IRELAND
Irish Independent
THE former Archbishop of Dublin, Cardinal Desmond Connell, has acknowledged that his retirement helped the Church in Ireland because he had become the main "lightning rod" for public anger over the clerical sex abuse issue.
The cardinal said he regretted more was not done to help the victims of abuse, but stated that not all convicted abusers should be removed from the priesthood because this might not always be the best way to protect children.
Cardinal Connell was giving his first interview since his retirement in April after 16 years at the helm of the country's biggest diocese.
His time in office coincided with the eruption of public outrage over clerical sex abuse cases and the response of Church leaders to those cases.
He stressed that he did not retire because of the scandals, saying he had reached the age of retirement in any case, but he acknowledged: "My retirement was helpful. Rightly or wrongly, I became nationally the object of anger."
Posted by kshaw at December 18, 2004 06:47 AM