Bishop Magee did Vatican bidding by covering up Cloyne pedophile priests - VIDEO
Posted on Friday, July 15, 2011 at 08:03 AM
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| Former Bishop John Magee |
Bishop John Magee was carrying out Vatican orders when he delegated the responsibility for the pedophile priests in his diocese to an underling and allowed him to overlook the worst abusers.
One wonders what pressing tasks the Bishop had that were so urgent that he could turnover such a critical and vital task to an underling.
Now we know why -so the Vatican fingerprints would not be on it.
The Vatican has long refused to sign off on the strict code of conduct put together by the Irish church after the sordid revelations about the past emerged. The key one was to report all suspected pedophiles to police.
As a Vatican man, through and through, Magee was following Vatican orders.
The Cloyne cover-up began into events that happened after the worst of the previous excesses were in the public domain and the Irish church had issued new firm guidelines which included giving any information to police.
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READ MORE:
Papal nuncio 'very distressed' over Ireland's Cloynes report
Bishop of Cloyne apologizes from American hideaway
Irish Priests face five years in jail if they fail to report child abuse
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Magee is a Vatican creation, however, secretary to three popes and a man on his way to the top of the irish church until some internal scandal derailed him and sent him to Cloyne instead. He was still taking their orders however.
We can guess what his own scandal was after he attempted to kiss a 17-year old seminary student and said he dreamed about him, a fact included in the Murphy report
But he clearly never forgot his Vatican roots. It is a place where the current Pope has much to answer for on this issue, where Cardinal Law of Boston, a notorious enabler of pedophiles was promoted, where Archbishop Diarmuid Martin of Dublin, the most courageous cleric standing in the face of this pedophile scandal, has been ignored and belittled.
The Irish government called in the Papal Nuncio in Ireland yesterday and demanded a Vatican response saying it was 'absolutely unacceptable' that the Vatican had intervened in Ireland and discouraged priests from reporting crimes against innocent children.
Foreign Minister Gilmore said what happened in Ireland was 'a totally inappropriate, unjustified, unacceptable intervention'.
'This is modern Ireland and this was a recent occasion of abuse of children and this was a recent intervention by Vatican authorities,' he said.
Once Irish governments would have quaked at the very presence of the Papal Nuncio, but no more.
Now the chairman of the Fine Gael party Charlie Flanagan, son of the most devout Catholic legislator in Irish history, Oliver Flanagan, called for the Papal Nuncio to be expelled
The nuncio's response was a polite buzz off, regretting the scandal but promising little.
Like the House of Bourbon the Vatican has learned nothing and remembered nothing.
Magee, now happily vacationing somewhere in America knows he has served his true lord and masters and to hell with the little children.
It is beyond cynicism and belief.
48 comments
eiriamach | Jul 18, 2011, 02:33 PM EDT
Gearoid4, you think Anglicans "have given into modernist mores and thereby moved further away from the gospels they profess." Petitio principii, isn't it, to assume that what is "modern" is far away from the gospels? 1) Christ did not exclude women priests or homosexuals in the gospels. But He did manifest inclusiveness and equality of worth for all. 2) to fix the meaning of any gospel precept in church doctrine requires that you fit the current situation to a precept developed perhaps centuries ago, rather than assessing the current situation and then finding a gospel meaning that can include it. Your authority-in-tradition approach virtually commits you to opposing any change in social, political, ecclesiastical, or interpersonal roles-- all change will seem to violate the gospel meaning worked out once forever. In reality, the gospel has spoken to all ages and speaks to ours when we discern its core principles and rightly apply them to today's needs. In great literature, meaning is polysemous-- even in scripture it is many-layered and forever disclosing itself anew in fresh response to the questions we ask. From the my earlier quotation, "human weakness and sin ... can distort ... authority." That is the situation RCC finds itself in now, when it most needs the active help of laity, who are out of accord-- even openly hostile to-- their bishops. Decision after decision made in Rome or the dioceses goes awry. Is there any more clear indication that grace is not flowing into your 'holy remnant'? Flexibility, conciliar listening, reflection, self-criticism, openness to change are esential now.
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Gearoid4 | Jul 18, 2011, 01:41 PM EDT
Eiriamach, Scripture does not simply speak to us today as it's essential truths are relevant no matter what era you chose to pick in the chronological timeline of history. My point is that the anglican communion has given up by default any claims that it had to be part of the catholic church universal by it's inadvertent moves to bless same-sex unions, allow woman priests etc. They have given into modernist mores and thereby have moved further away from the gospels they profess. Democracy is fine for nation states where there are competing interests and ethnic groups but christian beliefs cannot be settled by straw polls or ballot boxes. The great early discussions of the Church e.g Nicaea (325 A.D) or the First Council of Constantinople( 380 A.D) were conducted by bishops and theologians discussing the issues which they had to encapsulate in christian doctrine. I don't deny the present weaknesses of Vatican structures or the betrayals by bishops or priests, but I believe that the hierarchical model with lay input is the best model for governance.
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marfran | Jul 17, 2011, 06:29 PM EDT
Anyone knows that a priest must obey canon law over secular/civil law. He is under oath not to reveal what is told to him in Confession. However, a sick person who is abusing chidren is not going to confess it, at any rate, as he is unable or unwilling to attempt to give it up, or even admit to himself how wrong it is (what a grave sin). He undoubtedly plans to contine to let it happen, if and when the situation presents itself, and he would not confess, admitting that is is a terrible act to commit, and that he entertained any intention to sin no more. Therefore, priests can feel unthreatened by this new law.
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eiriamach | Jul 17, 2011, 02:28 PM EDT
Gearoid4, not Anglican reform but the Vatican's war against secularism abandons the gospel. You write, "The anglican church seems to be driven more by modern sociological trends than traditional gospel precepts...[and] biblically-founded consensus regarding doctrine and beliefs that was present for nearly 2 millennia." That OT consensus fails, like much of Deuteronomy & Leviticus, to accord with Christ's restatement in the two great commandments. RCC's retreat from secularism, its disdain for political virtues such as tolerance, sustains Augustine's early medieval dualism: the city of God is our only true home, and we are but exiles here in the human city. As long as Christians expected Christ's imminent return, it made sense to retreat from the work of politics and to make the Church one's 'home.' But if there were no other 'sign of the times' to show us the error of this retreat, the deterioration of our natural environment would. Human activity has brought us to near ecological disaster: we have failed to conserve nature. It was given to us to improve, not to destroy or neglect. So, yes, Anglicans read scripture as speaking to us today about the social, political, natural, interpersonal, and scientific dilemmas humanity faces. Our task is to restore all of Creation, including human nature, to the dignity endowed by the Creator. If you think of 'gospel precepts' as fixed eternally, you miss their speaking to each age about these unique challenges. Anglicans listen for eternal renewal in the ancient truths.
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eiriamach | Jul 17, 2011, 01:22 PM EDT
Gearoid4, your argument against reform 'from the top down,' as mamginnty calls it, is that RCC would descend into chaos like the Anglicans if it followed such a path. This argument may turn against you when the turbulent reforms of Anglicanism begin to show forth the fruit of the Spirit in unity and organic growth. All those whom the pope has expelled or driven away because they questioned the wisdom of papal commands are people motivated to work on reform, to restore Christianity to its ancient missions. Look a few decades down the path: the southern hemisphere will share in the economic resurgence that the developed nations must launch to reverse global recession. With increase in national wealth, participation of women in public life, universal education, etc., people resist autocratic governance; they lose faith in absolute human 'authority' as they read the gospels. What was it Churchill said about democracy? That it was the worst form of government. Except for all the others! Once educated, people lose the incentive to exclude their neighbors or to relegate lesser status to some. In any case, I'd rather be rebuilding Corinth than defending Rome. It's not given to us to know for certain while the work is ongoing whether it will end right; in the words of the Robert Grant hymn, "His chariots of wrath the deep thunderclouds form, /And dark is His path on the wings of the storm." Yet I trust the uncertainty and moral courage of AB Williams far more than the unreflective certainty and well-honed enforcement strategies of an AB Storero.
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Gearoid4 | Jul 17, 2011, 01:01 AM EDT
I don't disagree with you, Eiriamach on the value of internal dialogue between people who have taken up opposing viewpoints concerning debates. But the Anglican Church is experiencing more than "little fractures and departures". The divide is very substantial and the fault-line runs across many issues which divide the more liberal, wealthier northern hemisphere from the more conservative, less-wealthy, conservative south. In effect, the anglican communion is suffering the consequences of the lack of a strong central authority and a loose federation of autonomous provinces. Despite it's weaknesses, the magisterium of the Catholic Church forms a very formidable basis upon which to proclaim the perennial truths of the gospel
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eiriamach | Jul 16, 2011, 11:05 PM EDT
Thorough reform rediscovers the ancient foundations of the institution, Gearoid4, so that in re-building, the reformers can adhere to the plan and purpose of the Designer. It took centuries of preaching the Word and explaining Christ's example to set up functioning Christian communities, and then centuries more of councils dealing with charges of heresy to forestall schisms in the faith. No doubt there will be little fractures and departures, but when the mist clears, there will be 85 million Anglicans in many countries around the globe in unity because of this ongoing reform. In the words of Bishops Cormac Murphy-O'Conner and Mark Santer, "Human weakness and sin do not only affect individual ministers: they can distort the human structuring of authority (cf. Mt 23). Therefore, loyal criticism and reforms are sometimes needed, following the example of Paul (cf. Gal 2.11-14). The consciousness of human frailty in the exercise of authority ensures that Christian ministers remain open to criticism and renewal and above all to exercising authority according to the example and mind of Christ." The mind of Christ, I believe, would find the Anglican **process** of dialogue and debate a surer path to unity and gospel-faithfulness than centralized decision-making could ever manage. It was the process used in laying the foundation and building the structure, and it's the process that will manifest the original purpose again in this age.
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Gearoid4 | Jul 16, 2011, 05:26 PM EDT
Eiriamach, you say that the early christian communities founded by Paul were not the models of perfect calm and agreement as one would've thought. Of course they had their internal disagreements but they did not suffer internal collapse over policies that were not in tune with the gospels. Therein lies the difference between the current travails effecting anglicanism and the differences of opinion that effected the Pauline ecclesiastical settlements. The anglican church seems to be driven more by modern sociological trends than traditional gospel precepts. The Western(Catholic) and Eastern(Orthodox) wings of the church universal recognize this as they see anglicanism drift further from the biblically-founded consensus regarding doctrine and beliefs that was present for nearly 2 millennia.
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eiriamach | Jul 16, 2011, 02:45 PM EDT
gearoid4, you write, "This does not mean that we should turn the model of governance into a free for all democracy where doctrines are decided on by a show of hands.... We have seen how this approach has torn the anglican communion asunder and left it in pieces over policies which are not in line with gospel values." ------------> The early Christian churches that received the epistles of Paul were not the structured hierarchies you describe. They were anarchic, with quarrels and conflicts tearing apart their communities. Similarly, the Anglican Communion is alive with chaos and conflict, in a turbulent state of becoming, but probably no more turbulent than those early Christians grumbling among themselves as they read Paul's epistles. Conflict and turbulent change are signs of LIFE. They more accurately indicate vitality than a headcount of people in the pews would indicate it, especially while many are waiting on the sidelines for the outcome of controversies about female bishops and homosexuals in full communion. Anglicans may seem to you like feuding dissenters and schismatics, but that is just what REFORM ALWAYS LOOKS LIKE in process. Try to think of it this way: Unlike Rome, Lambeth never rejected but rather embraced the reforms envisioned by V.II when ecumenical conferences between the two Churches had reached their most propitious moment. Anglicans have run on ahead of Rome, and Roman Catholics will find them waiting on the other side when Catholics finally emerge from that tumultuous, twisting, turning, painful path of reform.
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Gearoid4 | Jul 16, 2011, 11:15 AM EDT
Eiriamach, you are innocently or deliberately distorting the meaning of my words. The faithful are those who are daily trying to live up the high expectations of the gospel and yet see those who are charged with protecting and guiding the flock undermining those same precepts by flagrantly disregarding them. Of course, the abusers will have to face up to a reckoning in this life and the next which cannot be denied. Those entrusted with leadership roles who have sheltered such abusers also will have to account for their actions in the next world, if not this one. Reform is definitely required but it must be in line with the teachings of Jesus Christ. You talked about 'usurped' authority as if those who have been ordained were put there illegally. It so happens that Jesus designated authority of Leadership to Peter and the apostles which was then passed down via the following generations of episcopoi(bishops) and priests(presbyters). We have seen how imperfectly some representatives of those holy ministries have carried out their duties. This does not mean that we should turn the model of governance into a free for all democracy where doctrines are decided on by a show of hands which Christ never authorized. We have seen how this approach has torn the anglican communion asunder and left it in pieces over policies which are not in line with gospel values
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eiriamach | Jul 16, 2011, 10:51 AM EDT
No, Gearoid4, it's a 'dark night of the soul' only for the abusers, for priests who maintained secrecy about criminal abuse, for bishops who covered it up, and for Vatican officials who enforced their own self-interest against the civil laws of nations. For the faithful, it is a long-awaited rising sun of clarity and vindication and freedom to be practicing Christians again without consciences heavy with knowledge of actively pedophile priests, consciences enslaved to usurped 'authority.' That's 'the freedom of the children of God' that the gospels celebrate. They will set things up right in the coming reforms, with accountability to the people built in, full participation by the people in church decisions including moral doctrine, a return to the life of the spirit and renunciation of clerical lust for political power. there's a valuable discussion going on below; it confirms my sense that everything has changed and nothing can halt real reform now.
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Gearoid4 | Jul 16, 2011, 10:11 AM EDT
The present crisis is indeed a 'dark night' of the soul for many of the catholic faithful, both lay and religious. Barneyjo and Tom Swinford have made intelligent and honest contributions to this debate.
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Keynyata | Jul 16, 2011, 09:50 AM EDT
My greatest satisfaction and vindication for my
stance against the tyranny of irish catholicism,is the have lived long enough to see the demise of this
monstros monolith.I've always felt the danger and the negative power of the 'thing' since I was very young...when to witness one'sw parents being in fear
of the scum which passed for priests in eery Iriush community.
The cracks began to appear when the brave and maligned Annie Murphy told her story.I knew then,to my heart's delight,that it was only a matter of time before Ireland would take another step towards real freedom - that of the shaning off of the shackles of oppression from the peddlers of myth and the carriers of pure evil.
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sirpeter | Jul 16, 2011, 08:24 AM EDT
I think the native Americans got the ballance right.A deep spritual grounding and a deep connection with mother nature plus a higher power to draw on in times of need.Why do humans have to make everything so complicated.TomSwinford is right we allowed intermediaries to come between ourselves and God.Our wishful thinking is been used against us.Anyone who thinks the bible is the word of God needs their head tested.It should be rated over 18's and put in the horror section of bookstores.There is also no beauty or feel good factor for children looking at the human form grusomely nailed to a cross.Lucky Jesus wasn't impailed.Christianity is just an ongoing nightmare along with the rest.
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