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	Cardinal: Magee Should Not Resign The Head of the Catholic Church Has Said Beleaguered Bishop John Magee Should Not Resign Despite the Mishandling of Allegations of Child Sex Abuse in His Cloyne Diocese. By Donal Hickey and Jennifer Hough Irish Examiner January 13, 2009 http://www.examiner.ie/irishexaminer/pages/story.aspx-qqqg=ireland-qqqm=ireland-qqqa=ireland-qqqid=81908-qqqx=1.asp In a move seen by many as an attempt to draw a line under the controversy which has rocked the Church, Cardinal Sean Brady publicly backed Bishop Magee saying he "should stay in place and be held accountable". Despite numerous calls for his resignation, a damning report from the National Board for Safeguarding Children (NBSC) which found the Cork-based bishop, by his inaction, had put children in danger and accusations that he lied to a separate HSE probe, Dr Magee has refused to quit. Cardinal Brady said Bishop Magee had apologised, had taken responsibility for what had happened and was introducing changes. "The main concern here is the safeguarding of children. I have known John Magee for almost 50 years and I have always found him a reliable and dependable person. "I know trust has been damaged, but trust can be restored and built up and even earned by genuine steps being taken to address the issues and the concerns of victims. The whole issue has raised important considerations which must be addressed and I think they are being addressed," he said. The cardinal said he could understand how people would make calls for Bishop Magee's resignation, as people were very angry and the concerns of victims had to be heeded. "However, on reflection, I think he should not resign," he said. The cardinal said Bishop Magee had begun to address the serious issues raised and it also took a lot of courage for him to publish the NBSC report. The cardinal said the bishop had learnt a very painful lesson and would do everything in his power to ensure the same terrible thing did not happen again. Maeve Lewis, director of One in Four, a support group for victims of sexual abuse, said the agency "disagreed profoundly" with Cardinal Brady's pledge of support for Bishop Magee. "It shows just how little the Church understands the devastating effects of sexual abuse," Ms Lewis said. "This calls all the other dioceses into question." While acknowledging that sections of the Church had come out against Dr Magee, she said: "What Cardinal Brady has said is quite unequivocal and again as usual the victims voices are being ignored in all of this." In a public lecture in Killarney last night, Cardinal Brady said: "If it was not for the quiet fidelity of thousands of priests and religious in the last few years, the impact of the scandals would have been even more damaging than they have been."
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