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	They Killed My Son By Aine Bonner One in Four [Ireland] April 18, 2006 http://www.oneinfour.org/news/news2006/eyki/ Mother blames Church for death of abuse victim Devastated mum Mary McCloskey is blaming Church authorities for the death of her clerical abuse victim son. Peter McCloskey (37) took his own life two days after mediation talks with the Diocese of Limerick broke down. Peter would be alive if it wasn't for them: Mum slams church over abused son who took his own life The devastated mum of a clerical abuse victim who ended his own life three weeks ago has called on the Bishop of Limerick to resign. Mary McCloskey claimed last night that her son Peter would still be alive if another cleric had been dealing with his case. "I believe the actions of the Limerick Diocese are directly responsible for Peter's death," she said. "I ask that Bishop Donal Murray now examine his conscience. He failed to show proper Christian love or even basic humanity to my son. "I believe if he examines his conscience with real honesty he will realise that he must step down from his position." However the estranged wife of 37-year-old Peter, Cathy McCloskey, told The Star last night that she had not been told that Mary McCloskey and Peter's brother Joseph would be speaking to the press. She said: "I'm just devastated that the children aren't allowed to grieve their dad. "Why all this had to come out now I don't know." She and Peter had three daughters aged 13, 11 and 10. Yesterday, Bishop Murray released a statement saying Peter's death was "deeply upsetting for all who knew him" and that he invited abuse victims to contact the diocese. But Mary McCloskey last night urged people not to go to Bishop Murray for help – because her son went to him and now he is dead. Peter had battled for years to expose the truth about the evil priest who abused him. But sick Denis Daly from Killaloe, Co Clare died in 1987 – eight years after subjecting the then 10-year-old Peter to horrific abuse while he was an altar boy at Caherdavin Parish in Co Limerick. The abusing priest, who was often moved between parishes, was never brought to justice and now tragic Peter will never see the truth emerge as he took his own life on April 1. Fed up being stonewalled by the bishop and devastated by the breakdown of mediation into his case, Peter ended it all after years fighting for justice. Colm O'Gorman of victim support group One in Four said yesterday: "What drove Peter more than anything else was to have the truth acknowledged. "He believed that he'd been repeatedly disbelieved and called a liar in relation to his experiences with abuse. He found that very damaging." Peter had suffered in silence until he finally told his family about the abuse in 2002. And his brother Joseph believes a breakdown in the mediation process earlier this month was the final straw for his sibling – who took his own life two days later. "I think something very delicate, something very fine had been crushed in his mind that day," Joseph said last night. According to O'Gorman, the Diocese of Limerick sought an extra level of confidentiality in Peter's case "that went above and beyond the normal level." Bishop Murray told Prime Time last Sunday that he did not withhold information about Fr Daly from Peter McCloskey. But Peter's family and One in Four both claim that this statement was untrue. And last night Mary McCloskey was determined to find justice for her son. "As a mother, I am responsible for failing to protect my son from the most evil crime that can be perpetrated upon a child. "I believed my little boy was safe from all harm while in the Church. The Church, which my family believed in so strongly, has betrayed by trust and violated my innocent child."
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