Bid to Dismiss Cardinal Brady, Bishop of Kilmore Lawsuit

By By Shane Harrison
BBC News
January 29, 2014

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-25942533

Cardinal Brady is being sued for his role as secretary to the Bishop of Kilmore

A court is hearing an application by a Catholic bishop to dismiss an attempt by Belfast siblings to sue him and Cardinal Sean Brady over sex abuse.

Brother and sister Mario and Maria Cafolla, from west Belfast, were abused by paedophile Fr Brendan Smyth.

Lawyers for Dr Leo O'Reilly, the Bishop of Kilmore, said the case should not go ahead due to a previous full and final settlement for all claims in the case.

They are suing Dr O'Reilly over the alleged failures of his predecessor.

They allege that the previous bishop, Francis McKiernan, was negligent for failing to take any adequate steps to ensure Smyth did not continue to perpetrate sexual assaults on them in the 1970s and 1980s.

Cardinal Brady, the primate of all-Ireland, is being sued in his personal capacity over his role as part-time secretary to Bishop McKiernan in 1975 during the investigation of complaints about Smyth, who has since died.

It is claimed that he and Bishop McKiernan failed to report to Irish police that signed complaints had been made against Smyth regarding his assaults on other children arising from two meetings in 1975.

The case, at Dublin High Court, is expected to last up to three days.