VATICAN CITY (RNS) Facing calls for his resignation, the senior prelate of the Catholic Church in Ireland apologized Wednesday (March 17) for his role in dealing with a sexually abusive priest in 1975.
Cardinal Sean Brady said he was “ashamed” he had failed to tell Irish police about secrecy oaths signed by two alleged victims of Brendan Smyth, who was later convicted on more than 100 counts of sexual abuse of children.
Irish newspapers revealed over the weekend that Brady, who at the time served as secretary to the Bishop of Kilmore, was present in 1975 when two former altar boys signed oaths of secrecy about their accusations against Smyth.
In a statement on Sunday (March 14), Brady’s office said the oaths were intended “to respect the confidentiality of the information gathering process.”
Asked by reporters whether Brady should resign, Dublin Archbishop Diarmuid Martin was notably unsupportive. “I ask for accountability,”
Martin said on Wednesday. “Resigning is a personal decision,”
Four Irish bishops have already offered to resign since last November’s publication of the Murphy Commission Report, which uncovered a three-decade pattern of sex abuse and cover-up in the Archdiocese of Dublin. So far, Pope Benedict has accepted only one resignation, of Donal B. Murray of Limerick.
Also on Wednesday, Pope Benedict XVI announced he would sign his expected pastoral letter about the Irish sex abuse crisis on Friday “and send it soon after.”
Noting the occasion of St. Patrick’s Day, Benedict told Irish pilgrims at his weekly public audience that the “church in Ireland has been severely shaken as a result of the child abuse crisis.”
He called his letter to Irish Catholics a “sign of my deep concern,”
which he hoped would “help in the process of repentance, healing and renewal.”
Last month, Benedict met with all 24 serving Irish bishops to discuss the letter, which will be the first major papal document in modern times devoted to clerical sex abuse.
This week also brought more news from the British Isles, as politicians and church leaders in London released details of Benedict’s September 16-19 visit to Britain.
Among the highlights of the trip will be a meeting with Queen Elizabeth II in Scotland; a joint ecumenical service with Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams; and the beatification of the 19th-century theologian Cardinal John Henry Newman.
Yet controversy also promises to follow Benedict in Britain.
Secularist groups have protested the use of government funds to pay for his visit, and the pope’s planned speech to political leaders to London is likely to echo his earlier criticisms of anti-discrimination measures that conflict with Catholic teaching on gender and sexuality.
By Francis X. Rocca
Copyright 2010 Religion News Service. All rights reserved. No part of this transmission may be distributed or reproduced without written permission.
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posted March 17, 2010 at 7:57 pm
And after his apology (little late) his next statement should have been, “I’m resigning”.
posted March 17, 2010 at 8:00 pm
Oh, instead of his resigning, Benny will give him a gig at the Vatican! I think I be ticked too, if my government was paying for Benny to visit! Benny and the RCC should be paying for all their accomodations etc.
posted March 17, 2010 at 8:35 pm
“Hopelessly inadequate” is what Cardinal Sean Brady, admitted when asked about the Churches response to allegations of Priests involvement in child abuse. At Least someone is telling the truth! I mean just so I am clear on what the rules are, is the standard that when someone commits a heinous act and others in positions of authority cover it up, all they have to do is say, “oops, sorry,” when they are caught. Because you know if that is the new rule, then we can start closing down all the prisons and jails because I’m sure all the criminals caught from now on will be happy to simply say they are “just so sorry from the bottoms of their hearts”. Seriously though most Priests are there for the people and hate these criminals…this was actually interesting though…
http://ketiva.com/Religion/catholic_church_asks_for_forgiveness_regarding_child_abuse_scandal.html
posted March 17, 2010 at 9:16 pm
I’m betting we’ll see a lot more cases and more people who should, but may or may not, resign and who should, but may or may not, be charged.
posted March 18, 2010 at 7:36 am
There are calls for national inquiries to be held in Germany and Ireland to fully disclose the detail and extent of sexual abuse by priests.
posted March 18, 2010 at 7:37 am
IMO those who made the decisions to keep these priests in positions with access to children (hello, like not in PRISON) are the most heinous of criminals. Pediphiles are mentally ill. They are compelled, unlike the majority of people, to molest children because of their illness. To not ensure the safety of children in this way is criminal behavior and changing their geography, giving them penance, and removing them from schools is not enough. I’m tired of hearing apologies. The criminal institutions of all these countries involved need to step up and lock up.
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posted March 20, 2010 at 10:48 am
Re: http://ketiva.com/Religion/catholic_church_asks_for_forgiveness_regarding_child_abuse_scandal.html
They might even GET this “forgiveness” if they were ever to remove ‘Crimens Solicitationes’ – the official written Vatican POLICY NOT to report these crimes to the police.
Until then, they stick their ‘forgiveness’ requests up their heinous @sses.