The Irish Times – Tuesday, January 5, 2010
PATSY McGARRY, Religious Affairs Correspondent
CALLS FOR the resignation of the Bishop of Galway, Martin Drennan, “are unfounded”, a former professor of moral theology at St Patrick’s College Maynooth has said.
Rev Dr Vincent Twomey also said: “If I was in any way guilty of inciting such calls, I am sincerely sorry and ask forgiveness.”
In a letter to The Irish Times today Fr Twomey says: “Since I am on record as calling for the resignation of the bishops mentioned in the Murphy report (December 3rd, 2009), I should have expressly excluded Dr Martin Drennan.”
He continues: “The present Bishop of Galway was not found guilty of either negligence or cover-up by the Murphy commission. The one substantial reference to Bishop Drennan in the report (51.1-51.2) indicates that, when he was auxiliary in Dublin, he acted appropriately in the case in question.
“The report itself concludes that ‘The archbishop acted correctly in immediately addressing the concerns and suspicions in this case.’ This amounts, if I am correct, to a recommendation of Bishop Drennan’s initial response with regard to a young priest acting suspiciously with young males.”
Meanwhile, an online petition calling for the resignations of people named in the Murphy report was said to be “going well, but slow” yesterday. Dublin Catholic social activist Brendan Butler launched the petition last week.
Yesterday, Mr Butler said he was “very disappointed” Bishop Drennan hadn’t resigned and quoted Talleyrand, who said “the most difficult farewell is the farewell to power”. The petition is at www.ipetitions.com/petition/ brendan13/
Meanwhile, The Irish Times has forwarded a supplementary question to Bishop Drennan following replies to four questions he sent to this newspaper last Friday. Question 4 asked: “Was he aware of the legal stance adopted by the archdiocese against Martha and Mary after they initiated legal action in 2001? If so, did he do anything about it?” He responded “I was not aware of the legal stance taken.”
Two articles in this newspaper,published in June 2003, gave extensive details of the abuse to which Martha and Mary (pseudonyms) were subjected by Fr Noel Reynolds and of the legal stance adopted by the Dublin archdiocese. It argued that, as it was not a legal entity, no claims could be made against it. It denied it was the priest’s employer or had any supervisory role in relation to him.
It claimed Cardinal Connell was not responsible in law for any alleged wrongdoings by Fr Reynolds and said the wrongs alleged against him were criminal acts and were not a part of his duties. (These wrongs had been admitted by Fr Reynolds in 1998 to authorities in the archdiocese.)
The supplementary question put to Bishop Drennan by this newspaper yesterday was “As details of the cases of Martha and Mary were in the public domain for two years of his period as an Auxiliary Bishop of Dublin and prior to his installation in Galway (July 2005), did Bishop Drennan take (a) any action on their cases; (b) query the legal stance of the archdiocese towards them; and (c) if not, why not?”
Paddy.
Just to share some knowledge, so others may understand how the Vatican is getting away with criminal acts against human beings.
http://one-evil.org/entities_organizations/evil_org_holy_see.htm
Pope Boniface VIII also associated a second and most significant concept to the idea of the Holy See when he declared around the same time that
“every creature is subject to authority of pope”.
Pope Boniface VIII further strengthened the legal vehicle of the Holy See in 1302 when he issued the Papal Bull Unun Sanctum stating:
“We declare, say, define, and pronounce that it is absolutely necessary for the salvation of every human creature to be subject to the Roman pontiff.”
The legal personality of the Holy See became instrumental in the Catholic Church establishing one of the most profitable businesses in the Middle Ages- the International Slave Trade.
This industry, initially controlled by Portugal and Spain was only made possible because of the unique claimed attributes of the Holy See.
We are presently involved in setting up a meeting Anne and the weather has not helped matters in trying to meet people to do just that. There is the usual phone tapping and attacking of members computers to delay justice. Despite all this a lot has been done to move our case forward along with intelligence gathering. Have no doubt that this will be our year. For me I am enjoying the challenge after all they have thrown the kitchen sink at us but I intend to throw the kitchen at them. Just hold your fire a little longer and a little longer still.
Barry
Paddy, first a definition of what that “something ” is and then the numbers will matter. Above all timing is crucial and the weather just now is showing us that reflection is paramount. Slow is the speed.
I’m not aware of any meeting being arranged. I do know there are plans to do ‘something’. The current bad spell of weather is putting pay to a lot of things including travel. To have a meeting, we need numbers – I’ve no indication of any great numbers of people prepared to attend a meeting. If something does come to pass, I will let you know Anne. Paddy
Damien, I am also up for meeting. Paddy is anything happening?….please let me know
Anne
It`s heartening to see that Patsy Mc Garry of the Irish Times persists in seeking answers from the bishop Drennan of Galway .
Drennan has shifted emphasis of his own predicament to the what he is sublimely refering to as a “”dysfunctional”” archbishop of Dublin as being primarily responsible for “”mistaken”” calls for his , Drennans, resignation. The archbishop of the relevent period being Desmond Connell.
As Drennan persists in his claim to having no part in the decision making concerning priestly paedophiles, why is he so obtusive to the questions posed by Patsy Mc Garry .?.
As the archdiocese claims it is not a legal entity, could Drennan not answer the questions within the ambit of such a claim by the archdiocese .?.
Or is Drennan , like myself and many others grappling with this contentious claim of the archdiocese not being a “”legal entity””, but within its episcopal representatives we have, or had , two fully trained barristers, Eamonn Walshe and Ray Field . Walshe and Field, good Uriah Heaps though they are , recognised their “shortcomings” and departed while the going was good. Drennan fails to understand the relevence of this and continues to dig rather large holes for himself, and getting bigger as he now use`s his diocesan “”spokesman”” to act as a buffer to the searching questions of Patsy Mc Garry .
If Drennan was aware of the “decisions”” taken by Desmond Connell in relation to child clerical sexual abuse, but not aware of the actual events concerning those particular case`s, be it in his “”pastoral”” diocese or not, did he feel no instincts of conscience, as in the words of Moriarty to “”challenge the prevailing culture”” to which he was a sitting witness, to policies inherently visible as a structure of deceit pursued solely to avoid scandal to the church while simultaneously, as a bishop, abandoning children to the wrongful decision making of a “”dysfunctional”” archbishop .?. Or was Drennan subject to a reign of acquiescence as the expected norms of auxilliary bishops, while in the presence of the archbishop .?. We will not know the answer to that question until Drennann feels ready to answer Patsy Mc Garrys questions . A relevent question would be , if ANY bishop or bishops ever “”questioned”” the decision making of the archbishop when discussions of clerical sexual terrorism were up for debate at their monthly meetings . Here again the habits of “deference” with its long back-cast of critical thought being excised, has had an unfortuate effect where the truth is being sought . There cannot be , and should not be any boundary which can be imposed where the abuse of children is paramount to the true facts emerging as to how such obscene abuse thrived , nor should truth be at the mercy of an ideation sought by a hierarchy to inter truth as a means to avoiding scandal to their church . Children matter , hierarchies don`t ………
The email address of both Hanora and Barry can be found with every post they’ve put up on this website. You can, I’m sure contact via that route. I hope this is helpful.
Extract from the Nation Catholic Reporter.
(least it be forgotten what the Vatican knows and how it reacts…..read on)
——————————————–
“Vatican asks Condoleezza Rice to help stop a sex abuse lawsuit”
By John L. Allen Jr.
NCR Rome Correspondent
3 March 2005
Alongside predictable exchanges on Iraq, the Middle East and religious liberty, U.S. Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice in her Feb. 8 visit to the Vatican also received an unexpected request — to intervene in a U.S. lawsuit naming the Holy See as the defendant in a sex abuse case.
Church sources told NCR that Rice was asked by Cardinal Angelo Sodano, the Vatican’s Secretary of State, whether the United States government could stop a class-action lawsuit currently before a United States District Court in Louisville, Ky., that seeks to hold the Vatican financially responsible for the sexual abuse of minors.
(article is extensive)
Paddy, I would be interested in meeting up with people as soon as possible to work out a strategy to deal with the aftermath of the Ryan, Murphy reports, and the total lack of leadership, and betrayal by so called survivor support groups. Could you pass on Hanora’s or Barry’s number and we will set up a meeting. Thanks
And Barry, may the force be with us all. the moment has come.
Here’s you mitre Bishop, off you go!
And so the Pope is set to visit Britain in September. There is even the suggestion that he would like to visit Ireland. Well let me say it won,t happen, he is not welcome. He does not deserve to come here. Let,s look at what he has done so far. Nothing. Listen Ratzo, you want to come to Ireland?. First I demand that you disband every Catholic order investigated in the Ryan Report. No if,s and but,s just do it. Secondly they are to compensate the abused by handing over their entire assets to be given to the survivors. And that is just for starters. No you are still not welcome. You are to resign. You knew years ago what was happening in Ireland and you never volunteered that information to the government.You knew that Justice Ryan was investigating sexual abuse of thousands of Irish children and you did not volunteer information to that commission. You knew that justice Murphy was carrying out an investigation about the covering up of sexual abuse of children in the Dublin Dioceses and did not volunteer information you had in your possession to that commission, and when asked for documents held in the Vatican archive did not bother to reply.Your ambassador ignored requests for information by Justice Murphy and he too has to go. So you are simply not credible and simply not welcome to Ireland.
There are few alternatives left to survivors of clerical abuse than to take action in a way that will force the hand of this power of occupation.There are churches that should be the scenes of challenging confrontations. There is a laity that will act if they have a platform to do so, but it is only the survivors that can lead the way. The work of bringing the Roman Church to account must be done by survivors, they are the ones who possess the motivation.As it looks now the Roman Church has everything to loose at the moment and the survivors have everything to win. Such moments are rare.
It is of no relevance as to whether bishops resign or not. It is a pseudo debate the purpose of which is to blur the vision of the Irish populace as to the real issue. What does it matter if That bishop goes or stays?, Anything to distract from the fact that the Roman Church has been revealed as a highly criminal network.
Bishop Drennan …. would you kindly vacate the building?
Anne, ring Barry as he’s chain mailed with sword in hand and ready to take on all comers! Your support is very welcome indeed. You may ask Paddy for Barry’s contact details and mine if you so wish! Anybody else you know who’d be interested in our demo. you could get them on board too as you’ve rightly pointed out .. there is safety in numbers. No more group leaders with hidden agendas who’ve spent the last decade demeaning and belittling us and doing dodgy deals with the state and church. What a blind lot of fools we were! Time to rouse the sleeping giant! GRRRR!
Paddy, Barry,..would anyone please let me know what the next moves are. I have stated many times I am waiting, willing and able to come over to Dublin or where ever else needed.
Did you receive my mail from the solicitors Paddy?..says it all really so the survivor groups will be in control of the contributions! so where does that leave us!?!…
Please will someone let me know what we can do.
Anne
People united as One against all abuse is the answer.
The patriarchal system has been in control, only because it used divide and conquer methods and innocent people bought into it.
Barry, yes, Common Purpose operates in secret inside the HSE and other Gov agencies, where “facilitators” using various methods “facilitate” into being their own agenda.
You can bet every euro you have that the abused are not top priority.
The Catholic church and all its offshoots in Eire need to be pruned, and there are more than enough of us gardeners to do it.
Supports Groups For Institutional Abuse
This is the list that presently exists for support groups in alphabetical order:
Aishling Centre
Alliance Group
Irish Survivors Of Institutional Abuse
Justice For Healing
London Irish Women Support group
Right Of place
Right Of Peace
Soca Of Ireland
Soca Of England
South East Survivors Association
True Survivors Of Institutional Abuse
Some of the very genuine groups from this list and others not recognized by the Irish State, recieve no funding from any quarter that includes Government, HSE, religious or otherwise and are the unsung heroes of this whole debacle. They are not looking for sainthood either. They also do not hide behind the fine print of complicated charity companies designed for secrecy and self profit. The money that Noel Barrry has been able to accumulate for himself and his close associates, and indeed other groups, has been got through this route. His associates will in time prove to be not so close to him when they find that the money is gone and they have to answer for his and their own actions. Other new groups propose colourful alternate names as follows:
Ancy Centre
Alligator group
Crocodile tears group
Left of place
Left Of peace
South West Survivors Association
North, South and East Survivors Associations
Non members support group
UnTrue Survivors Of Institutional Abuse
And others……………………
The birth of some groups were born out of genuine delusion and frustration from members of the other groups, and even some of them are genuine soldiers for our cause but they are few and far between. This simply cannot go on and will not be allowed to, and in the end represents nobody. At its best intentions it can only work on a local and minute parochial level anyway. It is also tearing down slowly but surely any monies due to survivors of the larger picture. Along with this fiasco we have trust funds set up by those that are the least to be trusted, and this alongside called education and other funds that only supports begging that resulted in piecemeal handouts.
Divisive we still stand and divided we are falling so I ask again and again, WHAT ARE YOU DOING ABOUT IT !!!!!
There is hope, YOU ! !
Barry Clifford
Email: bgclifford@iol.ie