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'I have no words' says victim of paedophile priest
By Helen Kreft
The victim of a paedophile priest who was abused as an altar boy in Burton has told how sitting through public inquiry into the Catholic church's handling of such cases has brought his nightmare ordeal flooding back. Eamonn Flanagan, who has agreed to reveal his identity, said he had 'no words' after sitting through the hearing which he watched via a live feed from his home in Australia, and that he had been left in shock remembering the abuse he suffered as a young boy in the town in the 1970s at the hands of Father Samuel Penney. Penney was the priest at St Mary and St Modwen Church in Guild Street at the time and was later jailed for seven and a half years in 1993 after admitting 10 offences of indecent assault against children, including assaulting Mr Flanagan. Mr Flanagan, now aged 55, said he was left speechless by some of the evidence, particularly the revelation that one Catholic church worker who wrote a report 25 years ago describing Mr Flanagan as a “willing participant” in the abuse, despite him being aged just 11 at the time. He says he was left fuming that the author social worker Jane Jones, was later given a safeguarding co-ordinator role within the church, the inquiry was told. She gave evidence to the inquiry and was quizzed on the report she wrote, saying it was written in the 1990s and she now no longer held those views. Ms Jones' report had described Father Penney as a 'victim' and families of abused youngsters as 'dysfunctional'. Mr Flanagan spoke to Burton Live after the conclusion of the hearing, which was held in London, probing alleged failings of the Archdiocese of Birmingham to protect young people from sexual abuse within the Catholic Church. It looked into the cases of several paedophile priests, including Penney. Mr Flanagan was abused by Penney over 10 years after joining St Mary and St Modwen Church as an alter boy in the 1970s. He emigrated to Australia in the 1990s and said he feels the church 'simply denied the abuse happened' and instead blamed the parents. He told Burton Live: “This has been a really tough inquiry for me to sit through. I'm a bit shocked at how much it has hurt after all these years. “Jane Jones wrote about me and my family saying 'sex can be warm and comforting, that Father Penney is the first victim, the[Mr Flanagan's] family were clearly dysfunctional, he claims the abuse went on for ten years, [Mr Flangan] was a willing participant.' “And after writing such a report she was eventually employed in the role full-time - I have no words." The inquiry also heard from another of Penney’s victims and the victim’s mother who said she had reported his behaviour to the church, only for Penney to be moved to another parish. Penney was also set to be given money by a Catholic priest to flee the country before he could be arrested but the church backed down, the inquiry was told. The inquiry also heard he was still paid an allowance for a period of time by the Catholic Church following his release from prison in 1997. The week-long hearing was conducted by the Independent Inquiry Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA) and heard from top Catholics, including former archbishop of the Diocese of Birmingham, now Cardinal Vincent Nichols, as well as safeguarding partners and victims of three paedophile priests, including Penney. The inquiry panel is due to publish its findings in the summer. In closing statements issued by barristers acting on behalf of the victims it was claimed that “that there is not yet a culture in which it feels safe to criticise, or even discuss, safeguarding in the church". Iain O’Donnell, one of the barristers acting on behalf of the victims, recommended that the Church needed external enforced mandatory reporting following written evidence given by Father Gerald Doyle who claims he was told by the then Vicar General to take money to Penney and tell him to flee the country before he could be arrested. It was revealed at the inquiry that Mr Flanagan had pursued a civil claim against the Church but pulled out due to spiralling legal costs. He added: "I feel I was abused by Penney for ten years, the abuse by the Birmingham Diocese continues to this day. “It is hard to understand how the Catholic church moves forward. They are locked into Canon Law and structures including celibate male priests, which gives me no confidence in the future of the church. “This generation of clergy has done more harm to the credibility of their own priesthood and church than anyone could imagine possible. And they still don't care enough, or have the vision, to make the changes required. “Any business faced with these allegations would have to change their operational methods, and quickly, or face huge continuing losses, perhaps bankruptcy. And yet the church has done little, if anything, to give the community confidence that it can be trusted. “Can any Catholic be proud of their church in any country in the world today? Already as a result of the inquiry, the Catholic church's National Catholic Safeguarding Commission said it would consider safeguarding infrastructure and organisation, the alignment of dioceses and religious congregations, accountability and training as well as initiating a further past cases review. It said it would look at not only the impact of abuse on children, but the way the church treated perpetrators, the way it treated victims, and the way it treats the community. The current Archbishop of Birmingham Bernard Longley told Burton Live: "The Archdiocese of Birmingham co-operated fully with the recent IICSA Inquiry. We now await its report and recommendations. "The most important part of that inquiry was when victims and survivors of child sex abuse, including Mr Flanagan, were listened to in person or through their statements and legal representatives. "I acknowledge their courage and the painful additional burden this must have caused them. I also acknowledge and respect Mr Flanagan’s comments in the article which also formed part of the IICSA hearing. "At the IICSA hearing I offered my apology to all who have suffered child abuse within the Archdiocese of Birmingham. I also apologised to all who have been let down by the manner in which the Archdiocese failed to respond to their needs. "In making these apologies I recognise that such general words can only be a start. Respecting the consent of individual victims and survivors and their families I wish to meet with them individually to listen to them. "They are owed an explanation, a personal, individual apology and where appropriate a review of the responses we have made in the past. That work has already begun and will continue on an individual by individual basis. " Anyone affected by safeguarding issues can contact the Archdiocese of Birmingham Safeguarding Office on 0121 230 6240. Alternatively, they may prefer to contact the National Association for People Abused in Childhood (NAPAC) on 0808 801 0331 or the IICSA Truth Project on 0800 917 1000
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