Ciaran’s Peculier [sic] Blog

The publication of the report into clerical sexual abuse in the Roman Catholic diocese of Cloyne demonstrates once again how there are people in the hierarchy who have no intention of dealing with this horrendous activity in their midst but think they can rely on their friends in the higher civil service to hush the whole thing up.

It is disingenuous to say that an attempt was not made by the church, relying on their friends doing the work of God or riding to battle against secular humanism, to suppress the report. It was commissioned for the Minister for Children, Barry Andrews, who says he never read it. Now Barry is the son of David Andrews, a stateman of stature, and I very much doubt when he is faced with a pile of reports which he can’t be bothered to read he turns and says “fuck it” and goes home. No doubt he was told that the report was dynamite and that it should be “shelved”.
Now Bishop John Magee should do the decent thing and resign but obviously his departure would be too much of a blow for his friends. I come from a part of the world well used to having to listen to episcopal claptrap about clerical sexual abiuse and how much the hierarchy sympathises with the victims and then does nothing. And anyone who’s not prepared to wallow in these crocodile tears is ostracised and victimised. .These hollow words were mixed with a degree of help to the perpetrators of sexual abuse which might be considered conspiracy. But then the bishop at the centre of all this was such a saintly man. What’s more he was such a great historian – possibly the greatest – the world’s living authority on the O’Reillys – until he died.

No one can say that Bishop Magee has been guilty of any wrong-doing in the diocese of Cloyne. However, I knew of a priest who once served under him. This man was in many ways an archetypal Irish Catholic priest, middle-aged, and with somewhat prejudiced views about the modern world. However, when asked about Dr Magee, he said but one thing. “That man is evil.”
And then again there were rumours, only rumours, that the bishop of Cloyne liked to pay social visits to London, but not to visit the Victoria and Albert museum or take in a show.

I am angered. I see so many good, decent people in the Catholic church who are truly disgusted by the way in which important sections of the church have been kidnapped by people who are a disgrace to their calling. This goes for both laity and clergy. The Irish hierarchy contains some good men – I can mention Dr Diarmaid Martin, Bishop Willy Walsh of Killaloe and Leo O’Reilly of Kilmore, while a man whom I always had great respect for was compelled to resign for far less than has been shown to have taken place in Cloyne. The church’s head, Pope Benedict, has described these elements as filth. As a man who is able to discern the voice of God in a Mozart piano sonata I believe he too is truly appalled by these hideous betrayals of humanity, but is it a case that this filthy wolf has taken the church by the throat where it is keeping the lambs over which it should shine a guardian’s eyes as hostages?