Monday, July 18, 2011

Irish Bishop Goes Into Hiding Following Release of Cloyne Report

If there are central villains in the new government report on sexual abuse of children and youths in the Cloyne Diocese of Ireland they are former Bishop John Magee and the Vatican. Magee because he repeatedly failed to report sexual predators and showed no concern about the safety of children and youths. The Vatican because the Catholic Church top Irish bishops the message that they could ignore the requirements of a set of policies and reporting requirements aimed at protecting the vulnerable from sexual abuse. Like the previous reports on sex abuse in Ireland by priest and Catholic clergy, the Cloyne report paints a picture of a moral cesspool that is the Catholic Church hierarchy - including the current occupant of the thrown of St. Peter. It's ugly, but rank and file Catholics worldwide need to face the reality that by their continued financial support of the Church they are helping to maintain the current morally bankrupt power structure. Here are highlights from Ireland's Independent:
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THE retired Bishop of Cloyne, John Magee, who has not been seen since the damning report on his handling of child sex abuse allegations was published, will return to Ireland within weeks, according to his brother. Bishop Magee has reportedly not been seen at his home in Mitchelstown in north Cork for over a month. He is believed to have gone to the US.
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The report revealed a widespread cover-up of abuse within the Cloyne diocese, with the bishop taking little interest in child-abuse allegations, while Monsignor Denis O'Callaghan, who looked after such cases, failed to report suspect priests to gardai.
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Meanwhile, a Facebook campaign has begun to urge the Government to expel the Papal Nuncio, the Vatican's diplomatic representative, over the latest investigation into the Diocese of Cloyne, writes Don Lavery. The page, which has more than 5,000 members, urges expelling the Nuncio over the report's findings.
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The campaign says: " If we are to take the reports' findings seriously, we must expel the Papal Nuncio Archbishop Giuseppe Leanza." Followers are urged to write to ministers and TDs saying: "A message must be sent in the clearest of ways. The Papal Nuncio past and present made deliberate decisions to stonewall our country's efforts to find the truth about child sex abuse by the Catholic Church and to prevent its recurrence.
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"He did so in his official capacity as the ambassador of a foreign state, the Vatican. The Irish State must now expel the Papal Nuncio."

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