Cardinal in Deal with Abuse Victim, Belfast Telegraph, November 30, 2011

Cardinal in Deal with Abuse Victim

Belfast Telegraph
November 30, 2011

http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/local-national/republic-of-ireland/cardinal-in-deal-with-abuse-victim-16084562.html

Cardinal Sean Brady has made a settlement wth a man who was abused by paedophile priest Fr Brendan Smyth

Cardinal Sean Brady has offered to apologise in person to the victim of a notorious paedophile after he made an undisclosed out-of-court settlement.

The head of the Catholic Church in Ireland was sued by Brendan Boland, one of two teenagers he swore to secrecy in 1975 following his investigation into their allegations of abuse by Father Brendan Smyth.

The 50-year-old from Co Louth launched the case against Cardinal Brady and Smyth's Norbertine Order 14 years ago.

The settlement was finally agreed shortly before a date for a hearing was due to be fixed at the High Court in Dublin.

Mr Justice John Quirke struck out the case.

While the settlement is not confidential, Mr Boland - who was not in court - has decided not to disclose the amount.

In a statement, the Catholic Church said it was agreed between Mr Boland and the Archdiocese of Armagh on the basis the abuse occurred in the archdiocese.

The victim was 12 when he started suffering two years of sexual abuse by Smyth in 1973.

He said that after confiding in a young priest, he was interrogated by three clerics - including a then Fr Brady - conducting an Ecclesiastical Court, and had to swear on oath that he would not talk about the interview with anyone but an authorised priest.

"My parents, who were good God-fearing people, and I were assured that Fr Brendan Smyth would not be allowed to associate with young boys and girls and that there would be no recurrence of the abuse which I and other victims had suffered," he said.