By Claire O’Sullivan
Friday, January 29, 2010
VICTIMS support groups and clerical sex abuse victims have accused former Auxiliary Bishop of Dublin Dermot O’Mahony of questioning the validity of the Murphy report and said that if this attitude is widespread within the Church, it will never be a safe place for children.
One in Four chief executive Maeve Lewis said she found it “unthinkable” that a senior member of the clergy in the Dublin archdiocese could adopt such a stance.
Correspondence between Bishop O’Mahony and the Archbishop Diarmuid Martin was published in the Irish Catholic yesterday. The letters reveal strong anger on the behalf of retired auxiliary bishop, Dermot O’Mahony, over Archbishop Martin’s ready acceptance of the Murphy Commission’s conclusion that a culture of cover-up dogged the archdiocese’s handling of abuse complaints.
“It is incontrovertible from evidence given to the Murphy Commission and from the histories of clients attending One in Four that the archdiocese was guilty of the reckless endangerment of children, many of whose lives have been racked with pain and suffering as a result,” she said.
“It may be that Bishop O’Mahony is articulating the views held privately by other priests, bishops and members of the laity. It is this culture of denial which facilitated the sexual abuse of children in the first place. If this response to the Murphy report is widespread, then the Catholic Church will never be a safe place for children.”
Former abuse victim, Andrew Madden said he was greatly disappointed at Bishop O’Mahony’s denial of events: “Bishop O’Mahony would do well to spend some time reflecting on the damage done to so many children by what he did, and what he failed to do, instead of criticising Archbishop Diarmuid Martin for correctly accepting the findings of the Murphy Report in full.”
Mr Madden described the commission of investigation’s findings in relation to Bishop O’Mahony as “shocking”.
The commission of investigation found that the former auxiliary bishop failed to tell Archbishop Ryan about complaints and that he gave a character reference to Fr Vidal when he moved to the US, even though he had been the subject of several complaints.
He also failed to tell the National Rehabilitation Hospital, archdiocesan authorities or the Gardaí that Fr Reynolds, who was chaplain to the hospital at the time, “might have a problem with child sexual abuse”.
The commission also said Bishop O’Mahony gave a character reference on behalf of Fr Tyrus despite being aware that he had had a relationship with a 17-year-old girl when he was a teacher. The character reference was for a job where he would work with children.
It is sad that the Irish people are still undecided about handling control of primary schools to male “celibates” with a canteen culture that accepts rape of infants as a minor character flaw.
“If they have a desire to “”attack”” each other with pink fluffy feathers , then in the name of decency , they should do it in private .”
Doesn’t that sounds familiar ?
What Vatican prelate are you citing now?
It’s men like O’Mahony who together with De Valera formed that Ireland that has crushed so many people, particularly women and children. It,s men like O’Mahony who milked the country dry economically at a time when the boats shipped out the young to England. Some of our best minds were silenced and any forward thinking was met by a blow of the Bishops crozier. It’s men like O’Mahony who would have loved the Blue Shirts in power in Dublin and Franco in power in Spain. In secret they still nourish that dream. The First Republic has shown itself to be a failure for the people and a success for the clerics and men like O’Mahony are the reason for that. Coming up to 2016 I wonder what are we to celebrate?.
Barry, the front lines are drawn and we are leaving the trenches, Tora! Tora! Tora!
Hi Barry thank you so much for all the hard work you do for us.
Barry, you’ve done us proud, you’re doing us proud and we all owe you a lot! Tora! Tora! Tora!
MOVING FORWARD
Yesterday, 29- january- 2010 I did a radio interview on Galway Bay FM. There was just about enough time to get our views aired and put the public on first notice with regard to our coming protest and assembly march to be held in the month of March- 24- wednsday- 2010. It is also intended to step up our campaign on other media outlets with whatever opportunity is presented to us. If you too can find that platform or other forms of net working to get our message across please do not hesitate to use it.
Fire and Ice will be mark of our courage in moving forward and the re- awakening of all you were meant to be for this really who you were all along. There is no future in the past but there is perhaps one here because of it. It is about more than seeking reflective compensation, it is about taking back your dignity and your pride and some peoples have yet to know what that even is such was the damage done to them.
If you need a copy of that interview you can contact Galway Bay FM at 091770000 or email the comment line at comments@galwaybayfm.ie or contact me at 0877511113 or email at bgclifford@iol.ie.
Barry Clifford
“” without protocols or guidelines or experience in the matter of child sexual abuse””. The above quote being from the bishop O’Mahony to Diarmuid Martin . The enunciation in brutal gory detail contained in the Murphy report to a barbaric act of an asounding violent assault on a young girl by the insertion , vaginally and ananlly of a crucifix, by a “”priest” needs no guidelines nor protocols, nor experience to any SANE person that such an act on a child, ANY child must sit at the head of the worst CRIMINAL act imaginable. O` Mahony is of the opinion that an !apology! will suffice for such act , while failing to understand that Diarmuid Martin is fully cogent of such act being a CRIMINAL act . Diarmuid Martin has already given O` Mahony a “”gentle”” shove towards the door by banning him from taking groups to Lourdes and restricting his “”pastoral”” duties by preventing him from the confirmation process . If in Diarmuid Martins opinion such restrictive measures were felt to be necessary in O` Mahony`s particular case , how long will it be before “”shove”” becomes “push”.?. The hierarchy and intellectually challenged “bishops”” are presently on their knee`s , they need to be kept there. If they have a desire to “”attack”” each other with pink fluffy feathers , then in the name of decency , they should do it in private .
Charles O’Rourke:-
“The Catholic Church was never and never will be a safe place for children. That is rule number one for parents. Not understanding this means exposing your children to great danger.”
Precisely. But parents who DO entrust their children with such arrogant (sociopathic) Authority figures, have a lot growing up to do themselves. There’s no shortage of such gullible (ignorant) parents in Ireland, unfortunately.
In order to understand the mind of a Roman Catholic Cleric you have to know the history of the Church. It’s based on the arrogant assumption that all others are lesser beings than celibates. That’s what they are indoctrinated to believe and they see anything they do as being justified in the same way as a medieval lord would treat complaints from his peasants.
It simply shows that some people will never ever admit to either:
Their wrong doings
The wrong doings of their colleagues
Their role in maintaining their situation by silent collusion
They have been found out
Their weakness has been exposed
But
Many are obviously endeavouring to maintain the status quo – or indeed turn back the clock to a time where they could and did do what they wanted without fear or recrimination.
What sort of religion or organisation can even think that they could claim the support of people after such a series of events.
The argument and defence that the majority are good men wears thinner by the day.
The GOOD have to stand and be counted or alternatively separate their ways from an organisation that continues to harbour so many corrupt in spirit individuals who passed their liver in relative luxury on the backs of many who they not only knew , but understood their helplessness.
However this type of behaviour, denial of responsibility is and has not been uncommon across the ages ….
It, unfortunately, is a situation probably best summed up in a speech given at a time when morality and position were abused, by another, but no friend of Ireland, Cromwell.
20 April 1653
It is high time for me to put an end to your sitting in this place, which you have dishonoured by your contempt of all virtue, and defiled by your practice of every vice;
ye are a factious crew, and enemies to all good government;
ye are a pack of mercenary wretches, and would like Esau sell your country for a mess of pottage, and like Judas betray your God for a few pieces of money.
Is there a single virtue now remaining amongst you?
Is there one vice you do not possess?
Ye have no more religion than my horse; gold is your God; which of you have not barter’d your conscience for bribes?
Is there a man amongst you that has the least care for the good of the Commonwealth?
Ye sordid prostitutes have you not defil’d this sacred place, and turn’d the Lord’s temple into a den of thieves, by your immoral principles and wicked practices?
Ye are grown intolerably odious to the whole nation; you were deputed here by the people to get grievances redress’d, are yourselves gone!
So! Take away that shining bauble there, and lock up the doors.
In the name of God, go!
MM
In secret not many of these black coats accept the Murphy Report.In secret the Irish Christian Brothers do not accept the Ryan Report.O’Mahony is sending up a test baloon to decide if the time is ripe for a backlash. In secret they hate Martin and wish he would dissapear by any means possible. The Catholic Church was never and never will be a safe place for children. That is rule number one for parents. Not understanding this means exposing your children to great danger.
I have no doubt that these are commonly held views of senior clerics – and it is their truth coming out – all they can think about is how angry and hurt – they feel – not a thought anywhere for the victims and survivors of their abuse – this, I have no doubt – is also the view held by religious orders in relation to the findings of the Ryan Report – it’s commonly called ‘the backlash’.