BishopAccountability.org
 
  Church Plan for Abuse Aftermath
Priests Call for More Openness in New Report

By Clare Weir
Belfast Telegraph [Northern Ireland]
April 18, 2005

Priests in Londonderry have spoken of the need to heal "fractured relationships" in the wake of a recent sex scandal in the diocese.

Clergymen have expressed "relief" at the end of a marathon round of meetings sparked by the case of Father Andrew McCloskey.

It emerged earlier this year that the Dungiven-based curate paid a ?19,000 out of court settlement to a man who claims he made a sexual advance on him when he was 18.

The man had gone to Fr McCloskey for help with his own history of sexual abuse.

Fr McCloskey had been allowed to become a sex abuse counsellor despite two serious sexual allegations against him. It then emerged that since November 2004 around three percent of parish income - about ?200,000 - was being contributed into what was described as "the Stewardship Trust".

The fund was set up in 1996 to cover compensation, counselling and legal costs of clerical child sex abuse cases and the costs of the Irish Bishop's Conference Child Protection Office.

Over ?8m was pumped in from 1996 to 1999 by the church's insurance brokers.

Since the cash began to dwindle, parishioners in every diocese in Ireland now foot part of the bill with church collections and donations. Bishop Seamus Hegarty was forced to apologise after parishioners and priests demanded to know why they weren't consulted.

Yesterday, priests emerging from a gathering at the Termonbacca retreat centre said they are now to present the bishop with their findings after an exhaustive series of meetings.

Although they said they couldn't comment on specific recommendations, the clergymen hinted at major changes in dialogue between bishops and priests.

Father Oliver Crilly said that meetings were held all through Easter Week and Holy Week.

"We have been working on a report and now that will be carried forward," he said.

"We have talked about consultation and being open with the laity. A lot of what we have spoken about concerns the phrase 'healing fractured relationships'."

Two committees, including the previously defunct 'Ministry of Priests' have been working on the recommendations.

"We are looking at the overall priest-bishop relationship and, like a family would, at the way we can improve this relationship," said Fr Crilly.

He added that to pass any comment on the Stewardship Fund would "short circuit" their behind the scenes work, and said that all aspects of the recent case had been touched on in a "very good discussion".

"We are confident that the fractured relationships can be healed," he said.

"We do not as yet have a timeframe as it is very hard to guess how long it may take for these recommendations to be considered and put in place."