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Irish nun to face 87 charges of sexual abuse against young school girls

Case thought to be the first of its kind in Ireland

PATRICK COUNIHAN,

IrishCentral Staff Writer

Published Wednesday, March 7, 2012, 7:41 AM

Updated Wednesday, March 7, 2012, 7:41 AM

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An Irish nun is to appear before a special sitting of the country’s Circuit Court on 87 charges of the sexual abuse of primary school girls

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An Irish nun is to appear before a special sitting of the country’s Circuit Court on 87 charges of the sexual abuse of primary school girls.

The nun, whose name has been withheld by the State to protect her victims, appeared at Sligo Circuit Court on Tuesday.

Her case, thought to be the first of its kind in Ireland, has been listed for mention again on May 22nd.

Judge Rory McCabe has ordered the special sitting after the Director of Public Prosecutions outlined the huge number of files to be considered by the prosecution’s legal team.

The case was transferred from another county only last week according to DPP barrister Dara Foynes.

Newspaper reports say that several of the nun’s alleged victims were in court for the brief hearing.

Those present heard the barrister for the accused woman complain about the delay in the trial. She said her client had been charged in January 2010.

In response, Foynes said a ‘voluminous’ number of files had only been given to prosecution solicitor Hugh Sheridan last week after the transfer of the case from another county.

Nster.com

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31 Comments

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mmarymc | May 22, 2012, 10:05 AM EDT

Watch Magdelena Sisters.....all these "Christians" should be treated the same as any other.....if you are a criminal, you should be punished. Nuns in Ireland have been cruel to many innocent girls for years. I hope they throw her in jail and burn the key and find the rest. Or maybe they should "do onto others" on her..

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JJSherman | May 20, 2012, 02:03 PM EDT

THIS IS SICK, THE CATHOLIC CHURCH NEEDS TO LET THESE PEOPLE GET A RELATIONSHIP. WHAT IS IT THAT THEY DON'T UNDERSTAND. WHEN GOD CREATED ADAM AND SAW HIS PAIN HE THEN TOOK A RIB OUT OF ADAM AND CREATED EVE. THESE PEOPLE ARE LONELY AND THEREFORE TURN TO THE WEAKEST OF ALL CHILDREN. SHAME ON THE CHURCH WHY DON'T THE CHURCH ALLOW THESE PEOPLE TO GET INTO A RELATIONSHIP OF THEIR OWN PEIRS.

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PhlutiePhan | May 14, 2012, 10:13 AM EDT

@culchiewoman: plese read up on your Sigmund Freud and the "human sexual response" of Masters & Johnson, women just do not have the testosterone needed for sexual aggression. This is not 87 counts of "sodomy". These are 87 children who have been abused. As Bill Clinton said, "it all depends on what the meaning of 'is' is". What is the definition of sexual abuse in this case? Again being mean and disspirited is not sexual abuse. Hitting children on the knuckles with rulers is not sexual abuse. It would appear that this is hysteria gone crazy. As a former public high school teacher, I would relate that a new female principal was brought in who was a bodybuilder. She took steroids to stay slim. These testosterone pills "amped up" her libido and made a number of the younger girls "very uneasy" in her presence. This nun was not doing a Sylvester Stallone impression. Extremely doubtful situation!

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MissSusie | May 13, 2012, 01:28 PM EDT

Nonsense!

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hermitTalker | May 13, 2012, 11:24 AM EDT

If anyone is unaware. May I repeat, first time on this Irish-American topic, sexual abuse is widespread among married, single male and female professionals. It has nothing to do with religion as such or celibacy because every social group does it. The Catholic Church is catching it as if it is a celibacy-male priest phenonmenon which the experts tell those who listen it is not. The sad story will all unfold as more kids grow up, get away from home and can find an opportunity to sue, then we will know all about who knew and who covered up. The disease if alcoholism was not even known until AA was founded and developed the spiituality of the 12 Step Programme which is now practiced by all addicts from sex to gambling to shopping. YThere is no excuse for amy immoral, illegal activity by anyonem but they are all better understaood now advances in medicine, psychology and psychiatry. Moral formation that does not deal with each one's inner dragons which if, ignored roar and start fires under and inside is putting a cloth over a flithy table.

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ciaradexy | May 12, 2012, 06:11 PM EDT

AMWilson, I know a few people who havent had sex is a few years but they didnt go and rape children.

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connemaragirl | May 11, 2012, 01:55 AM EDT

Holy cow ,this is a new one ,I had nuns all my life in grade school ,high school etc. sexual abuse would not come to mind, but meanness yes at least some of them though not all,I'll wait on this one before I say anything after all this article doesn't tell you much.

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Irishphotograph | Mar 11, 2012, 12:56 PM EDT

Peterson the Roman Catholic below calls for prayer for the Roman church....Me an ex Roman Catholic now born again Christian descended of John Devoy (IRB) calls for prayer for the victims of this abuse. Soon Ireland rids itself of Roman influence and their man made religious doctrines the better for the country.

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peterson | Mar 10, 2012, 11:55 AM EST

Pray for the Church !!

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MCCOLGAN1492 | Mar 10, 2012, 09:04 AM EST

Whatever happened to "ordinary decent criminals"? sex crimes aren't even enjoyable to think about.... disgusting...

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umain30 | Mar 10, 2012, 07:00 AM EST

It is so mournful that a nun has done this type crime.

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culchiewoman | Mar 09, 2012, 02:51 PM EST

@PhlutiePhan: why wouldn't you believe women/nuns capable of sexual abuse? I recommend a thorough reading of the Stanford Prison Experiment. That may give you a clue. Put women who have been brainwashed into believing they are "brides of Christ" and holier than mainstream society in charge of vulnerable, marginalised women (Magdalene Laundries/mother-and-baby homes) and children (orphanages/industrial schools), and you have a recipe for abuse -- physical, mental and sexual. They begin to see their charges as sub-human and it becomes easy to treat them that way. Women are no different than men in that when they become corrupted by a totalitarian system of 'containment', they can easily become abusers.

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marsman | Mar 09, 2012, 03:30 AM EST

Can recommend two books for the wider context: Uta Ranke Heinemann: Eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven. Bestseller in the 90's, gives insight into development of sexual (and marriage moral) of Catholic Church. Not about atheism, etc. Great readers comments on amazon to the book. Knowing the CC sexual moral in general, how it came about, the reasoning and thinking, explains also child abuse. The other book: The concept of sexual pleasure in the Catholic moral tradition. By Shaji George Kochuthara. Generous insight via Google books possible. The book tells the history of that bit moral, nicely and competently.

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warlocks | Mar 09, 2012, 01:39 AM EST

Hey Hold on lets not find this Nun Guilty till she has been given a fair trial in a court of Law . We don't have any real facts here. Those who have not sinned cast the First Stone !

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gordongoblin | Mar 08, 2012, 05:17 AM EST

Every one of the abusers needs to be tried and every person who covered for them. And let the church pay the fees itself.

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