Archbishop Clifford Fully Accepts Findings of Cloyne Report, Irish Examiner, December 19, 2011

Archbishop Clifford "Fully Accepts" Findings of Cloyne Report

Irish Examiner
December 19, 2011

http://www.irishexaminer.com/breakingnews/ireland/archbishop-clifford-fully-accepts-findings-of-cloyne-report-532832.html

The Apostolic Administrator of the diocese of Cloyne has expressed his profound sorrow on the publication of the final chapter of the Cloyne Report.

The report concerns allegations surrounding a priest known as 'Fr Ronat', and how these complaints were not dealt with properly from 1995 to 2008 by Cloyne's Bishop Magee, Monsignor Denis O'Callaghan and at least three priests.

Archbishop Dermot Clifford said he fully accepted the finding that the handling of the case illustrates the failure of the Catholic Church to properly deal with allegations of child sex abuse.

In a statement this evening, Archbishop Clifford said Fr Ronat was suspended from all Ministry in the Diocese of Cloyne in November 2005 and has not been allowed to minister to the public since.

He was also instructed not to wear clerical dress or present himself as a priest.

Responding to the publication of the final chapter of the report Children's Minister Frances Fitzgerald said that, yet again, the protection of children was not foremost with the Catholic Church.

"The interests of the institution were put ahead of the interests of the children and families," she said.