Survivors of clerical sex abuse have called for a state enquiry into the allegations against the former Archbishop of Dublin, John Charles McQuaid, once the most powerful man in the Irish Church.
The One in Four group has called on Minister for Children Frances Fitzgerald to establish a sworn statutory inquiry after claims came to light that the late McQuaid had abused two victims.
One in Four executive director, Maeve Lewis, told the Irish Times, “It is the only way to establish the truth of the matter. If Dr McQuaid is innocent of the allegations then it will be an opportunity to restore his good name.”
Lewis added, “If the allegations are true, then we must know the extent of the sexual abuse, who else was involved and crucially if the church or civil authorities of the time had knowledge of the abuse but failed to act. If records exist, they must be examined.
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“Anybody who has been affected by the publication of these allegations should contact One in Four for support.
“If these allegations are true, then the sexual abuse of children extended to the very highest levels in the Irish Catholic Church.
“Dr McQuaid was archbishop of Dublin for over 30 years and was at that time possibly the most powerful, influential and feared man in Ireland.
“If Archbishop McQuaid was, as is alleged, a sex offender himself, then it is no wonder that the secrecy and cover-ups which have characterised the church’s handling of sexual abuse was so entrenched.”
One survivor is not surprised by the allegations against the former Dublin archbishop, who died in the early 70s.
Abuse survivor Marie Collins told the Irish Times, “If Archbishop McQuaid was abusing children himself it would explain his inaction when the Paul McGennis case came to him.”
Father McGennis was chaplain at Crumlin’s children’s hospital when he abused Collins in 1960 after she was admitted as a patient.
McQuaid investigated two separate complaints against McGennis but took no action. The Murphy commission enquiry into clerical abuse in the Dublin diocese was critical of McQuaid’s lack of action.
“It established a pattern of not holding abusers accountable which lasted for decades,” stated the report.
“The archbishop aimed at the avoidance of scandal and showed no concern for the welfare of children. It is risible the archbishop’s conclusion that McGennis’s actions arose from wonderment at the female anatomy.”
Collins added: “It always seemed strange to me that he (Archbishop McQuaid) could dismiss so easily the physical proof of McGennis’s abuse and his weak excuse for that abuse.
“If the archbishop had taken the proper action Fr Paul McGennis might have been removed from the priesthood and lost his privileged position of trust with children.
“This would not have saved me as I had already been abused by Fr McGennis before the photos of those two young children were passed to the archbishop but it might have saved the other young girls he assaulted in later years.”
The paper reports that film McGennis sent to England for processing was reported to police there, who contacted colleagues in Dublin.
Then Garda (police) commissioner Daniel Costigan referred the claims to Archbishop McQuaid.
“The commissioner has a lot to answer for as well,” said Collins. “Through his deference to the church and the power of the archbishop he let those two young victims down and let a dangerous man go free.”
McGennis pleaded guilty to his abuse of Ms Collins in 1997 and was sentenced to 18 months. He then received a nine-month concurrent sentence for his 1976 abuse of a girl aged nine in Wicklow.
Last July, aged 81, he was given a six-year sentence, with the final four suspended, at the Circuit Criminal Court for the abuse of a young girl in Dublin between 1980 and 1984, beginning when she was 11.
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More news on the Irish Catholic Church from IrishCentral
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11 Comments
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Switch to the desktop site to post a comment.stanJames | Dec 11, 2011, 01:33 AM EST
How about $100,000 for every conviction or equivalent, to the victims. And $25000 where there is credible evidence but not enough for conviction................And the world will be rid of the monster that gave us Hitler, who leveraged a thousand years of hate against Jesuss own people to get elected. And 55 million died. the Holy Inquisition. Operated from about 1500 to in Spaina s late as the 1830s. the signs over the vatican gate should say Arbreit Macht Frei* - yes working against the church made one free of his earthly body as it was consumed by fire. (*work makes free)...........The 600 years of catholic crusades against the Muslims. The reasons get lost, but the hate gets passed from father to child ad infinitum. Welcome to part of what gave us 9-11 etc........................And so much more.
CaptainCon | Dec 10, 2011, 02:41 PM EST
Quite telling that rugbyplayer's first three words were, and I quote, "Oh, shut up!" Which is a very good indicator of the type of catholic who wants everything hushed up and can't stand the legitimate examination the catholic cult and its degenerate hierarchy are receiving worldwide.
Portia777 | Dec 10, 2011, 11:13 AM EST
Good idea to dig him up and ship him home to Rome and with him goes all his evil energy. We do not want it contaminating our sovereign island.
Portia777 | Dec 10, 2011, 11:11 AM EST
rugbyplayer. Please educate yourself on the ROMAN Catholic cult and its beliefs. Google evil org molestation and see how the men of god feel they have a right to rape children and steal their innocence/energy. To them raping children is a sacred ritual and children worlwide are their food.
Collette2 | Dec 10, 2011, 08:35 AM EST
I certainly hope this transpires. The prelates who continue to avoid scrutiny has become too common.
SingleDonald | Dec 09, 2011, 11:03 PM EST
KevinKehoe, Very well put! BTW, are you related to one of the 75 Most Influential Irish Women in America? Those distinctions were handed out 2 years ago.
lokionline | Dec 09, 2011, 10:38 PM EST
McQuaid is the one who on his return from Vatican II told his flock that "nothing has changed". In retrospect, everything has changed and now John McQuaid stands as the the representative of all the reactionary attitudes he fostered. He has been exposed as the corrupting influence he truly was.
KevinKehoe | Dec 09, 2011, 02:21 PM EST
What planet have you been living on rugbyplayer,did you not know whats been going in the catholic church in Ireland and the perverts they exported to other countrys as well.Rape and torture of little children while being hiden and sheltered by the holy church! Evil. One crime McQuade is guilty of, in Keeping Ireland in the dark ages for so long, and if he is guilty of child abuse, dig him up and ship him off to Rome
hybernia | Dec 09, 2011, 01:55 PM EST
@ rugbyplayer Let the truth be known about ALL the dirty perverts in the church, it's people like YOU that have them like they are ie 'shut up and say nothing, that's how they got away with it for so long. If you do a bit of research you will find the church were abusing children for hundreds of years all over the world.As the saying goes "The catholic church - is a bunch of dirty old con-men steeped in 2000 years of blood and semen"
rugbyplayer | Dec 09, 2011, 01:39 PM EST
Oh, shut up! It seems that every Irish Catholic boy and girl who has lived in Ireland since the Battle of the Boyne has been sexually abused (whatever that means) by a Catholic priest at one time or another. Now this intruding One in Four group wants to "dig up" the body of Archbishop McQuaid. What for? Money? Satisfaction? Let the dead bury the dead.
Searlit | Dec 09, 2011, 12:29 PM EST
Let the truth be known in all these investigations! No more covering up, what crimes have been committed against innocent children!