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Priests lash out at Dublin Archbishop Diramuid Martin over his handling of sex scandal

By
DONAL THORNTON,
IrishCentral.com Staff Writer
Published Friday, February 5, 2010, 7:12 AM
Updated Friday, February 5, 2010, 8:06 AM

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There is only one priest per parish in Ireland
Priests in Dublin are not happy with Archbishop Diarmuid Martin's handling of the Murphy Report


The Archbishop of Dublin, Diarmuid Martin, has been severely criticized by fellow priests over his handling of the Murphy report.

Over 25 priests attended a meeting at Mansrea retreat house on January 18. The minutes of the meeting were published Friday in the Irish Catholic newspaper.

"At least among some priests there is dismay . . . about the fact that the archbishop appears to give the impression that he is not willing to defend the reputation of the many good priests not implicated in the Murphy report," said Irish Catholic editor Garry O’Sullivan.

The minutes detail the "anger, frustration and a sense of helplessness" directed at the auxiliary bishops.

The priests say that Martin was now "a source of division" amongst priests.

Many of the priests now believe their reputations are tarnished because of the actions of a few.

"We felt that a grave injustice has been done to men who have loyally served this diocese with selfless commitment and Christ-like compassion," reads an excerpt from the minutes.

The priest were also left "dumbfounded" at Martin’s decision to distance the diocese from Bishop Donal O'Mahony. The priests strongly condemned Martin’s attitude towards O'Mahony.

"To say his good name had been tarnished was untrue, cruel and insulting," continue the meeting’s log.

As a result of Martin’s comments, O'Mahony called on the clergy to challenge the media and the public about the Murphy report. He has strenuously denied that the Catholic Church engaged in a mass "cover up."

The priest also criticized Martin for his "dictatorial manner," and for not communicating sufficiently with his fellow priests.

"He enjoyed a good honeymoon period with the press...but now there is a general feeling that the archbishop is a source of division among his priests and among his fellow bishops. Justice demands that he be confronted and told that if he is about reform, then the priests and the laity...need to be part of the entire process. We are no longer content to be puppets of the diocese."

The priests called for an analysis of the Murphy report to take place urgently.

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1 Comment

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Carroll09 | Feb 05, 2010, 04:50 PM EST
Whatever Bishop O'Mahony did or did not do, according to the Murphy Report, the Archbishop's treatment of him has been disgraceful. Several weeks before the report was even made public, Bishop O'Mahony (who has been retired for nearly 15 years) issued a statement and an apology via the Archdiocesan Media Office. The Archbishop saw this statement, yet it was never published on the website or in any other form as has happened in the case of other statements. Two months later, the Archbishop called for those named to take responsibility - which Bishop O'Mahony did to some degree before any of the other bishops...The Archbishop did not acknowledge the statement & has publicly accused Bishop O'Mahony of being in denial. The Media Office's excuse is that Bishop O'Mahony did not specifically request publication - this is a ridiculous excuse; they work in the MEDIA OFFICE!! If Bishop O'Mahony wanted private correspondance with the Archbishop he would have contacted him privately. As I said, whatever Bishop O'Mahony's failings were, the Archbishop's treatment of him and the priests of the diocese has been utterly reprensible. Correspondance between Archbishop Martin, Bishop O'Mahony and the Council of Priests appeared in last week's Irish Catholic (Feb 28) www.irishcatholic.ie

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