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THE GOVERNMENT has this evening published the final passages of the official report into the handling of clerical abuse allegations in the Roman Catholic diocese of Cloyne.
The final chapters of the report were cleared for publication by the High Court last week, which had previously withheld extracts due to the possibility of criminal proceedings being brought in some instances.
The previously unpublished passage outline how Fr Ronat – who retired in late 2005 and is out of ministry – was alleged to have abused a series of children between between 1989 and 2009, but in some cases reports of his behaviour were not forwarded to Gardaí for years afterward.
11 different complaints were made against Fr Ronat, some of them alleging that he had used hypnosis on them. The priest, who worked as a career guidance teacher, claimed only to have used the technique to treat some people for alcohol and tobacco addiction.
Although restrictions were placed on Fr Ronat’s duties in the wake of some of the complaints, he continued to officiate at Confirmation ceremonies in the early part of the last decade.
He was eventually removed from ministry by then-bishop John Magee in 2005, but was not asked to stop wearing clerical dress in 2008. Even still, the priest continued to celebrate Masses in private homes where young people were present, disregarding restrictions placed on him.
The report criticises Bishop Magee and the Diocesan investigator Monsignor Denis O’Callaghan, but also criticises three other priests who appeared to have ignored complaints brought to them. Ultimately, no criminal prosecutions were brought against Fr Ronat.
Justice minister Alan Shatter said the publication of the final portions – which largely relate to allegations concerning a priest known only as ‘Fr Ronat’ – “yet again details the failure of the Church to comply with its own guidelines”.
“The litany of allegations made and the failure to appropriately report cases of abuse reinforces the need to enact a statutory measure for the protection of children in the future,” Shatter said.
He added that the government was still working on legislation making it a criminal offence to withhold information relating to crimes perpetrated against children.
Children’s minister Frances Fitzgerald said she recognised that the publication of the final extracts would serve “as a painful reminder for those involved”.
Despite repeated attempts to have their voice heard, they could not ensure that the serious allegations they made against a Cloyne cleric were dealt with appropriately. Time and time again they were disappointed and hurt once more.These families did not ask for this burden, it was placed on them by the irresponsibility of the church authorities in Cloyne.
Fitzgerald urged those affected by the publication to call the HSE’s freephone National Counselling Service. The helpline can be contacted at 1800 234 116.
Dublin Rape Crisis Centre’s chief executive Ellen O’Malley-Dunlop criticised the timing of the publication, however, saying the victims of sexual abuse did not need to be reminded of their past in Christmas wek.
“To have this report published Christmas week is insensitive to put it at its mildest. Victims calling the National 24 hour helpline are angry and upset at the timing of this publication, as Christmas is an emotive time for them anyway,” she said.
“However, we hope that the publication of Chapter 9 in full, will give those survivors of clerical sexual abuse validation, and that they know that their stories are truly believed, and that the cover up that was endemic in the Cloyne diocese has now been exposed in its entirety.”
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Once again the sheer arrogance of the catholic church being demonstrated. This perverted organization should be removed from our schools and any other state funded groups. We need a total separation of church and state now. How much more proof does our Government need before it takes real action against this filthy perverted entity?
This is what gets to me:
‘“The litany of allegations made and the failure to appropriately report cases of abuse reinforces the need to enact a statutory measure for the protection of children in the future,” Shatter said.
He added that the government was still working on legislation making it a criminal offence to withhold information relating to crimes perpetrated against children’
Apparently the legislation that would have allowed for the prosecution of the likes of Bishop McGee and others like him that withheld information and covered up was abolished by the then government in 1997!
The following is a link to an article in 2002 by Ivana Bacik:
Now we are told that the Government are ‘still’ working on legislation that would allow the arrest and prosecution of these people when in fact what is happening is that the government is dragging it’s heels to reintroduce legislation that was removed less than 15 years ago.
Child protection seems to have less importance to our legislators than the the presence of ‘headshops’ in the treatment of legislation.
What is going on?
The Catholic Church still has a very powerful lobby in Irish Politics.The likes of O’Cuiv (Dev’s grandson) and Gay Mitchell are very vocal supporters of the Vatican, that’s just the tip of the iceberg. The civil service is riddled with Opus Dei cronyism.
There’s a nasty stench of collusion about all of this. Reports and enquiries being demanded and coming up, now how do we protect our chums..?
Indeed Joe. And further, it would seem that the same political party that sold our sovereign status to the holders of paper bonds also sold our children’s safety to the interest of protecting the reputation of the Roman Church.
Lovely people we elect to our legislature.
John the civil service badly needs an overhaul.
It seems to be going on for so long is there any end to it. Reports Reports reports and more reports. There are a lot of good priests and they are tarnished because of this There is sate law and church law and between the two of them there seems to b a conflict of intrest.
Francis there is no conflict of interest. There is only one law and that is the law of the land. The pope can take his cannon law and stuff it up his wrinkled old arse.
Spare me the “good priests” bit, they now know what kind of organization they belong to! The Clergy of the Catholic church have been raping little children all over the world and its bosses have been taken active part in this or at least covering it up. If you are getting fed up of reading reports that is your problem. Facts will not go away just because people want to ignore them.
There are a lot of good priests but the bad ones need to seriously pay for their crimes. They totally abused their power and authority. They used God against people to hide theirs signs.
crimes
YOU CANT TAR EVERYBODY WITH THE SAME BRUSH. I KNOW THAT THESE PEOPLE WHO ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE ABUSE MUST ANSWER FOR THEIR CRIMES. ALSO KNOW THAT THE LAW OF THE LAND IS THE LAW THAT MATTERS.WE MUST REMEMBER THAT IT IS NOT ONLY PRIESTS THAT ARE ABUSING CHILDREN THERE ARE ALSO PEOPLE IN THE WIDER COMMUNITY AT IT AS WELL. NO MATTER WHAT YOU THINK THE VATICAN WILL EVENTUALLY HAVE TO ACCOUNT FOR THE ABUSE THAT HAS GONE ON.OF COURSE THE LAW OF THE LAND IS THE LAW THAT MATTERS.
Nobody is saying every priest is an abuser and nobody is being tarred with the same brush. No need to shout.
Francis the difference is that people in the wider community do not cover up for these perverts and provide the pedophiles with new victims, like the church did. How dare you compare people of the wider community with that sick organization. Remember facts do not go away just because people choose to ignore them.
Francis
As my post above would seem to suggest the law of the land is the law that the legislators enable to suit the establishment. In this case the Roman Church.
The change of the law in 1997 has allowed senior members of the Roman Church like Bishop McGee to escape prosecution for the failure to report to the Gardai the vilest of criminals – the sexual abusers of little children! Until 1997 the law was in place to prosecute but it was seen fit by the Fianna Fail Government of the time to have this law changed.
This law certainly mattered to those that wished to evade justice at the behest of our democratically elected Government
@Joe I know plenty of people who covered up for pedophiles and weren’t priests. I know of guards, teachers, mothers, doctors. Should we expel all those groups of people as well?
@John
Does this not make you see that this government and the way politics is done, needs to change now. A lot of laws need to change in this country but the people have no power to do so and the boys in power never will. They only make laws to protect themselves and make themselves richer (and their friends of course).
No it is not only priest that abusing children But at the end if the day it is Bishops and Priests are covering up for the abusers by WITH HOLDING INFORMATION and IT IS OUR CHILDREN WHO ARE AT RISK
SO who should we be protecting????
Their perversions will not be erased by four Hail Mary’s and five Our Father’s. Church leaders should be required to have psychological profiles conducted because there is a pattern of acceptance and support of abuse on par with some of the most heinous criminals in history. Castration should be a prerequisite for priesthood. If they intend to “observe perfect and perpetual continence for the sake of the kingdom of heaven…” they shouldn’t mind, right?
I think it’s a sin to force any man to never have sex for his whole life. The Roman Catholic view on the Bible needs to change if their religion is to stay alive. Why do all organisations make such a divide between it’s leaders and it’s followers. If it wasn’t for the followers the leaders would have power over nothing.
My parents always had a strong belief in god and I’m glad of that because I believe in the story of god and what he was trying to teach us ( who ever he is) but I don’t believe in the Catholic churches teachings, I don’t believe in the way in which they have interpreted and twisted the Bible to suit them.
I agree with most you Said But what good will castration do
Castration only stops a male fathering a child it does not stop the need so “he” will continue to want and need Sex hence abuse continues with all male sexual abusers/rapists
What do you do with female sex offenders in that case? Is there a treatment to stop them abusing children that is the came for males? What about priests who join the priesthood but then leave later or the ones who will never abuse a child? Come to think of it should we extend the same idea of castrating all males who work with children to swimming coach’s, male nurses, teachers, sports coach’s etc? Do we give the same comparable treatment to female nurses, childminders and so on?
@Lillian what I find interesting is the fact that people seem to have no shortage of excuses for the church and the cover ups. Then people try to justify this organization by pointing out the problem of pedophilia in the wider community ,this is of course absolute nonsense and is not as organized and concentrated as it is in the Church.
Joe while I agree with you from the point of view that there was an organized cover up within the Church you also have to accept that there are children at risk in the wider community. While in most cases the offenders work alone there are cases where offenders work together, exchange information and support each other. To focus on one institution alone means that people lose focus on other areas that pose a risk.
Absolutely Brian.
What particularly annoys me is the removal of the common law that made the withholding of information in relation to serious crime an arrestable offence and in itself a crime by the Fianna Fail Government in 1997 put children at further risk throughout the entire community. Instead of shoring up legislation to protect children the Government removed the only provision in our common law that made withholding information (by anyone) a crime.
And while, as you rightly suggest, it would be wrong not to accept that children were at risk in the wider community it can only be assumed that the concern of the Government at the time was to meddle with the law to protect the reputation of the Roman Church in the light of the upcoming reports of enquiries such at the Cloyne report.
The Journal is great it gives people a chance to air their views.
I agree with most of what you say
But castration does not remove the need or want for Sex it stops the male species if fathering children so abusers will still abuse
have your say