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	Bishop Refuses to Resign over Handling of Abuse Case Irish Independent April 23, 2006 http://www.unison.ie/irish_independent/stories.php3?ca=9&si=1601152&issue_id=13943 THE Bishop of Limerick has denied there was a cover-up in the case of abuse victim Peter McCloskey - who committed suicide after being involved in mediation with the diocese. Dr Donal Murray defended his handling of the controversial case and gave no indication that he was going to resign. Earlier this week Mr McCloskey's mother and his family demanded that Bishop Murray should step down after his handling of the case. But last night the bishop said in a statement that Mr McCloskey was always explicitly assured that he was believed. Dr Murray said that at Mr McCloskey's first personal approach to the diocese, a counsellor was arranged for him on that day. "Over the following years the diocese continued to support Peter through counselling and art therapy and helped with his accommodation expenses for a short while," the bishop added. Dr Murray said that he and the then diocesan secretary, Father Mullins, met Peter on many subsequent occasions and his requests for a meeting were always quickly facilitated. He added that the diocese made arrangements for Peter to undertake a three-month course of residential therapy when he expressed a wish for it. Bishop Murray stressed that he would never have denied the existence of information which had come to light. Mr McCloskey took his own life on April 1, just two days after he had walked out of mediation talks taking place with diocesan representatives. Peter, a mature student at Mary Immaculate College in Limerick, made allegations in 2002 that he was sexually abused when he was an altar boy in 1980/81 by Fr Denis Daly, who died in 1987. In a response last night, Colm O'Gorman of the One in Four Group said that Dr Murray had said that Peter had been repeatedly assured that he was believed in meetings with the diocese. But Mr O'Gorman said that was never Peter's experience and he had repeatedly indicated that was not his experience.
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