuted. The early Christians were thrown to lions, and it was their inspirational conduct that gained converts. The example of their perfect charity and kindness towards one another worked miracles even among their persecutors -- "see how these Christians love one another" -- rather than the granting of "rights" by the authorities.

The Irish Catholic Church was probably at its best when Mass had to be said secretly, or on some wild rock away from view; and the priests, in consequence, were the courageous and self-sacrificing leaders of their people, described so poignantly in the prose of Daniel Corkery (or even in the 19th century poem by John Banim, 'Soggart Aroon').

THE Polish Catholic Church was never better, never more courageous and principled than under Stalinism -- and was pretty heroic in the Third Reich, too, led by the example of a Polish priest who voluntarily gave up his life to save a Jewish prisoner (and the father of a family) in the concentration camps.

In cosy arrangements with power, or social acceptance by an Establishment, churches and their prelates grow arrogant and complacent. Because that is the common flaw in human nature, and it applies to all other institutions, too -- banks, trade unions, sport, political organisations and social workers. Power and privilege corrupt.

The Church of England has many decent people in it, but when it was at the zenith of its power, it did not always behave decently. It was, and to some extent remains, riven by an unlovely class-consciousness that places the squire above the labourer in the ranks.

I suggest that George Carey and his cohorts are wrong. Christians are at their best when persecuted, marginalised, disrespected and denied rights.

Rather than suing the Devon and Exeter NHS trust, Shirley Chaplin should willingly step forward and accept the martyr's crown that she has implicitly embraced with the sign of the cross.
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SIC: II

Message of Bishop John Magee to the Faithful of Cloyne Diocese

My dear People,

You will have heard, in recent days, that I tendered my resignation as Bishop of Cloyne to His Holiness, Pope Benedict XVI, and that the Holy Father has accepted it.

Thus, since last Wednesday I am no longer the Bishop of Cloyne.

For the past 23 years I have been privileged to serve the Diocese of Cloyne with the help of the Ministry of your Priests and your own moral and prayerful support.

I am most grateful to you all.

For over a year now the Administration of the Diocese of Cloyne has been in the capable hands of Archbishop Dermot Clifford, as Apostolic Administrator, while I have given my time to working with the Government Commission of Investigation as it investigates the procedures and their implementation in regard to Child Protection in the Diocese.

It has been, as you can imagine, a very difficult year for me, not being involved in the pastoral activities of the Diocese which I love and which I was called to serve.

I am most grateful to Archbishop Clifford for all the good work he has accomplished in the Diocese since he became the Apostolic Administrator.

I shall remember you all, my dear People, in my daily Masses and prayers and I beg you to remember me in yours.

I offer my sincere apology to you if I have failed you in any way and I beg your forgiveness.

I again wish to sincerely apologise to all victims of clerical sexual abuse and particularly to those who were abused by priests in the Diocese of Cloyne.

Finally, may you all, Priests, Religious and Lay-Faithful, the Diocese of Cloyne, continue to be blessed by God and be ever under the heavenly protection of its Patron, Saint Colman.

+ John Magee

Bishop Emeritus of Cloyne
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SIC: DOC

Bishop's apology is not enough -- survivor

ONE of the alleged victims of clerical abuse in the Diocese of Cloyne has welcomed the resignation of Bishop Dr John Magee.

However, the victim said the resignation of the 73-year old bishop would not draw a line under the hurt caused by the diocese's mishandling of abuse allegations.

A special letter from Dr Magee was read out at all Masses in the diocese yesterday. He thanked people for their support over his 23 years as their bishop and said victims would remain in his prayers.

Pope Benedict XVI last week accepted Dr Magee's March 9 resignation from the diocese, which he has led since 1987.

Now, a victim of alleged abuse in Cloyne has welcomed Dr Magee's resignation and his renewed apology, but said his departure should not be the end of the matter.

"I think he (Dr Magee) has done the right thing -- but the clerics who betrayed him and the children in their trust now need to be held to account," said the victim, adding: "Lives were destroyed because of what was done.

"Getting justice is the light at the end of the tunnel for victims -- that is what this is all about."
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SIC: II

Pope refuses to be 'intimidated by petty gossip' over sex abuse

Pope Benedict XVI insisted yesterday the Catholic Church would "not be intimidated" by the sex scandals in which it had become embroiled.

In a clear sign that the Vatican continues to insist the abuse claims are part of a conspiracy, the 82-year-old Pontiff said: "From God comes the courage not to be intimidated by petty gossip."

He did not mention directly the crisis that has seen claims from Ireland, Germany, Austria, Holland and Brazil of abuse by priests, but his message appeared clear.

The scandal did not deter thousands of pilgrims from flocking to St Peter's Square to applaud him.

Last week 'L'Osservatore Romano', the Vatican's newspaper, said the allegations were part of an "ignoble attempt to strike at the Pope and his closest collaborators".

In his address, the Pope said: "Christ guides us towards goodness and does not let us be disarmed by ingratitude."

He also spoke of how man could sometimes "fall to the lowest, vulgar levels".

Accusations

The Pope faces fresh accusations after it emerged that he had been present at a meeting where church officials decided to allow an alleged paedophile priest to continue working.

He has been drawn into the scandal, with claims that he knew about the cases of Fr Lawrence Murphy, an American priest suspected of molesting boys between 1950 and 1975, and Fr Peter Hullermann, a German priest convicted of abusing boys in 1986.

As Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, he was involved in the decision to send Hullermann to Munich for therapy. He was allowed to return to pastoral duties just days later.

The church has insisted that the then Cardinal Ratzinger was unaware of the decision to allow Hullermann to return to pastoral work.

But reports last week claimed he was included on a memo stating that this would be the case.

The Vatican has vehemently denied any cover-up and defended the Pope.

Fr Federico Lombardi, his spokesman, said the Pontiff's response to the abuse crisis had been "effective" and that he had always followed a policy of "zero tolerance". +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
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SIC: II

Brady admits probe into Armagh priest

CARDINAL Seán Brady confirmed yesterday that a parish priest in his diocese is at the centre of a child protection investigation.

The head of the Catholic Church in Ireland said the priest had agreed to take leave from his ministry.

"The policy of the Archdiocese of Armagh is that in all matters relating to child safeguarding, the safety and welfare of the child must be our paramount concern," he said.

He said he had asked the priest concerned to take a period of leave from his ministry, which he agreed to.

"This is to allow the civil authorities, who have been informed, to investigate this matter," he said, adding that the priest continued to enjoy the right to the presumption of innocence while matters were investigated.

Cardinal Brady also used the opportunity to invite anyone who might have been abused by a priest or member of a religious order to come forward to the diocese and/or to contact the civil authorities.

Meanwhile, the Archbishop of Dublin Diarmuid Martin has appealed to Catholics considering leaving the Church because of the way it handled reports of clerical sex abuse to join in taking responsibility for it from within.

"If we really understand how we all belong to the one body then we cannot feel that the answer to renewal in the Church can come about by leaving the Church, or by leaving it to others," said Dr Martin when he addressed a congregation in Dublin’s Pro-Cathedral.

"These have not been easy days for me personally. But, with the many believers who wish to journey together on the path of renewal, I know that path will inevitably be a way of the cross," he said.

Meanwhile, ex-bishop of Cloyne Dr John Magee has thanked people of the diocese for their prayers and support over the last 23 years and apologised for his failings.

In a statement read out at masses in Cloyne, Co Cork, yesterday, Dr Magee said he was privileged to have served as head of the diocese. The former papal secretary stepped aside from his duties a year ago when it was revealed that he did not follow proper child protection guidelines.

His resignation was accepted by Pope Benedict last week.
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SIC: IE