TOO MANY CLERICAL VICTIMS TO IDENTIFY
Archbishop admits paedo priest shock in documentary
THE Archbishop of Dublin has told of his shock at finding that paedophile priests are unable to identify new cases – because they had so many victims.
Dr Diarmuid Martin claimed some serial offenders could not conclusively recall the names of claimants which in some instances numbered more than 100.
He makes the disturbing revelation in an RTE documentary detailing how the Vatican came to exert control over almost every aspect of Irish life since the foundation of the State.
Former Justice Minister Michael Mcdowell also examines how the Catholic Church wielded so much power for more than a century.
Dr Martin talks frankly about the scale of abuse expressing his deep concern that paedophile priests can often be unsure if they abused a victim or not when a new case comes to light. He said: “Any organisation has to ask how is it that at a particular time there was a large number of serial paedophiles – we’re talking about hundreds. “There are cases coming forward and my people will ask, for example, a priest, if a new case comes up, from one of these historical cases, does this name mean anything to you?
“Sometimes they say, ‘Yes, I abused that person’. Sometimes, and this is the more worrying one, they [say], ‘The name means nothing, but I can’t say, it could have happened.
“They don’t even, they didn’t even know how many people they abused.”
Amnesty International chief Colm O’gorman said he came back to Ireland in 1995 “to report the fact that I’d been raped by a Roman Catholic priest from the age of 14 until 17”.
He added: “Fr Sean Fortune was the priest. When I came back I initially believed I was reporting what one very bad man had done to me.
SUICIDE
“But within I think about six weeks another five men had come forward and made complaints.” Fortune was accused of the rape and sexual abuse of 29 boys. He died by suicide before any of the cases came to trial.
Mr Mcdowell reveals how the State effectively let the church off the hook when it came to compensation.
He blasted then Minister Michael Woods’ decision to meet representatives of religious orders and do a deal to cap their liability to victims without any consultation.
He said: “I was the attorney general at the time and neither I or members of the Government in cabinet were consulted on this matter.
“The State effectively signed a blank cheque that cost us Ir£1.4billion in the end in exchange for a promise of a contribution of Ir£128million pounds from the religious orders.”
Despite two decades of scandals, the documentary concludes the church remains embedded in Irish life.
Rome v Republic is on RTE One on Thursday at 10.15pm
AN Archbishop’s revelation serial clerical sex abusers cannot recall the names of all of their victims is a stark one.
Diarmuid Martin’s admission throws a light on the scandal that has rocked the Catholic Church to its core.
He asks how there were such a large number of paedophile priests free to prey on children – hinting at a level of abuse on a seismic scale.
Dr Martin tells of his shock in an RTE documentary which explores the shifting relationship between the Church and State.
Former Attorney General Michael Mcdowell doesn’t mince his words when he says the country’s leaders effectively wrote a blank cheque to let religious orders off the hook.
He recalls how he lost faith in the Church in 1968 over a ban on contraception.
Mr Mcdowell says in dealing with sex abuse, senior clergy wilfully turned their backs on the laws of the land.
Former president Mary Mcaleese adds how high-ranking Vatican clerics maintain a warped view of events with some still claiming “the devil works through children”.
And yet for all the scandals and cover-ups, Rome v Republic concludes the religious institution remains embedded in Irish life.
Clerical sex abuse, the Magdalenes, the Mother & Baby Homes... these are Ireland’s great shame – and the Catholic Church had a hand in all of them.