BishopAccountability.org
 
 

Adams Must Face Same Fate As Bishops for Abuse Failures

By David Quinn
Irish Independent
October 11, 2013

http://www.independent.ie/opinion/columnists/david-quinn/adams-must-face-same-fate-as-bishops-for-abuse-failures-29651586.html

If a bishop ought to resign for failing to pass on information about child abusers to police, then what about major public figures such as Gerry Adams?

Four bishops have resigned over child protection failings in the last few years, namely Brendan Comiskey, Donal Murray, Jim Moriarty and John Magee.

In the case of Jim Moriarty and Donal Murray, they were not even in charge of child protection policy at the time the failures took place. They were assistant (that is, 'auxiliary') bishops in the archdiocese of Dublin.

Jim Moriarty resigned because he came to the view that he had failed to challenge a miserably deficient child protection system.

When it was revealed again last year that Cardinal Sean Brady, when he was still Fr Brady back in the 1970s, had not passed on serious child sex abuse allegations against Fr Brendan Smyth to the police, there was huge pressure on him to resign. He left the matter to his then bishop instead.

Among those applying the pressure was none other than Martin McGuinness, Gerry Adams' long-time partner-in-arms.

McGuinness told Cardinal Brady to reflect "on the wisdom" of his decision to stay on as head of the Catholic Church in Ireland.

He stated: "I think that many Catholics, of which I am one, Catholic priests among whom I have many good friends and the public in general will be dismayed at these new allegations."

In stronger terms, he added: "Here we had an habitual child rapist, Fr Brendan Smyth, who was allowed free rein within the Catholic Church and within the community to destroy the lives of children."

This is absolutely true. But Liam Adams was also a child rapist allowed free rein in society for years after allegations about him became known to Gerry Adams.

It was in 1987 that Gerry Adams was informed that his brother, Liam, had sexually abused his own (that is Liam's) daughter.

Adams only went to the police with this information in 2009. If there is a moral obligation on church leaders to go to the police with information about child abuse, then there has to be a moral obligation on political leaders as well.

This is probably especially so when the allegations are made about someone close to them. Why? Because that is when they will be most tempted to keep the allegations to themselves and handle it in-house, if at all.

 

 

 

 

 




.

 
 

Any original material on these pages is copyright © BishopAccountability.org 2004. Reproduce freely with attribution.