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Leading Catholic writer slams different Papal treatment of American and Irish cardinals

Says Mahoney in LA now open to criminal prosecution while Cardinal Sean Brady not

By
PATRICK COUNIHAN,
IrishCentral Staff Writer
Published Tuesday, February 5, 2013, 7:52 AM
Updated Tuesday, February 5, 2013, 9:27 AM

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Cardinal Sean Brady
Cardinal Sean Brady
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A leading Catholic lawyer and commentator has slammed the Pope for publicly shaming Los Angeles Cardinal Roger Mahony over clerical child abuse whilst treating Irish Cardinal Sean Brady in an entirely different matter.

Harvard educated Jerry Slevin has aired his views in a hard hitting article published on the popular website ChristianCatholicism.com.

He claims that Cardinal Mahony could be criminally prosecuted after he was ‘publicly shamed’ by Pope Benedict XVI and removed from public life last week.

And he demands to know how the LA Cardinal has been treated so differently to his Irish counterpart.

Slevin writes; “The Pope’s pawn, Archbishop Gomez, publicly referred to Mahony’s child abuse cover-up conduct as evil.

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“This unprecedented and selective public papal condemnation, in my view as an experienced retired lawyer, significantly increases the risk for Mahony that he will yet still be criminally prosecuted, possibly for obstruction of justice or perjury.

“Prosecutors now have a papal blessing to go after Mahony. Yet the Pope has also just permitted Ireland’s voting Cardinal Brady to exit gracefully, without papal condemnation.

“Brady was reportedly involved in priest abuse cover-ups at least as evil as Mahony. Why the different treatment for two Cardinals?”

Slevin added: “The likeliest explanation is current papal election politics.

“Conservative Cardinals in the Vatican clique, including American ones like Burke, Law, Stafford and Rigali, and their right-wing U.S. Republican contributors, have for years targeted Mahony, often an ally of U.S. Democratic political leaders, as an obstacle to the Vatican clique’s efforts to maintain Vatican domination of the Catholic Church worldwide, through groups like Opus Dei that Gomez and convicted criminal Bishop Finn are members of.

Read More: Day of reckoning for Magdalene survivors who say time has come for State to apologize - VIDEO

“Brady, on the other hand, supports domination by the Vatican clique, as evidenced by his acquiescence in the current unchallenged attack on one of Brady’s most popular priests, Fr. Tony Flannery, by the Pope’s new German Inquisitor.

“Flannery’s brother is a top ally to Prime Minister Enda Kenny, who has strongly opposed papal domination in Ireland.

“The signal is clear. The Vatican is prepared, it appears, to use selectively the criminal prosecution risks inherent in the worldwide abuse scandal to intimidate voting Cardinals who oppose the current Vatican clique’s candidate to be next Pope.

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27 Comments

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McNamara31 | Feb 13, 2013, 10:14 AM EST
There is "no way" the Cardinals in America or Ireland operated independently when it came to handling abuse cases.The Vatican was aware for decades and orchestrated the treatment of abusing priests by Father Gerald Fitzgerald founder of the Congregation of the Servants of the Paraclete who made the bishops and the Vatican including Pope John Paul aware that these predators priests could NOT be reformed, and should be removed from the priesthood.His requests were ignored and the abuse continued.

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bveritas | Feb 07, 2013, 12:52 AM EST
Obviously you can not refrain from projecting your childish world view of a political spectrum in religion. Mahoney is being disowned for more than his crimes against humanity regarding pedophilia but also his crimes against humanity in shielding theologians who advocate abortion, much like the crimes against humanity American Democratic Party that treats the crushing of baby skulls as a religious sacrament.

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Gearoid4 | Feb 06, 2013, 01:57 PM EST
Norm, I can see events 20/20 and recognize the terrible nature of transgressions which have been committed by members of the Church. There should be no toleration or hiding place for those who commit or indeed cover up for such deeds. My main point is that when crises are encountered at various points in Church History, a period of purgation ensues which leads to reorientation back to the goals which Christ set for the Church.

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pilib04 | Feb 06, 2013, 09:58 AM EST
Cardinal Mahoney should be criminally prosecuted! Not sure I see what the problem is. A man (Mahoney) who hides and protects Child RAPISTS should be in PRISON!

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eiriamach | Feb 06, 2013, 09:01 AM EST
It's very unlikely that Obama, who has taught constitutional law, will interfere in any way with the "absolute wall of separation" between church and state. But Slevin's work is having an impact through the usual democratic channels -- riveting the attention of the press on Mahony's finagling and alerting law enforcement and the courts to the need to pay closer attention to the strategies of bishops for avoiding prosecution and bad PR. It's simple: the people need to know, and the press has a duty to inform. And there's enough information out there to generate nearly universal disgust and a determination to put an end to the sexual abuse and the coverups. I don't know what the author of this article means in writing "He claims that Cardinal Mahony could be criminally prosecuted after he was ‘publicly shamed’ by Pope Benedict XVI and removed from public life last week." Mahony can be criminally prosecuted right now, and he probably will be! If he's not prosecuted, we'll hear more outcries against the Church that is protecting him, and louder outcries until the courts and police get their priorities right.

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WoundedKnee | Feb 06, 2013, 03:39 AM EST
"Harvard educated".... What the hell difference does that make, Counihan?

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anglo-norman | Feb 06, 2013, 12:34 AM EST
Gearoid4- Are you that blind???

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Collette2 | Feb 05, 2013, 08:19 PM EST
This corrupt institution is making a laughing stock of us all. Not worthy of title The Holy See. Even a rubbish dump has more value.

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SCVMalcolm | Feb 05, 2013, 07:55 PM EST
Oh for Pete's sake! When Cardinal Law was being investigated for his role in saving the pedophile priests of the Diocese of Boston, he was whisked off to Rome(where he still resides), and given protection from prosecution. All this done by JPII, when Benny was pulling the strings of control. I guess there's no room at the Pedophiles' Assistance Home in the Vatican any more! Is the House of cards tumbling??

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Smyrnian | Feb 05, 2013, 06:21 PM EST
Gearoid - well said indeed.

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Gearoid4 | Feb 05, 2013, 05:56 PM EST
Well, not exactly norm. You see the Holy Spirit will usher in the renewal as promised by Christ. Corruption and greed are not restricted to Church personnel but has been present across all sectors of society since time immemorial. This is no excuse for the scandals which have beset the Church recently and profound corrective action is necessary based on the principles of the Gospel. The current pope is taking a lead in this matter and new appointees to Church hierarchies across the world is a demonstration of his intention to break with practices or attitudes which led to the crises in the first place. He is determined that the Church will be reinvigorated in total accordance with the wishes of Christ. He had done more than any of his predecessors to take on the plague of sex abuse within the ranks of the Church and will continue to do so.

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anglo-norman | Feb 05, 2013, 05:27 PM EST
Gearoid4- Your church is a sham son..

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Gearoid4 | Feb 05, 2013, 05:06 PM EST
The evil of child abuse is horrific and the reality of abortion is no less which involves the destruction of nascent human lives in the womb. Those who question the humanity of fetuses should read the testimony of abortion workers or doctors who vividly describe their reflex reactions to the instruments that will dismember them. Most abortions do not take place for emergency medical or "crisis" reasons but due to the child in the womb becoming an inconvenience.

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Gearoid4 | Feb 05, 2013, 04:55 PM EST
Cool it, Norm

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eiriamach | Feb 05, 2013, 04:54 PM EST
This is not Catholic Church bashing. It's news that the public needs to know since the public has endured loss of safety for children while prelates and priests have organized over decades to evade criminal prosecution for horrendous crimes against youth in every nation that has Catholic churches. Do the Irish men and women who protested, at the bidding of their bishops, against their government's efforts to save the lives of women in crisis pregnancies KNOW that the same Catholic Church has declared in a US court of law that 28-week-developed fetal twins were not "persons" and therefore not qualified for court protection? In a malpractice suit, Jeremy Stodghill is suing the Colorado Catholic hospital where his pregnant wife, carrying twins, died as a result of medical mismanagement. Her twins were viable and should have survived. The Catholic hospital, however, had its lawyers arguing that the hospital cannot be legally liable for the twins' deaths because, in NY Times writer Frank Bruni's words, "wrongful death can apply only to people and, legally speaking, fetuses aren’t human lives." If this is the Church for which you took to the streets to protest your government's attempts to save the lives of pregnant women in emergencies by severely limited access to abortion, wake up!

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