Archbishop Clifford on Cloyne: we must cherish the survivors
The Apostolic Nuncio to Ireland Archbishop Giuseppe Leanza has reaffirmed “the total
commitment of the Holy See for its part in taking all the necessary measures to ensure
the protection of children.”
He was speaking in Dublin following a meeting
with Irish Foreign Minister Eamonn Gilmore during which Archbishop Leanza was presented
with a copy of the Cloyne Report into the handling of allegations of abuse
in the diocese between 1996 and 2008.
Justice Minister Alan Shatter has pledged
to pass a new law making it an imprisonable crime to withhold knowledge of suspected
child abuse.
Archbishop Dermot Clifford of Cashel and Emly, was appointed Apostolic
Administrator of the Diocese of Cloyne following Bishop John Magee’s resignation in
2009. He spoke to Emer McCarthy about the measures now in place and said that the
Church in Ireland needs to learn to cherish the survivors of abuse: “Every diocese
has people out there good, honest people, who are trained and re-trained to and it
would be very hard now for a paedophile to get access to children. That is the reality
now”.
He adds “There is a perception that 19 priest abused children between
1996 and 2008. That is absolutely incorrect. 19 priests abused, it is alleged, back
in the 1960’s, ‘70’s and ‘80’s, but the allegations were made by adult people in the
1996-2008 period. But I am confident because of our current system that goes as far
as is humanly possible to guarantee the safety of children”.
Regarding the
draft legislation currently being discussed by the Irish Government, the Archbishop
notes that “We brought in mandatory reporting in 1996. The confessional was mentioned,
I would want to see the draft before I comment on it. But the argument that state
law supersedes the seal of confession would be a problem to me”.
Repentance,
renewal, healing have become ‘catch phrases’ within the Church in Ireland, but in
order for any real change to take place one of the biggest challenges is eradicating
a culture of concealment and making a leap of faith from words to action.
Archbishop
Clifford notes “we had the Visitation of the diocese of Cashel and Emly recently [mandated
by Pope Benedict XVI in 2010, Toronto's Archbishop Thomas Christopher Collins was
sent to Cashel– ed] with a very moving ceremony organised by the survivors. There
was a proposal yesterday at the press conference. A lot of survivors would like to
confront the people who abused them, in a facilitated fashion, to give them a sense
of closure. That’s going to be pioneered here before the beginning of next year.
And the Eucharistic Congress in 2012. Preparation for that also gives us the perfect
opportunity to make ourselves a more humble church, a church that cherishes victims
and survivors”. Listen: