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	Was Cloyne the Weakest Link? - Andrew O'connell Irish Catholic July 20, 2011 http://www.irishcatholic.ie/site/content/was-cloyne-weakest-link-andrew-oconnell 'Roman Catholic Church downgraded to junk status tonight.'' That comment on Twitter pretty much summed up the Church's credibility rating in the minds of many people on the night of the publication of the Cloyne Report. It's not difficult to see how they would come to that conclusion. The language used in the Commission's report says it all: haphazard, sloppy, inadequate, inappropriate, uncommitted, ineffective, astonishing, quite extraordinary, cannot understand, inertia, remarkable. Marie Collins' response was damning too: ''I don't believe them (the bishops). I won't believe them. Why should I?'' A chain is only as strong as its weakest link and so, as a result, not just one diocese but the Catholic Church as a whole was held accountable for the stunning failures outlined in the report. That partly explains the anger among many within the Church at the findings of this particular report. Naturally, there is the anger that victims of abuse were not afforded the supports which were proposed in the Framework Document, and fury that children were endangered by incompetent case management strategies. However, there is significant anger too that the rest of the Church has been let down badly by this. The huge efforts put into strengthening child protection in the Church over the past 16 years have been washed away, at least in terms of public perception, by the events in Cloyne. As Archbishop Clifford noted, some 800 lay people have been involved in child protection in Cloyne diocese but we'll never hear that reported. The weakest link determines the strength of the chain. The auditing work of the National Board is critically important now as it moves to identify any other weak links. We need to find those weak links. We're going nowhere until we do. Candidates for priesthood The Cloyne Report throws up disturbing information on the unsuitability of some men for ordination. For instance, in November 1978 a candidate for the priesthood received a psychiatric assessment which stated that ''he seems motivated towards the priesthood for the wrong reasons''. He appeared in the 97th percentile on the psychosis scale. He also had a 'highish' score on a scale of general maladjustment. There were also clear indications of ''deep sexual repression''. The psychologist concluded that his interest and motivation towards the priesthood appeared to be essentially ''escapist and inspired to some extent by prestige or status''. Yet, that man was ordained a priest. Spiked The allegations outlined in the report indicate that he has left a trail of destruction. He is alleged to have given spiked alcoholic drinks to young men, to have offered whiskey to a 15-year-old, to have been found in bed with a 16-year-old, and his encounter with another two young men meant that they would ''never step inside the door of a church again''. Twenty one years later, the Granada Institute reported that ''he displayed a constellation of emotional and personal characteristics which had been found in people who seek to satisfy their unacceptable sexual needs in surreptitious ways''. It is worth an inquiry in itself to find out how this man could possibly have been accepted for seminary. Even trusting in a strong formation process, it is difficult in the extreme to see how he was ever going to be suitable for priesthood. It is telling that a carnival worker describes him as ''a wrong one''. How could it be that a carnival worker was better able to assess the suitability of this man for priesthood than the Church? Vatican and civil law In March this year the Vatican issued advice to episcopal Conferences around the world about how to deal with sexual abuse. In light of recent comments about the Vatican's position on reporting to civil authorities, it's worth quoting it in its entirety. ''Sexual abuse of minors is not just a canonical delict but also a crime prosecuted by civil law. Although relations with civil authority will differ in various countries, nevertheless it is important to cooperate with such authority within their responsibilities. Specifically, without prejudice to the sacramental internal forum, the prescriptions of civil law regarding the reporting of such crimes to the designated authority should always be followed. ''This collaboration, moreover, not only concerns cases of abuse committed by clerics, but also those cases which involve religious or lay persons who function in ecclesiastical structures.'' The message is clear - following canon law is not a substitute for civil law.
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