Fr Brian D'Arcy: Vatican Must Take Some Blame for Abuse

Irish Independent
April 28, 2012

http://www.independent.ie/national-news/fr-brian-darcy-vatican-must-take-some-blame-for-abuse-3094972.html

Journalist and broadcaster Fr Brian D'Arcy, who has been living under Vatican censure for the past 14 months, said today that Rome must take some of the blame for the sexual abuse of children by Catholic priests.

In an emotional interview on RTE's Marian Finucane Show this morning, sixty-seven-year-old Fr D'Arcy said that if there is secrecy, and no questioning mind within the Catholic Church, then no child will be protected.

Fr D'Arcy also denied ever questioning the defined doctrine of the Church.

"I have been extraordinarily careful throughout my life to never, ever, ever contradict what is a defined doctrine of faith in the church and never even question it. That's the way I worked. I would be very careful, even to this day, not to talk about that."

He also said that if he had to stop writing about issues such as the sexual abuse of children or homosexuality, he would have to leave the priesthood.

The priest, from Enniskillen, Co Fermanagh, writes a religious column for the Sunday World newspaper, and was censured by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF).

A member of the Passionist Order, he has criticised mandatory celibacy for priests. He has also been a fierce critic of the church's handling of child abuse scandals in Ireland. The disciplinary action means he must submit his writings and broadcasts to an official censor.