CALLS FOR Bishop of Cloyne John Magee to resign in the wake of a damning report on child protection practices in his diocese were rejected yesterday by the Catholic primate, Cardinal Seán Brady.
Speaking to reporters in Killarney, before an address to priests and people of the diocese of Kerry, Cardinal Brady said Bishop Magee had apologised and taken responsibility for what had happened.
“The main concern here is child safeguarding. I have known John Magee for almost 50 years and I have always found him a reliable and dependable person,” the cardinal said. “I know trust has been damaged, but trust can be restored and built up and even earned by genuine steps being taken to address the issues and the concerns of victims.”
Bishop Magee has faced calls for his resignation since the publication last month of an independent report which found his diocese had put children at risk of harm through an “inability” to respond appropriately to abuse allegations.
The report was conducted by the National Board for Safeguarding Children in the Catholic Church in Ireland (NBSC), a body set up by, but independent of the Catholic Church.
It found child protection practices in the Diocese of Cloyne to be “inadequate and in some respects dangerous”.
Cardinal Brady said yesterday that Bishop Magee had indicated his intention to introduce changes. These were being introduced “and strides are being made in his diocese”.
The cardinal’s comments were criticised by Maeve Lewis, chief executive of the group One in Four, which supports people who have experienced sexual abuse.
She said Minister of State for Children Barry Andrews had publicly stated his lack of confidence in the Bishop of Cloyne as patron of Catholic schools in the diocese.
“If the church authorities are refusing to take responsibility, we call on the Minister to step in and ensure that children are protected in Cloyne. We call unequivocally on the Bishop of Cloyne to resign,” she said.
There was no response last night to a query from The Irish Times to Archbishop of Dublin Diarmuid Martin, regarding Cardinal Brady’s comments.
In his address last night, the cardinal said there was “no pastoral issue more critical to the church in Ireland today than to ensure the right attitudes and right procedures are in place to safeguard children”.
He said “recent events also remind us that there is absolutely no room for complacency in this area.”
Cardinal Brady’s comments yesterday mean that three of the four Catholic archbishops in Ireland have now spoken unequivocally in support of Bishop Magee.
In The Irish Times last Friday, Archbishop of Cashel Dermot Clifford, said Bishop Magee had publicly committed himself to implementing best practice in safeguarding children. Archbishop of Tuam Michael Neary said it would not seem unreasonable that Bishop Magee be given the opportunity to address the crucial issues raised.