A ten-page booklet with Interim Guidance on Leave from Ministry in cases of allegations of sexual abuse of children has been issued by the National Board for Safeguarding Children. It is dated January 2012. It is available on the website of the Irish Catholic Bishops:
http://www.safeguarding.ie/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/Ministry-Leave-2012.pdf
Pádraig McCarthy
Jimmy McPhillips reports on the recent Clogher ACP meeting, which took Brendan Hoban’s Furrow article as its theme. (Read his article here.)
James Good argues that priests against whom allegations are made should not be removed from their priestly ministry pending investigation. Punitive action against such priests would be unjust, illegal and unconstitutional; they remain innocent until proved guilty
Joe Mulvaney gave this address in the first session of the Assembly Day, ‘Naming the Reality’
Joe O’Leary, for those who don’t know him, is a priest of Cork and Ross, who lives and works in Tokyo. He is a member of the association from the beginning, and a regular contributor to the website.
We would naturally be interested in comments; from members only in this instance, please.
Seamus Ahearne gives his thoughts on “mission” informed by his own life experiences.
“I’m a believer:
My Mission here may distract me, out to the byways and highways where the Church is forgotten and where the gibberish of sacred language is irrelevant. But I cannot go out there, unless I am enjoying the living God, where I am. I need to be taking off my shoes, seeing the burning bush, hearing the gentle breeze and finding the teasing- God of the caster-oil plant (Jonah.) I need to be telling people and showing people that God and Church, isn’t like the scarcely remembered version, which is a caricature of the Christ-picture from the Gospels. But I shouldn’t tell anyone, anything, if I am not alive myself. Possibly, the only Mission I have now, is to create some kind of oasis, where the refreshment of God, makes a little sense in the desert of our modern world. I have to do this with total humility and must exude some personal serenity, believing that nothing can ever happen, that is beyond the goodness and love of God. Mission now might just mean: Believing and living as if I/we believe.”
This article is an excellent reflection on the policies of Child Safeguarding currently practiced by the Irish Catholic Church, raising many of the questions that we in the ACP have been concerned with. It is reproduced with permission from The Furrow.
Page 5:
“As part of a risk management plan, the making of a public statement is a matter of necessity where the respondent remains resident in the parish/congregation.”
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Why is this? If a lay school teacher is suddenly accused of molesting a minor, say 20 years before, and continues to live near the school, does the headmaster call a public meeting to broadcast the fact that an allegation has been made? Does any other organisation outside the Catholic Church behave like this?
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Appendix 1
Note on canonical procedures
“When an allegation or concern has been received, and a referral to An Garda Siochána/PSNI/HSC/HSE has been made, a preliminary investigation should be initiated when the Ordinary receives information which has at least the semblance of truth regarding an offence (canon 1717; canon 695).”
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What does “at least the semblance of truth” mean IN PRACTICE? Does it simply mean that the priest was in the country (or at least the Continent) at the time the allegation refers to?
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There was a case in Australia couple of years ago, in which a senior Vincentian was accused of abusing a child 20 years before. The police arrested him amid huge publicity. By producing his passport he was able to prove that he was not in Australia at the time! Presumably this type of allegation would lack “the semblance of truth” as per the The National Board For Safeguarding Children? Are there any OTHER circumstances in which the semblance of truth would be considered to be lacking?