BBC News
March 17, 2010
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/northern_ireland/8572622.stm
IRELAND -- Clerical abuse victims have criticised the Irish Catholic primate after he apologised for his role in mishandling the case of a serial child abuser.
As a priest in 1975 Cardinal Sean Brady was at meetings where children signed vows of silence over complaints against paedophile priest Fr Brendan Smyth.
He said on Wednesday it was now a time for "deep prayer and much reflection".
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| Cardinal Sean Brady apologised at mass in Armagh on 17 March |
Andrew Madden, who went public with an abuse lawsuit against the church in 1995, said the remarks were "nonsense".
"The notion of careful reflection is nonsense - he's had 35 years to reflect on what he did then," Mr Madden said.
"If the Catholic Church in Ireland is to be led by a man who accurately reflects it in its current state, then maybe it's only right and fitting that it should be led by a man who has covered up the sexual abuse of children by a priest.
"He's either going to go or he's not going to go and if he doesn't, the Catholic Church can't pretend to be serious in any way about the issue of child protection and about reaching out to people who have been abused."
Abuse survivor and campaigner Christine Buckley said Cardinal Brady should "do the honourable thing and resign".
"The apology, while it's welcome, isn't enough at this stage," she said.
"He's head of the Catholic Church in Ireland and he's shown no leadership in this regard because he knew about this for 35 years."
Commenting on Pope Benedict XVI's pastoral letter dealing with paedophilia in Ireland, which is due to be signed on Friday, she said: "The naivety here is that they think a letter is going to solve the issues.
"I'm not remotely interested in the Pope's letter."
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