JOSEPH CASSIDY,
Sir, - Your edition of May 25th reported that six senior seminarians of St Patrick's College, Maynooth, were so concerned about the sexual harassment of junior seminarians at the college by a senior clerical academic that they contacted nine bishops about the matter in 1983 and 1984. The report went on to name the nine bishops. We are four of the bishops named and accused of ignoring this allegation.
We can categorically state that such an allegation was never made to any of us at any time. On one occasion in the 1980s, some Maynooth seminarians did meet us individually and expressed concern about what they considered as the extravagant lifestyle of one member of the academic staff. However, there was never any allegation of sexual harassment of junior seminarians. None of the other bishops named, some of whom are now deceased, ever mentioned such an allegation to any of us.
We fail to understand how such a serious and damaging accusation can be made in a national newspaper without any prior reference to the persons accused. We therefore feel obliged to correct the false impression created by this article. - Yours, etc.,
Cardinal CAHAL B. DALY, Archbishop Emeritus of Armagh;
Archbishop JOSEPH CASSIDY, Archbishop Emeritus of Tuam;
Bishop EDWARD DALY, Bishop Emeritus of Derry;
Bishop COLM O'REILLY, Bishop of Ardagh and Clonmacnois.