IRELAND
Irish Times
Gerry Moriarty
Retired Archbishop of Armagh Cardinal Sean Brady has stated there was a culture of “secrecy and silence” in the Catholic Church which believed issues of child abuse could be managed internally.
Cardinal Brady, who as far back as 1975 heard allegations of sexual abuse against Fr Brendan Smyth, is to give evidence at the Historical Institutional Abuse inquiry in Banbridge, Co Down on Thursday.
The inquiry is this week examining whether the church was guilty of systemic failings in how it dealt with the paedophile priest who faced allegations of sexual abuse relating back to the late 1940s.
Failings that allowed notorious paedophile priest Brendan Smyth (above) to abuse children for four decades will be examined by a public inquiry on Monday Brendan Smyth may have abused more than 200 children
In a statement to the inquiry about the overall issue of sexual abuse, Cardinal Brady said that “sadly at that time there was a culture within the church of secrecy and silence” where “it was felt that matters could be dealt with within the church structures themselves”.
He added: “Further, there was not a proper understanding of the devastating consequences of child abuse.
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