Cardinal Seán Brady says he will not resign over failure to pass on Brendan Smyth abuse claims

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Updated: 16:48, Wednesday, 2 May 2012

Cardinal Seán Brady has said he does not intend to resign following new allegations about a 1975 church inquiry into the activities of paedophile priest Fr Brendan Smyth.

  • Seán Brady was involved in a 1975 inquiry into the activities of Fr Brendan Smyth
    Seán Brady was involved in a 1975 inquiry into the activities of Fr Brendan Smyth

 

Cardinal Seán Brady has said he does not intend to resign following new allegations about a 1975 church inquiry into the activities of paedophile priest Fr Brendan Smyth.

A BBC documentary claimed the failure to pass on details of abuse allegations put the other children at risk.

Speaking to RTÉ News, Cardinal Brady said that the programme misrepresented his role in the case, describing him as an investigator rather than a note-taker.

He also rejected any accusation that he had deliberately refused to take responsibility.

Cardinal Brady said he was “outraged, appalled, and felt betrayed” to find out that this information about Brendan Smyth had not been acted upon.

The new allegations about the secret internal Catholic Church inquiry in 1975 were made in a BBC documentary last night.

Read Cardinal Seán Brady’s full statement here

It emerged two years ago that Cardinal Seán Brady, then a 36-year-old priest teaching at St Patrick’s College in Cavan and a bishop’s part-time secretary, was one of three priests involved in the inquiry.

He was the note-taker who took details of the evidence from 14-year-old Dundalk boy Brendan Boland, who told how Fr Smyth had been abusing him.

Archbishop Brady stated two years ago that after the inquiry was completed he passed on the full details of the evidence to his then bishop, the late Dr Francis McKiernan.

In the documentary, Mr Boland told reporter Darragh MacIntyre that in 1975 he also gave the internal church inquiry details of two other boys, one in Cavan and a second in Belfast, who were at risk from Fr Smyth.

The programme, called ”The Shame of the Catholic Church”, claimed that the abuse allegations were not brought to the attention of the families of those two boys.

The programme tracked down the Belfast boy at the centre of the new allegations.

He claimed that Fr Smyth went on to sexually abuse him for a further year after the internal church inquiry.

The man also told the programme makers that Fr Smyth sexually abused his sister over a seven-year period after the 1975 inquiry, and that the priest was abusing his cousins up to 1988.

When details of Cardinal Brady’s role in the 1975 inquiry became public, he stated that he provided a full report of the claims made to his then bishop.

“I don’t see any reason why he should resign, he what he was asked to do as a young priest … he did precisely what he was asked to do, he made his report,” Bishop Michael Clifford told the Today with Pat Kenny programme this morning.

“We are talking about a different generation. When you were asked to do something by your bishop you did precisely what you were asked to do, and responsibility went to him.”

He said that at the time, Cardinal Brady could not have been expected to have informed parents of reports of abuse that he had been made aware of as part of his role in the investigation.

“I have no doubt that in this issue Seán Brady would not have been expected to have reported to the parents. He was simply doing one job at that particular time on that particular day, and having done that he passed it on to his bishop.

“That is the line of responsibility, it obviously moved up eventually to his superiors and to Brendan Smyth’s superiors.

“Acting as notary, he was not in a position, and could not be seen to have been in a position to contact the parents. That was a responsibility that lay with his superiors.”

Mr MacIntyre said a canon lawyer informed him that Cardinal Brady had responsibilities as an “investigator” in this case.

In a response to the BBC programme, the Catholic Church said that in 1975 “no State or church guidelines for responding to allegations of child abuse existed in Ireland”.

Kenny says Brady should ‘reflect’ on programme

Taoiseach Enda Kenny has said it is a matter for Cardinal Brady himself to reflect on the outcome of last night’s BBC programme.

Speaking in Dublin this afternoon, Mr Kenny said the Government cannot eradicate the tragedies and the horrendous actions that went on in the past, but as head of Government he needed to ensure it doesn’t happen again.

He said that was why the Government appointed a Minster for Children, and had just last week published the heads of the Children First Bill.

Mr Kenny said he had stressed the importance of every organisation dealing with children, including religious organisations, playing their full part in co-operating with Government to set out a system and structure whereby such “horrendous carry-on” can never happen again.

Minister for Justice Alan Shatter has described as ”tragic and disturbing” the cases outlined in last night’s BBC programme.

He said it was for Cardinal Brady to make whatever comment he deems appropriate in the light of the programme.

Minister Shatter said the documentary illustrated that the reforms that the Government is making in that area under the Withholding of Information on Offences Against Children and Vulnerable Persons Bill, which was published last week, will hopefully mean that this type of tragic situation should not arise in the future.

He added that these are another number of shocking allegations in cases where children were very tragically the subject of abuse.

The minister added that if a report had been made to the civil authorities at the time, some of those who were victims of abuse may never have become such victims, while others would have had an intervention that would have ended their abuse earlier.

The One in Four group says survivors will be heartbroken by what was revealed by the programme.

Spokesperson Maeve Lewis said the revelations require an explanation from the cardinal.

Defending Cardinal Brady’s actions at the time of the inquiry, Monsignor Charles Scicluna said: “I think he fulfilled his duty well.”

The Promoter of Justice of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith added that he was sure Cardinal Brady was still a fit person to lead the church in Ireland.

When asked on RTÉ’s Morning Ireland if Cardinal Brady had any questions to answer as a result of the BBC documentary, Monsignor Scicluna said: “I don’t think so, no.”

Meanwhile, Irish clerical abuse survivor Marie Collins has said she believes Cardinal Brady should stand down.

Ms Collins said “a 14-year-old boy knew what was right and wrong” and Cardinal Brady should have acted on the information he had.

“Anyone who was in that room that heard those names and addresses should have done something about it,” said Ms Collins.

She added that Cardinal Brady “should have had a conscience”.

She said he failed to act and “on those grounds, he should not be there any longer”.

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Click here to link to RTE page which has a link to a fairly lengthy videotaped interview with Cardinal Sean Brady (Left-hand column under large picture of Cardinal Brady)

6 Responses to Cardinal Seán Brady says he will not resign over failure to pass on Brendan Smyth abuse claims

  1. Sylvia says:

    *I am unable unfortunately to download the RTE videotaped interview with Cardinal Brady.   Click here for an external link which will take you to the RTE page – the video is on the left-hand column under the  large picture of Cardinal Brady.  Be sure to watch.

  2. Mike says:

         Thanks Sylvia! I have just viewed this videotaped interview. This “interview” , in my opinion only, is the most pathetic and sad attempt at justification that I have EVER heard. This cardinal, this PRINCE of the church is obviously very ill-at-ease during his absolutely LAME attempts to shift the responsibility for this matter to his old bishop 37 years ago. I am sooooooo sad! As I have told you before on occassion, I would really like to rekindle my faith in the church, but this kind of debacle makes it almost impossible.     Mike

  3. MikeMc says:

    “He was the note-taker who took details of the evidence from 14-year-old Dundalk boy Brendan Boland, who told how Fr Smyth had been abusing him.

    Archbishop Brady stated two years ago that after the inquiry was completed he passed on the full details of the evidence to his then bishop, the late Dr Francis McKiernan.

    In the documentary, Mr Boland told reporter Darragh MacIntyre that in 1975 he also gave the internal church inquiry details of two other boys, one in Cavan and a second in Belfast, who were at risk from Fr Smyth.

    The programme, called ”The Shame of the Catholic Church”, claimed that the abuse allegations were not brought to the attention of the families of those two boys.”


    Can you imagine that? The parents were not even informed and the abusing priest was allowed to continue since he was from an order outside the jurisdiction of the Bishop at the time.

    The Church was screwed up then and I believe in light of the role the now Cardinal Brady played then, he should resign today. It would be a good sign to all catholics that this Cardinal sees the errors of his ways…then and now. He knew the horrid abuse that was happening, made his notes, and quickly brushed it under the carpet for someone else to clean up.

    I feel he has probably been “brushing under the carpet” lots of stuff today that he assumes the Pope will deal with. 

  4. Sylvia says:

    *Yes , Cardinal Brady should resign. I am inclined to say that if there is an ounce of goodness and concern for the Church and the victims in the Cardinal, he should resign.

    I found the interview chilling and the very unsettled Cardinal evasive.   I am tired of the new trend for bishops to wash their hands of priests of religious orders who molest  in their, the bishop’s, own backyards.  I am tired of the blame game, passing the buck and the sramble to see who’s going under the wheels of the bus now.  And I truly am fed up with clergy who rationalize and excuse their failures with ‘we didn’t know and we didn’t understand.’  

    Millstones are biblical, are they not? 

    Did Cardinal Brady never ever ever read the words of Our Lord regarding those who scandalize the little ones?  Did he never ever read that Our Lord Himself said such men should have a millstone hung around their necks and they be drowned in the depths of the sea? Christ didn’t suggest they be packed off for treatment, nor did he say they just made teeny weeny mistake.  No.  It was millstones and the sea for those who harm the little ones.  That’s biblical.  Cardinal Brady and Church officials had no need of a legion of “experts” and lawyers to direct them to do the right thing – for the sake of the children, for the love of God and for the good of the Church. 

    Cardinal Brady does no one any favour by digging his heels in.  The fact that Monsignor Scicluna  has rallied to his defence is irrelevant and perhaps even does more harm than good?

    Will they never learn?

    On a another note,  we can’t get the BBC re-run this evening so am grateful that someone brought the downloadable four-parts to my attention so that we can all view and learn. I am in the process of downloading the  documentary now. It will take a little time to get it downloaded and then set to post, but I hopefully will have all four parts posted later in the evening.

    • Gina McIntee says:

      *Well said Sylivia!  My husband made reference to the Millstone in his victim impact statemate…and how true for those that follow the teachings.  In this day and age, one has to wonder if there is enough “Millstones” to go around?!  “We are stronger as a bundle then a twig!
       Gina 🙂

  5. Cyril North says:

    *This story shows how the church in Ireland, as elsewhere, has no true leaders.   Where are the bishops?   Why are they all hiding?    Why is it that when confronted all Brady does is make excuses and then run away?     The so-called leaders are all cowards, and this goes for the head man in the Vatican, who only operates in a sneaky way through faceless bureaucrats, who send out orders to silence those who want to have a voice in the church.

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