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	Pressure Grows on Church for Audit of Child Protection By Ralph Riegel and John Cooney Irish Independent December 29, 2008 http://www.independent.ie/national-news/pressure-grows-on-church-for-audit-of-child-protection-1587137.html PRESSURE is mounting on the Catholic Church to concede to a nationwide audit of childcare protection in all Irish dioceses in the wake of the Cloyne controversy as a major protest march gets underway today. Campaigning priest Fr Michael Mernagh will lead the march from Bishop John Magee's seat at St Colman's Cathedral in Cobh, Co Cork, to the Pro Cathedral in Dublin. Fr Mernagh -- who has maintained a three-day Christmas vigil outside St Colman's in protest at what he termed "the inexcusable" Cloyne childcare protection revelations -- warned that it was now time for the Church to "walk the walk rather than talk the talk". Incensed The Augustinian priest -- who had just returned from working with the poor in South Africa -- was so incensed by the Cloyne revelations that he slept in his car for two nights outside St Colman's over Christmas as part of his protest vigil. Bishop Magee has bluntly refused to discuss resignation, or retirement. Senior Church officials admit that they do not expect major developments before the Health Service Executive (HSE) publishes its report into the handling of clerical child abuse allegations in Cloyne. That report will be published by Children's Minister Barry Andrews in early January and it is expected to be at least as critical as the report of the Church watchdog, the National Board for the Safeguarding of Children (NBSC), which initially sparked the controversy. Today, Fr Mernagh will end his vigil outside St Colman's to lead a pilgrimage of atonement to Dublin -- as much a protest march as he demands firm action by the Church to address child protection issues and to ensure such mistakes never occur again. Other members of the clergy are being urged to join the protest march together with abuse victims, lobby groups and lay Church workers. "I felt I just had to do something so I came here to demonstrate over Christmas," Fr Mernagh said. The priest demonstrated with a placard outside St Colman's Cathedral on Christmas Eve. He said he was then asked by diocesan officials to stay outside the cathedral grounds while he handed out prayer leaflets. However, after he maintained a round-the-clock vigil, Fr Mernagh was contacted by a diocesan official and granted a meeting with Bishop Magee. "I told him [Dr Magee] that this isn't just about Cloyne -- it is about the entire Church. I came down here because I think this is the lowest ebb in this whole sad, inexcusable saga," he added. The protest march -- which is expected to take nine days and will be supported by both abuse victims and lobby groups -- aims to arrive at the Pro-Cathedral in Dublin to coincide with the Feast of the Epiphany. The march will operate on the Church theme 'Surcum Corda' or 'lift up your hearts'. However, Dr Magee is hoping that his special Christmas Eve message will defuse the controversy -- though senior Church figures remain deeply worried that the imminent HSE report will merely re-ignite the entire affair. Dr Magee made no reference whatsoever to retiring in his two public statements to date on the controversy and has privately told friends he is determined to personally see through the NBSC recommended reforms. Friends expect him to lead the Easter ceremonies in the diocese next April. However, pressure remains on Dr Magee to consider his position with two senior Irish clerics admitting over Christmas that the Cloyne controversy is now threatening to damage the Church itself. The Archbishop of Dublin, Dr Diarmuid Martin, said Dr Magee should do "what is best for child protection". The Bishop of Killaloe, Dr Willie Walsh, expressed concern that the whole incident was threatening to cause damage to the Church. While he did not go so far as to call on Dr Magee to resign, Dr Walsh did say the Cork cleric would have to consider his situation. The Vatican has, to date, not publicly commented on the controversy, though Church experts stressed that any indication of Dr Magee being asked to travel to Rome for consultations would be hugely significant. Dr Magee is the only man in modern Church history to have served as secretary to three different popes. Two weeks ago he ordered the NBSC report to be published and apologised to all victims.
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