Originally Posted by Dr Pat

I ain't no apologist for the Catholic Church or Cardinal Brady or anyone else for that matter ...

*chuckle*

Originally Posted by Dr Pat

There has to be legal and moral accountability. Clearly, there has been a failure of leadership at the highest echelons of the Church. However, it is important that this doesn't descend into a witch hunt of those involved as that would not be not justice and certainly not fair to the victims of this awful abuse and coverup.

I've gone through my files on Brady, Smyth and others and nowhere are 'witches' mentioned. We're not looking for witches just those who enabled the physical and sexual torture of children. No victim has mentioned witches in any statement .. or indeed witchcraft. If we were to devote our resources on a wild-goose chase searching for non-existent witches, the abusers and their enablers would surely remain untouched.

We don't need to be deflected in this particular saga in anyway as the enablers involved have been identified (none are witches) and have admitted - to some little degree it must be admitted - their culpability.

The Bishops in Maynooth prepare to read a transcript of last night's
This World Programme.

It is repeated on BBC 2 tonight at 9.pm

Originally Posted by White Horse

Those are two issues.

If he commited a crime he should be tried by the State. He is no different to any other citizen.

In relation to his position within a private organisation, has he boken their canon law and failed to uphold the oaths he has taken?

Bugger canon law. That is like opening up a game of Monopoly at the Dept of Finance Economic Planning Meetings as a brainstormer. Canon law means nothing. As long as it is wide as it is high.

Listening to a discussion on the Pat Kenny show I can only come to the conclusion that all the clerical gentlemen involved in this fiasco made a complete dogs dinner of it.Yes 37 years ago this was a very sick society and many issues were swept under carpets.There were adoption issues where very strange practises prevailed.A"mind you Ive said nothing" attitude prevailed.The 36 year old priest Fr. Brady was part of a very secretive church and no doubt he felt he was doing his duty--he probably was by the mores of the time.People who knew things stayed silent and many devout Catholics would not hear a word said about their priests or bishops.Remember Monageer,Remember Fethard.Cardinal Brady seems to be a decent man but,while respecting that he intended no wrong,the damage caused to innocent children by the Churches failure to deal with Smyth,an exercise in which he played a part,I believe that he should move on to serve theChurch in another capacity.

Originally Posted by Andrew49

I've gone through my files on Brady, Smyth and others and nowhere are 'witches' mentioned. We're not looking for witches just those who enabled the physical and sexual torture of children. No victim has mentioned witches in any statement .. or indeed witchcraft. If we were to devote our resources on a wild-goose chase searching for non-existent witches, the abusers and their enablers would surely remain untouched.

We don't need to be deflected in this particular saga in anyway as the enablers involved have been identified (none are witches) and have admitted - to some little degree it must be admitted - their culpability.

Andrew49, I used the term "witch hunt" in its ordinary meaning. I am not suggesting that you are engaged in a witch hunt. It is right that we all simply and rightly imo, seek justice, most importantly for the victims first and foremost. This process is not fully played out yet but it must and it will but it must be due process and not descend to the level of a howling lynch mob which would do no credit to anyone and certainly would do a disservice to the victims.

As I have said many times, Cardinal Brady has lost moral authority a long time ago and for the life of me, I cannot understand why he is hanging on.

Originally Posted by loner

Yes 37 years ago this was a very sick society and many issues were swept under carpets.

The RCC were the primary architects and perpetuators of that very sick society.

Originally Posted by Toland

*chuckle*

Is that a manic chuckle, by any chance? I have responded and denied your allegation but you persist in trying to denigrate. Pathetic.

Originally Posted by eyelight

The Church of Ireland or the Methodist Church for example. I genuinely cannot see why people aren't switching over en masse.

Too contaminated by the Evil Imperial brand.

Maybe the country should tale a leaf out of the RCC's current tactic to piss off the Anglicans, and set up a National Ordinariate? A Catholic Confessing Church, as it were. All the ritual, half the calories. All it takes is for one bishop to "go rogue", and the Vatican will be seriously bricking it.

Originally Posted by Toland

The RCC were the primary architects and perpetuators of that very sick society.

They played a part,a large part, but society also believed that money grew on trees--they believed thatyou could abolish rates and car tax without extra taxation--they gave FF a huge Dail majority that eventually gave us Haughey--it wasnt only theChurch.