Forgive ‘mistakes’ of Abuser Priests, Urges Church Group

Irish Examiner
March 8, 2014

http://www.irishexaminer.com/ireland/forgive-mistakes-of-abuser-priests-urges-church-group-261275.html

Priests who abused children should be forgiven for past “mistakes” and allowed return to ministries where they have authority over minors, a Catholic Church group has claimed.

The stance, which has sparked a backlash from abuse survivors who said nothing has been learned from recent scandals, was made by the Association of Catholic Priests after child protection watchdog talks. Speaking after meeting with the National Board for Safeguarding Children in the Catholic Church in Ireland (NBSCCCI) on Wednesday, the association said it is wrong to block priests who have “made a mistake or mistakes in their earlier life” from returning to the altar.

And while the move contradicts basic child protection standards, the group claimed priests who show “no pattern of re-offending” must be given “mercy”.

“Many older priests are excluded because of a mistake or mistakes they made in their earlier life, and where there was no pattern of re-offending. We questioned the justice of this, and the witness from a church, one of whose core teachings is mercy and forgiveness,” wrote the association, which represents 25% of priests.

In the same statement the group’s spokesman, Fr Tony Flannery, suggested audits of child protection standards in dioceses are potentially mistreating priests and bishops — not protecting children from harm.

“The content of the audit can have major impact on the lives of individual priests. We attempted to impress on the [NBSCCCI] the seriousness of their role, and encouraged them to act with compassion.”

Responding to an online backlash, Fr Flannery said he “fully accepts” describing any abuse as a “mistake” was “not the best choice of word in the circumstances”.

The association official said he meant to say that it is “inevitable” for people entering the seminary to “be attracted to teenagers” when they are priests as this is the age where their sexual development ended.

Abuse survivor Marie Collins told the Irish Examiner the clarification is “nothing more than semantics” to hide the “real views” of the Church towards paedophilia allegations.

“Any adult having sexual activity with a minor is committing a crime, it is not a relationship. When I reported my abuse I was told it was so long ago that the priest had no other allegations,” she said.

Ms Collins added that while the Association of Catholic Priests is generally more forward-thinking, the statement sets a dangerous precedent. The NBSCCCI mirrored her concerns.