Spinning and splitting hairs
Posted by Maman Poulet on 16 Mar 2010 at 10:32 am | Tagged as: Uncategorized
This mornings statement from the Catholic Church defending the indefensible
Note from the Catholic Communications Office to clarify media reporting on Cardinal Seán Brady – 16 March 2010
• The State’s first Child Abuse Guidelines came into effect in 1987 and the Church’s first guidelines Child Sexual Abuse: Framework for a Church Response, were published in 1996.
• In late March 1975, Fr Seán Brady was asked by his bishop, Bishop Francis McKiernan, to conduct a canonical enquiry into an allegation of child sexual abuse which was made by a boy in Dundalk, concerning a Norbertine priest, Fr Brendan Smyth.
• Fr Brady was then a full-time teacher at St Patrick’s College, Cavan. Because he held a doctorate in Canon Law, Fr Brady was asked to conduct this canonical enquiry; however he had no decision-making powers regarding the outcome of the enquiry. Bishop McKiernan held this responsibility.
• On 29 March 1975, Fr Brady and two other priests interviewed a boy (14) in Dundalk. Fr Brady’s role was to take notes. On 4 April 1975, Fr Brady interviewed a second boy (15) in the Parochial House in Ballyjamesduff. On this occasion Fr Brady conducted the inquiry by himself and took notes.
• At the end of both interviews, the boys were asked to confirm by oath the truthfulness of their statements and that they would preserve the confidentiality of the interview process. The intention of this oath was to avoid potential collusion in the gathering of the inquiry’s evidence and to ensure that the process was robust enough to withstand challenge by the perpetrator, Fr Brendan Smyth.
• A week later Fr Brady passed his findings to Bishop McKiernan for his immediate action.
• Eight days later, on 12 April 1975, Bishop McKiernan reported the findings to Fr Smyth’s Religious Superior, the Abbot of Kilnacrott. The specific responsibility for the supervision of Fr Smith’s activities was, at all times, with his Religious Superiors. Bishop McKiernan withdrew Brendan Smyth’s priestly faculties and advised psychiatric intervention.
ENDS
If Smyth was defrocked by McKiernan in 1975, how come he was able to continue to operate for at least another 10 years? Why was the issue not escalated to the Vatican to ensure his order disciplined him appropriately – and finally, why was he not handed over to state authorities once defrocked?
[...] Have just heard this man on Newstalk and he made my blood boil, more that the usual church apologists do as well. They were discussing the cardinal Sean Brady scandal in the light of the statement issued by the catholic communications office. You can view it in all it’s farcical glory here. [...]
What is aggravating me, is that despite all the media coverage of the stinking swamp that is the Catholic Church- is the need for a much wider public debate about the need for complete, fundamental restructuring of the Church, and a sweeping examination of all our state child protection services and policies.. but the real kiss off is the silence of an AWOL government.
[...] of the Catholic Church. Just like the statement from the Catholic Church in Ireland, trying to defend the indefensible hasn’t helped [...]
In the recording of Sean Brady’s homily this morning in among the usual Uriah Heep type commonplace remarks I’m sure I heard him say that ‘We must stop the drip drip of revelations’. The commentators on PK didn’t seem to pick it up. If I didn’t mishear I feel that he remark might sum up Brady’s anf the hierarchies primary concern,
In the recording of Sean Brady’s homily this morning in among the usual Uriah Heep type commonplace remarks I’m sure I heard him say that ‘We must stop the drip drip of revelations’. The commentators on PK didn’t seem to pick it up. If I didn’t mishear I feel that he remark might sum up Brady’s and the hierarchy’s primary concern,
Heard it too Bert and am getting the speech up..
These people are so good at self-preservation I’m surprised that they let that sentence slip through. I guess that they are so pre-occupied with conning the faithful they forget that the rest of the world is listening.
Here is the speech and Bert I’d say it’s carefully crafted. Interpretations and explanations will come later no doubt.
This is what it is all about,
‘we have to stop the drip, drip, drip of revelations of failure.’
That remark makes me very uneasy especially when the welfare of the victims is coupled with the interests of the institution and its staff as in
‘ for the sake of all the Catholic faithful as well as the religious and priests of this country,’
Also what does this mean,
‘There is always tension between the possibilities we aspire to and our wounded memories and past mistakes.’
More papalspeak like we who were brought up in the traditional church have been listening to all of our lives. Brady and company are stil seeing things in term of mistakes rather than cover-ups. Enough said!
It’s the abuse of power that is infuriating. These folk had absolute control over every aspect of their congregants lives. They had a complete confidence that none of this would ever see light of day. Unfortunately for them thay did not forsee the coming of the communication age.
And just another thought. Who is the ‘our’ and ‘we’ he talks about as in ‘our wounded memories’.
I’m surprised that no-one’s picked up on the Panzer Kardinal’s announcement that ‘unnamed’ dioceses and organisations are to be investigated by the Vatican.
Does no-one recall that this man hunted out liberals (infamously including the Liberation Theologists of the Jesuits) in the RCC for JPII, as head of the Inquisition? What do they think that Ratz will use this investigation for, given that he’ presently using such means to deal with troublesomely liberal nuns in the US?
[...] Spinning and splitting-hairs [...]