Abuse Victims Accuse Archbishop of Closing Ranks, Ireland Online, February 19, 2010

Abuse Victims Accuse Archbishop of Closing Ranks

Ireland Online
February 19, 2010

http://breakingnews.iol.ie/news/ireland/abuse-victims-accuse-archbishop-of-closing-ranks-446966.html

Victims of clerical abuse tonight accused Archbishop Diarmuid Martin of closing ranks with senior clergy over the cover-up of paedophile priests.

Victim’s groups claimed the Archbishop was reprimanded in Rome when he came face to face with Pope Benedict XVI for speaking out on behalf of survivors in the past.

Maeve Lewis, of One in Four, said people were disappointed the Pontiff would not be acknowledging senior clergy covered up decades of abuse and that pending bishops’ resignations may not be accepted.

Ms Lewis felt the bishops were closing ranks and keeping their heads down until the abuse scandal moved off the news agenda.

“Diarmuid Martin in the past was at the forefront in providing real leadership in relation to the sexual abuse of children,” she said.

“Today I felt I was speaking to a very different man from the one we met last Saturday before he travelled to Rome.

“We asked him if he had been reprimanded in Rome and he denied that he was.”

The Archbishop said no member of the clergy in Rome challenged the findings of the Murphy report.

“I do not think I am a different person. I follow my conscience and I do not feel different,” he said.

Twenty four of the country’s senior clerics were summoned to Rome to answer questions over the mishandling of sickening child abuse, subsequent investigations and the scandals exposed in the Ryan report into state-run institutions and the Murphy report into cover-ups in the Dublin Archdiocese.

Victims were left furious after Pope Benedict brought the unprecedented two days of talks to a close but did not acknowledge Irish bishops covered up paedophilia among priests.

The Pope also did not formally apologise or mention the resignation of bishops.

Abuse victim Marie Collins felt Archbishop Martin was a defeated man when they met to discuss the Pontiff’s response.

“I just got the feeling Archbishop Martin has been fighting hard as one man and that he may have now been put in to line with the other Bishops and his position has weakened and there’s not much more he can do,” she added.

Andrew Madden, who in 1995 became the first in Ireland to go public with an abuse lawsuit against the church, also said he was hugely disappointed after the meeting with Archbishop Martin.

“I put it to him that he appeared to have had his wings clipped in Rome and that this might go some way to explaining why his fellow Bishops seemed so happy on their return to Ireland,” said Mr Madden.

“Diarmuid Martin preferred the view that it was more likely because they were delighted to have met Pope Benedict as most of them had never met him before.”

Ms Lewis also claimed Archbishop Martin indicated the resignations of Bishop of Kildare and Leighlin, Jim Moriarty, and Auxiliary Bishops of Dublin Eamonn Walsh and Raymond Field, might not be accepted by the Pope.

She also alleged he refused to confirm or deny if he now supported Bishop of Galway Martin Drennan, who has repeatedly faced down calls for his resignation.

“I had a real sense today he had decided he had done what he would and that was the end of it,” said Ms Lewis.

“There is no point in any further dialogue with Diarmuid Martin after today.”

The Archbishop said he was saddened victims felt the response was not what they wanted.

“I respect that and I understand they hurt, but I’m more optimistic in my evaluation,” he said.

“We possibly placed too high expectations on a single moment. This is an ongoing process.”