Bishop Bares Soul on How He Caused Hurt to His Priests, Failed to Understand Abuse Victims and Struggled to Cope with the Murder of Michaela Mcareavey

By Liam Clarke
Belfast Telegraph
November 1, 2013

http://www.bishop-accountability.org/AbuseTrackerArchive/2013/11/#090671

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Bishop Dr John McAreavey has admitted that he has failed many of his priests and that he has not always had the right attitude to the victims of clerical sexual abuse.

Asked if his primary response had been to protect the Church rather than the plight of the victim or survivor of abuse, he said: "There is no question of that. Yes. A number of times in the past year friends of mine have quoted back things to me I have said 10 or 15 years ago that they remember, that I have forgotten.

"It is no pride to me that I have made a long and difficult journey. I just didn't see this whole thing from the perspective of the victims."

Dr McAreavey made his comments in a frank interview with the Irish Catholic magazine conducted by Martin O'Brien, a leading Catholic commentator. It is Dr McAreavey's first public statement since returning from a seven-month sabbatical which took him to the Holy Land, China, Rome and a period of work as a parish priest in Los Angeles. Part of it was spent in solitary prayer in Israel's Negev desert.

"In a sense the whole sabbatical was a time in the desert, away from the usual supports, routines and friendships," he said.