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	Bishops That Failed to Act By Cardinal Desmond Connell Sunday Independent December 6, 2009 http://www.independent.ie/opinion/analysis/bishops-that-failed-to-act-1965787.html IRELAND--He was "slow to recognise" the seriousness of clerical sex abuse and relied too heavily on the advice of lawyers and doctors. On learning of a complaint against Fr Ivan Payne, he allowed the priest to remain in ministry. He appointed another child abuser, Fr James McNamee, as chaplain to a convent in Delgany, Co Wicklow but never disclosed his past to the nuns. He appointed Fr Noel Reynolds chaplain at the National Rehabilitation Hospital despite complaints of child abuse. He handled the investigation of Fr Edmondus, who abused Marie Collins, "badly": he didn't investigate complaints properly and although he "allegedly" moved him from the parish, Fr Edmondus "was allowed to wear clerical garb and attend parish functions". Cardinal Connell told the commission it was "not his fault that Fr Edmondus did not obey instructions". Generally widely praised. He asked Fr Horatio to step down from ministry in 2005, after a woman complained that he abused her. However, the commission was "concerned" that a statement drafted by the archdiocese to be read at Mass tried to "minimise the seriousness of the allegations". At Fr Horatio's request, the archdiocese changed the wording from "child sexual abuse" to "sexual abuse of a minor". The report noted: "The allegation was of child sexual abuse -- the girl was 16 when the sexual activity began." Auxiliary Bishops: He handled allegations of child sexual abuse particularly badly. He gave Fr Vidal a reference that concealed a past history that included a "relationship" with a teenage girl. His mishandling of the first complaint against Fr Payne resulted in other children being abused. He was one of several auxiliary bishops who decided at a meeting in 1988 to let another suspected paedophile, Fr X, return to America, effectively setting him loose on "the unsuspecting population of Stockton, California". One of three auxiliary bishops who was singled out for handling complaints badly, along with Bishop O'Mahony and Bishop James Kavanagh, who is now dead. He is strongly criticised for failing to deal properly with complaints from parishioners about Fr Thomas Naughton. When evidence of abuse emerged in another parish a short time later, his failure to re-investigate the earlier complaint was "inexcusable". The bishop was found to share responsibility with Cardinal Connell for not telling nuns in Wicklow, where Fr McNamee was chaplain, of the complaints that surfaced in 1990. He was "the only bishop to unequivocally admit that he may not have handled matters satisfactorily." He dithered over the case of paedophile priest, Fr Cicero, after old complaints were reviewed. He allowed him to continue working at a marriage tribunal and delayed sending him for treatment for two years. When Bishop Forristal received a complaint of child abuse about Fr Hugo in 1981, the complaint was never followed up by the archdiocese and the priest remained in his parish for three years. He is criticised for failing to fully brief a parish priest about complaints of abuse against Fr Benito, after he was moved to a new parish in 2003. The Murphy report found that Bishop Field was not specific or complete enough in the information he gave the parish priest. In other cases, Bishop Field was himself said to have been kept in the dark by others about the true nature of complaints against suspect priests. The report says he was aware of serious allegations of child sexual abuse. While auxiliary bishop in Dublin, he was involved in making arrangements for Fr X and for Fr Harry Moore to be treated for paedophilia. While Bishop Comiskey is not singled out for particular criticism, the Murphy report found the overall handling of the Fr X case to encapsulate "everything that was wrong with the archdiocese's handling of child sex abuse cases". In 2002, Bishop Martin Drennan heard reports that Fr Guido was photographing teenage rugby players, drinking and exchanging phone numbers with them. He recommended treatment for Fr Guido, who admitted he was gay. Bishop Drennan and the archdiocese were found to have acted correctly in this case. In 1993 a priest told Bishop Moriarty that Fr Edmondus had inappropriate conduct with children. Bishop Moriarty told Archbishop Connell and gave Fr Edmondus a warning. The report noted that Bishop Moriarty did not check the archives for other complaints against the priest. Bishop Moriarty pointed out to the commission that he did not have access to the archives at the time. He dealt with Fr Septimus and Fr Sergius as auxiliary bishop from the mid-1990s. Bishop O'Ceallaigh was not singled out for criticism but the Murphy report was critical of the overall handling of both cases by the archdiocese. Archbishop Connell asked Bishop Walsh to speak to Fr Dante about "concerns" raised by an altar boy in 1995; boys had to sit on his knee, were not allowed to wear underwear on a trip to France, had to sleep naked and were smacked on the bottom in punishment. Initially, Bishop Walsh concluded that Fr Dante's behaviour could be seen as "inappropriate behaviour rather than child sexual abuse". After further probing by another priest shortly afterwards, Fr Dante went for treatment. The commission found that the case was handled appropriately.
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