The Irish Times – Saturday, January 9, 2010
PATSY McGARRY Religious Affairs Correspondent
BISHOP OF Galway Martin Drennan has been criticised by abuse victim Andrew Madden for not responding to a request from him to meet people from Dublin’s Catholic archdiocese who were sexually abused by priests there.
Bishop Drennan was an auxiliary bishop of Dublin from 1997 to 2005. Mr Madden also accused the bishop of “arrogance” and of “being out of touch with reality” because of his refusal to answer any further questions on the Murphy report.
Meanwhile, moral theologian Fr Seán Fagan has said “it is not enough for Church leaders who discussed these problems in their monthly meetings for years to claim that they were not criticised by the Murphy report.”
He said: “God’s holy people who ARE the Catholic church find it hard to understand how they could preach the Gospel throughout their lives and never have the courage to say no to this massive collective blindness.”
Speaking last night Andrew Madden said of Bishop Drennan: “It is a measure of the man that he will meet priests in his diocese but has yet to respond to my invitation to him to meet Dublin victims of abuse. I e-mailed him on December 27th about such a meeting and he has not even responded.”
In a statement to the media on December 27th last, Mr Madden said: “Bishop Drennan advises against anger and adds insult to injury when he describes our calls for accountability as vengeful.
“He says he met with 60 priests from the Diocese of Galway and seems to enjoy their full support. I have today e-mailed the bishop and asked him to formally invite 60 victims of sexual abuse by priests in Dublin to come and meet him in Galway . . .”
Should Bishop Drennan remain on, Mr Madden said that it was his intention to make representations to the Government, when calling on it to extend the remit of the Murphy commission to other Catholic dioceses in Ireland, that it abandon the representative sample method.
Instead all allegations of abuse should be examined, he said. In employing the representative sample method in Dublin, the Murphy commission was attempting to establish the systems, structures and practices in the archdiocese which facilitated the abuse of children, he said.
“It did that, and anyone who had a leading role in the archdiocese at the time should resign,” he said. “It is not appropriate that a bishop should hide behind the words of the report, depending on the extent of criticisms in the report. All attempted it and four failed. It was not looking at what individuals did. It was looking at systems, a culture, practices.”
Bishop Drennan’s remaining on in office “is an insult to survivors and will have implications” for future inquiries, he said.
Mr Madden also criticised Fr Vincent Twomey, retired professor of moral theology at St Patrick’s College Maynooth, for changing his stance on Bishop Drennan, now saying that calls for the bishop’s resignation were “unfounded.” He called on Fr Twomey to debate the matter.
Speaking to The Irish Times, Fr Seán Fagan said: “What saddens me is that I have met very few people, especially clerics, who have bothered to consult these very important documents .”
Arguing that “all dioceses should be examined” by the State, he said the Catholic Church in Ireland should begin “with the three As approach.”
These were “Admit, Accept, Adjust: don’t hide or cover up . . . don’t look for excuses . . . and adjust to the situation with appropriate remedies.”
“Sorry is not enough, no matter how sincere,” he said.
FIRE AND ICE
On November 1939 Russia attacked Finland on one of the coldest winters on records, some 50 degrees below zero.
Four soviet armies, 21 divisions, thousands of tanks and planes, and half a million soldiers attacked on the first day alone. It was three times larger than the allied forces that landed in Normandy on D DAY. They then threw another million soldiers against Finland along with thousands of more aircraft and hundred more of tanks.
The Finns on the other hand had over two hundred thousand men and lost half of those with just a few rifles in their hand and a few Molotov cocktails in their arsenal. They fought with incredible bravery, skill, with respect for the living and the dead, including the dead of the enemy. After all it was the Finns that buried them. The battle lasted just 105 days.
At its end a million Russian soldiers lay dead from bullets, bombs, frostbite, starvation, brainwashing and stupidity. The still living ones had abandoned the living and the dead and resorted to cannibalism and the meat of horses on their way out the exit door. The Finnish however were still standing.
They would have fought longer and harder except for the fact that their closest geographical neighbours, along with other promised allies had abandoned them in other to save their own skins. Their skins because of that actions were not saved.
In the final peace treaty Finland did concede some territory in order for Russia to protect its borders from their admitted fear of the Germans, At least this is what the Russians claimed. The Finnish people kept their Country and independence to this day.
The reality of this war is one where David did slay Goliath but has deeper meanings. The finns respect for life, liberty, love, sacrifice, and freedom helped win that battle. They had come together not only as a nation but as a close family in great peril and lived not only to fight another day but also to tell their story. For me herein lies a lesson and an inspiration.
I hope to call our new army of soldiers and counsel group, FIRE AND ICE for our fight will be defined by the same spirit and courage. It is also worth noting that our cause is been born on one of Ireland coldest winters on record and I am mindful of its similarities and hope you are too.
Make no mistake this will be a hard battle. The greed and duplicity for our enemies in their haste to cover their tracks keep giving us ‘our means to an end’ to fight back. If you are a good person you do not even need to have a good memory for truth is the best recall of all.
Our enemies, because of their lies and deceit need more then a memory, they need integrity. Because of the lack of both of these qualities they will find in the end they have few friends for they are all trying to protect their own skins. Getting elected to public office does not guarantee them the former qualities nor does it guarantee them a brain when it comes to the latter ones.
Here is to FIRE AND ICE if so say all of us.!!
Barry Clifford email: bgclifford@iol.ie
I’ll keep you informed Kate. I’m sure you will be of great help if the call comes your way which it may well do. Thanks . Paddy.
Hi Paddy,
Sounds like the trumpet call. Can I be of any use? Kate
Barry, well done for this new turn in the road, and thank you for the very necessary information of your MEANS TO AN END 1, 2 and 3. I’m glad there is an opinion with Hope and Purpose in it. The words “New Road Map” spring to mind.
On your side.
Raymond
Barry, you are an inspiration.
Great to see that people of Eire arise from their knees and demand freedom.
Knowledge = Freedom.
http://one-evil.org/default.asp
Thanks for your support Delma. Maybe we can lean on you for advice based on your experience with Siblings Together. Best wishes. Paddy.
Brilliant initiative, pleased to see a tough stance, exposing those daring to make profit or gain from others sufferings.
What greater resource could exist than one in the hands of those who know & who genuinely care. Only such persons, with total transparency could begin protect the interests of such a vulnerable group, whether this be funds or more essentially integrity.
Delma Hughes, Careleaver & founder of siblings together.
http://www.siblingtogether.org.uk
OUR MEANS TO AN END Part [3]
The Congregational Indemnity Agreement with the Irish Government was and is unconstitutional. It violates Article 44.2.2 of the constitution which states that “the State guarantees not to endow any religion”. The literal translation of the word endow goes even further: It means to give or bequeath monies, special treatment, income or properties to a person or institutional. This on its own terms should bring the Catholic Church to its financial knees right across the country and go some way to restoring some kind of democracy at last to this green and fair land.
Of course our present Government went on regardless of some relatively minor point like the Constitution, and indemnified the Catholic Institutions until the end of 2005 against any legal actions taken against them by former prisoners. That was a big break for us for haste will make waste of many things.
By the only definition available to it the constitution forbids the state to engage in any indemnity deal that would forgive, nullify, or cancel the liabilities of a religious body against any injured party. Furthermore that would also prevent the state from giving financial favour or other supports to a religious body in any form. Any indemnity would be the equivalent to a subsidy for religious bodies and by itself directly violates the constitution.
Please do not take only my word for it, this is also very much the opinion of Eoin Daly. Eoin who?
Mr. Daly carries around in his back pocket a PHD from the faculty of law in the University College Of Cork and is employed as well as a Government of Ireland research scholar in the humanities and social sciences.
Underpinning all of the above is what I have written in our means to an end document [1] and re affirmed in part [2] of that document. But there is more….
A very important and no less damaging component to all of this is the original agreement itself not withstanding all of the above:
Any agreement under any statue is built on the principle that all sides are giving full disclosure of assets, accountability, and above all given to truth itself. Right up to just days if not hours before the Ryan Report, most if not at all religious were denying abuse ever existed in these prisons. Hours after it came the usual heartfelt outpourings of grief from them for the extra pain and anguish that they had caused us. Sorry does seem to be the hardest word but it does not give reflective compensation one way or the other.
It is also interesting to note that because of their lies and ‘mental reservations’ none of the religious have been brought by the Redress Board to the notice of the director of public prosecutions for their crimes of perjury. I will always ask the question, what are you doing about this?
If nothing else this document removes the last pitiful remnants of defence that the government, the Religious, and the Redress Board could possibly mount against us. The world is watching us in this fight and history waits for its end.
Barry Clifford e mail: bgclifford@iol.ie
I HAVE A DREAM
“This is no time to engage in the luxury off cooling off or to take the tranquillizing drug of gradualism. It is the fierce urgency of now that will determine success. Those who hope that we are just letting off steam will have a rude awakening if this State returns to business as usual.”
The above was spoken by Martin Luther King when he made his, ‘I have A Dream’ speech back in 1963. What he said then has as much if not more impact to us here today. Our intention is to convert our dream into a reality and quickly, but first things first. This letter is also serving notice to a few people that absolutely know this is all about them.
1] There is no room at this Inn if you continue to engage in soliciting or receiving funds from the state, HSE, or private individuals without due accountability and transparency. Along with that this information should be given in a public manner and not have to be sought in a private one
2]There is no room at this Inn if you seek favour or alliances above or against others from Paddy Doyle, Hanora Brennan, or myself, Barry Clifford . We are not for sale.
3]There is no room at this Inn if you share secrets that cannot be shared that only serves the few and not the many, and also that you cannot leave your egos behind along with your greed
4] There is room at this Inn if you wish to sign up to the previously posted Bill Of Rights that seeks to nullify all of the above actions or emotions even if you have already suffered from them
Tomorrow, Monday 11 January 2010 a bank account will be set up to accept funds from people from whatever quarter to engage in our forthcoming battle with the powers that be. This battle of course is with regard to reflective compensation for wrongful imprisonment and the violation of our constitutional rights. It is also about the liquidizing of all existing trust and assets that are currently on the table or will be, to be shared equally among members as stated in our means to an end document [part 2] Details of this bank account will be posted on Paddy Doyle’s site, ‘The God Squad’. http://www.paddydoyle.com
On the same day we will have a company applied for to enshrine all our aims with only the name itself to be agreed upon. The next day a lawyer will be engaged in an advisory capacity and on an ad hoc basic until further notice to help advance our cause.
For contributors there are certain conditions along with one major criteria, you must be a good person. It matters not if you did not come from an Industrial prison or other institution, or that you were never exposed to any kind of abuse, save that your parents took away your comics because you gave them more than a bit of lip. It does matter that you care and that is your primary goal above all else. Whatever you can or want to bring to the table please do, whether it is tea bags or the fruits of your particular talents, or qualifications. For that we will always be eternally grateful. The battle has already begun.
Barry Clifford email: bgclifford@iol.ie
I’m surprised that Andrew Madden expected the Bishop to have even a scintilla of respect by acknowledging his presence. He will have to get used to the fact that (in the church’s eyes) he is a ‘persona non grata’. Never fear Andrew, you’re in good company.