Marie Collins resigned the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors.
Cardinal Gerhard Müller, the head of the Vatican’s Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, gave an interview shortly following Collins’ resignation. Marie Collins has written an open letter to Müller in response to that interview, which she asked NCR to publish.
“I would ask that instead of falling back into the Church’s default position of denial and obfuscation, when a criticism like mine is raised the people of the church deserve to be given a proper explanation. We are entitled to transparency, honesty and clarity.
No longer can dysfunction be kept hidden behind institutional closed doors.”
Kirsty Jane McCluskey interviews Peter McVerry SJ, for her project about Jesuit vocation and identity: http://jesuitstories.wordpress.com/2014/08/31/peter-mcverry-sj-social-activist-and-campaigner/
Sean O’Connaill deplores the bishops’ lack of transparency on the funding and independence of the national body for child protection that they set up (the NSBCCC), and hopes for the day when bishops will be accountable to their people.
The editors of America’s National Catholic Reporter share their open letter to Pope Francis, appealing to him to meet victims of clergy sex abuse.
Eugene Cullen Kennedy argues that the sex abuse scrisis can be traced back to the hierarchicalmodel of the Church promoted by the Council of Trent (first published in the National Catholic Reporter on 20 February 2014: read the original article here).
The ACP Leadership Team recommends the latest edition of the Irish Jesuits’ magazine Studies, which is entirely taken up with the Murpny Report into abuse in Dublin diocese (www.studiesirishreview.ie)
Pádraig McCarthy welcomes the publication of a survey of Dublin priests’ responses to the Murphy report, which was compiled by Alan Hilliard and published under the title ‘A Window on Murphy‘.
Brendan Hoban reviews the movie ‘Philomena’, currently on general release. He believes it didn’t need to add fictional elements to present the facts as unacceptable and inhumane (first published in this week’s Western People).
About eighteen months ago some priests of Dublin Archdiocese approached the ACP Leadership with the proposal that a study of Judge Yvonne Murphy’s Investigation of Clerical Child Abuse in the Archdiocese be conducted.
Retired High Court Judge from Hong Kong, Mr. Fergal Sweeney, was commissioned to do this work.
We here publish his report:
Commissions of Investigation and Procedural Fairness Report (40 pages, PDF)
In conjunction with this, Fr. Padraig McCarthy of the Archdiocese has just published a book on the same subject. This does not duplicate Fergal Sweeney’s work but includes further areas of analysis of the Murphy Report. Padraig’s book, An Unheard Story (published by Londubh) will be available in most bookshops.
Padraig McCarthy reviews Archbishop Diarmuid Martin’s response to the legal review of the Murphy Report, agreeing that it makes valid points — but also pointing out that there is more to be said.
The Leadership Team of our association report on the AGM — which takes place in the Hodson Bay Hotel, Athlone on Tuesday, Oct. 29th at 2.00pm. This event marks three years of the ACP.
Pádraig McCarthy asks the government to reconsider before adding the Protection of Life during Pregnancy Bill to the statute books. He presents a specific case where gender selection is the reason for a mother threatening suicide, noting that abortion for the purpose of gender selection is illegal in England and Wales.
The report on their recent meeting submitted by the ACP in Kilmore diocese reveals disappointment with the Irish Hierarchy that they did not meet with the Leadership Team of the ACP — among other things.
Tony Flannery raises the questions over the protection of child abuser Maciel Degollado which remain unanswered — a major issue that the new Pope will need to deal with if he is to attempt to reform the Curia (article first published in the Irish Times on 11 March).
Jason Berry investigates a charge of hypocrisy levelled against Vatican prelates investigating the US Religious (first published in the National Catholic Report on 5 January 2013.) See original report and comments here
Susie Orbach, psychotherapist and author, reviews the latest research into child sex offenses in this half-hour-long BBC Four radio programme
The ACP Leadership Team report on their meeting with Ian Elliot, the CEO of the National Board for Safeguarding Children in the Catholic Church in Ireland.
Fr James Martin SJ has written a ‘New Serenity Prayer’ — recommended to ACP and ACI members, bishops etc.
Scott Appleby believes that at the heart of the sexual abuse crisis is the sin of clericalism — a constellation of ideas and practices rooted in the conviction that ordination to the priesthood confers a special and privileged status that places the priest above the non-ordained baptized by virtue of the sacrament itself
Bill Cosgrave argues against the practice of making a public statement in a parish in the event of an allegation against a priests. This is a position that has been vigorously argued by the ACP since its foundation. This article was first published in The Furrow.
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