Boston Cardinal O'Malley slammed for Irish mass said with two bishops named in abuse report

Posted on Sunday, November 14, 2010 at 08:18 PM

Larger Text

E-mail

23 Comments

RSS

Archives

Cardinal Sean O’Malley of Boston, has been slammed by the spokeswoman of an abuse victims group for his celebration of Mass in Dublin yesterday with two bishops named in the Murphy child abuse report.

O'Malley is in Dublin as part of a Vatican mission to examine how the post-sex abuse church is enforcing new guidelines.

The Murphy report was deeply critical of how the Dublin archdiocese handled the abuse issue

However, O'Malley concelebrated mass with Bishop Dermot O’Mahony and Bishop Éamonn Walsh who were both criticized in the report.

Dublin Archbishop Diarmuid Martin had fired both men but they were later reinstated by the Vatican.

Martin also took part in the mass

Dublin abuse victim Marie Collins said the Archbishop's decision was s “a very poor start” to his visitation and sent out “a very, very bad message."

She was speaking to The Irish Times.

She said “Bishop O’Mahony has never shown any regret, nor has he accepted the Murphy report findings”.

Cardinal O’Malley met with Collins and other Dublin=based abuse victims on Sunday.

She said he “appeared sincere and very open”, she said, but “there’s no way of knowing. I’ve been in that situation many times before.”

Cardinal O’Malley was appointed archbishop of Boston in 2003 and won widespread praise for how he handled the abuse issue there after the controversial role of his predecessor Bernard Cardinal Law.

He said he been sent by the pope as apostolic visitor to Dublin “to verify the effectiveness of the present processes used in responding to cases of abuse.”

Archbishop Timothy Dolan of New York is also in Ireland examining the vocations crisis there.

The Murphy report found that Bishop O’Mahony’s handling of allegations e was “particularly bad”.

He was Auxiliary bishop of Dublin from 1975 to 1996.

The Murphy report stated that he was aware of 13 priests against whom there were allegations or suspicions by 1995 but did very little.

E-mail

23 comments

Previous Page 2 of 2 pages

Carroll09 | Nov 15, 2010, 05:52 PM EST

Pacifist - could you post a link to the directive that you say Cardinal Ratzinger issued? I am not aware of such a document - indeed, it was precisely because of individual dioceses working with the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith that many dioceses now have stronger child-protection policies than other state bodies, which REQUIRE bishops to contact the civil authorities when complaints are made...It just seems strange to me that the CDF would advise bishops who were devising child-protection policies to refer all complaints to the civil authorities (policies which are still in force) and then issue a document explicitly telling them to do the opposite.

Report abuse

GoogieLaRue | Nov 15, 2010, 05:46 PM EST

The heierarchy of the church lives in some parallel existence they think is reality. What it is in fact is coverup, lying and cheating.

Report abuse

glorybe1929 | Nov 15, 2010, 04:36 PM EST

This whole group of Bishops can talk their "arses" off and who cares? No thinking adult! They are instruments of the Devil. God Amighty does exist MIGHTILY OUT SIDE OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH AND NOT IN IT! Get out of this so called church, before you've lost your souls.

Report abuse

pacifist | Nov 15, 2010, 03:42 PM EST

You ask me what I think and then don't display it. Why?

Report abuse

PhlutiePhan | Nov 15, 2010, 01:39 PM EST

This is "scary stuff". Also, BostonCatholicInsider. com for July 2010 gives the following salaries for the Archdiocese: chancellor (250,000) education director (300,000), general counsel (300,000), media direcvtor (250,000), assoc supt of schools (185,270). In light of the financial bailout for abuse, this is very imprudent. It gives an image of fiscal irresponsibility as well as an attempt to set up an alternative religious infrastructure in this country and to "phase out" priests and nuns. That is what O'Malley is really all about. He is the retiring head of the USCCB and is soft on sex abuse and supportive of gay rights. Timothy Dolan is bringing socialism to the Catholic schools in New York by creating "one giant parish". The Catholic bishops are "plugged" in to Obama socialism. Read Malchi (Brendan) Martin, S.J. and you will see exactly what is going on.

Report abuse

pacifist | Nov 15, 2010, 12:54 PM EST

Not very surprising this kind of action. Here is a supposedly objective and impartial investigator of members of the hierarachy of the Roman Catholic Church in Ireland participating in a Concelebrated Mass with individuals he is investigating. This is totally inappropriate behaviour no matter how it is dressed up. But the current pope, Benedict XVI, when he was known as Cardinal Ratzinger and in charge of the Holy ( so-called ) Office for the Propagation of the Faith - formerly and more appropriately known as the Inquisition, issued a directive that the hierarchies in various countries should not share information or provide files to the legal authorities in their respective countries who were investigating alleged sexual abuse by clerics of the Roman Catholic Church.

Report abuse

marycrotty | Nov 15, 2010, 10:44 AM EST

Typical of Cardinal O'Malley He is so pathetic He just sold off the Caritas (Catholic) healthcare system in Boston to a forprofit investment group called Cerberus--named for the devil at the gates of Hell.

Report abuse

Carroll09 | Nov 15, 2010, 09:54 AM EST

Mr Roberts - Archbishop Diarmuid Martin DID NOT FIRE bishops Walsh and O'Mahony. Firstly, he could not because he does not get to decide whose resignations are accepted and rejected: resignations are submitted to the Pope and it is HIS decision alone, not the Archbishop's. Secondly, while Bishop O'Mahony did have some pastoral duties which were revoked by Diarmuid Martin in the wake of the Murphy Report, he had retired many years before the report was published. Also, the Archdiocese of Dublin has issued a press-release clarifying some of the items which were reported. It says: "Under the headline 'Pope’s child abuse envoy in Mass Row', the article, in referring to Bishop Dermot O’Mahony and Bishop Eamonn Walsh stated 'Both auxiliaries were criticised the Murphy report which examined the Catholic Churches handling of clerical child sexual abuse'. This is incorrect. There are 9 references to Bishop Eamonn Walsh in the report; but none contains criticism. The story also claims that Bishop Walsh 'resigned last Christmas Eve'. Bishop Walsh offered his resignation to Pope Benedict last Christmas Eve. His resignation was not accepted." As a matter of fact, if one can say that O'Malley shouldn't have celebrated the Mass with Bishop Walsh because he is NAMED in the Murphy Report, the same charge can be made against Archbishop Martin who is also NAMED in the report. The point is, merely being named in a report is not the same as being condemned by it.

Report abuse

Previous Page 2 of 2 pages