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	No Words Can Help the Abuse Victims Says Singing Priest By Lorna Nolan Herald June 6, 2009 http://www.herald.ie/national-news/no-words-can-help-the-abuse-victims-says-singing-priest-1764051.html SHOCK: Trio speaks out for first time FATHER Eugene O'Hagan, of Irish group The Priests, today spoke for the first time of the shock he and his colleagues felt after the Ryan Report was published last month The singer said he and his brother, Father Martin, and their school friend Father David Delargy, who are all Roman Catholic priests and make up the band, now face an enormous challenge to try to bring some healing to the victims. Their aim, he claimed, was to offer some peace to those who suffered abuse at the hands of the clergy, through their music. scandalous Father O'Hagan said he and his fellow parishioners and priests would do their utmost to ensure such scandalous abuse highlighted in the Commission of Inquiry into Child Abuse report was never repeated. According to the Armagh priest: "I think it impacted on every single person on the island of Ireland, North, West, South and East. "It's certainly impacted on everyone religious, especially on those congregations where there were cases reported and, of course, there are no words to express the impact it has had on all of the victims. "It has come as a shock to everyone and we cannot underplay the affect of the abuse. "No one can be exonerated for this, no matter what form of abuse, whether it was physical, mental, sexual or otherwise." Father O'Hagan is Administrator of the Parish of Ballyclare and Ballygowan, with two churches: The Church of The Sacred Heart and the Church of The Holy Family. He told the Herald today that he and the other members of The Priests hope to use their public profile to try to start the recovery process. He said: "The reality is it is a huge issue for all priests and our only hope is that, as priests with a higher profile than most, we might be able to reach out to those who have suffered and maybe make the darker realities a little easier to survive. acclaim "We hope our music will reach their hearts and if we can do that then that's one small contribution we can make." The trio of performers first appeared on the scene last autumn after being discovered by Sony BMG talent scouts and have enjoyed world-wide acclaim since. Their self-titled debut album was released in more than 40 countries across the globe and sold more than a million copies worldwide in just seven weeks, going five-times platinum right here in Ireland. The Priests will perform live at Dublin's O2 on June 22 in a concert sponsored by Aiken Promotions, and tickets are already selling out fast. Contact: lnolan@herald.ie
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