Good Priests, what have they done for you.

[thebigfella]

So where stand you Donagh Ulick on the Sean Brady scandal?

I haven't been following the news - what has he done?

Havent read the papers, heard the radio, watched the tv news or checked the news on the Internet in the past week?! Really?!

'scandal' ?

Come on LB, this is a scandal.

the then Fr. Brady thing is a 'scandal' ?

the child abuse thing is more than a scandal, it deserves capital punishment for sex offenders, rapists, child abusers etc
but part of the whole problem in this country is that all abusers and people who flout the law get off scott free - the sex offenders, the killers, the financial fraudsters, the legal cheats, the erseholes that waste hospital/courts time etcall deserve at least custodial sentences.

the Then Fr Brady was a mute idiot afraid to squeal on his own church - maybe he thought he could rectify things later etc
either way he and all others that could have done something about it should be sacked.
That way the Catholic church has a clean bill of health and no legacy from past disgraces remain.

but a 'scandal' for not squealing - no.
sad and spineless - yes.

Yeah they all do   What's the point of having those courts if they are never going to use them.

[lynchbhoy]

there are plenty of priests who have done fantastic work in Ireland over the past 100 years (and more). There continues to be magnificent priests.
A small amount has given the rest a bad name , and like other intitutions and countries who did not know how to deal with huge problems when they arose - the Catholic church in hindsight prob couldnt have reacted any worse than they did.

However with vocations lessening in Ireland and foreign priests to now to become commonplace, I expect another hundred years of fantastic work, now more so than ever with people in economic turmoil and in need of help and comfort.

[lynchbhoy]

So where stand you Donagh Ulick on the Sean Brady scandal?

I haven't been following the news - what has he done?

Havent read the papers, heard the radio, watched the tv news or checked the news on the Internet in the past week?! Really?!

'scandal' ?

Come on LB, this is a scandal.

the then Fr. Brady thing is a 'scandal' ?

the child abuse thing is more than a scandal, it deserves capital punishment for sex offenders, rapists, child abusers etc
but part of the whole problem in this country is that all abusers and people who flout the law get off scott free - the sex offenders, the killers, the financial fraudsters, the legal cheats, the erseholes that waste hospital/courts time etcall deserve at least custodial sentences.

the Then Fr Brady was a mute idiot afraid to squeal on his own church - maybe he thought he could rectify things later etc
either way he and all others that could have done something about it should be sacked.
That way the Catholic church has a clean bill of health and no legacy from past disgraces remain.

but a 'scandal' for not squealing - no.
sad and spineless - yes.

Yeah they all do   What's the point of having those courts if they are never going to use them.

too many loopholes and a judicial system that is in need of a savage overhaul

[lynchbhoy]

So where stand you Donagh Ulick on the Sean Brady scandal?

I haven't been following the news - what has he done?

Havent read the papers, heard the radio, watched the tv news or checked the news on the Internet in the past week?! Really?!

'scandal' ?

Come on LB, this is a scandal.

the then Fr. Brady thing is a 'scandal' ?

the child abuse thing is more than a scandal, it deserves capital punishment for sex offenders, rapists, child abusers etc
but part of the whole problem in this country is that all abusers and people who flout the law get off scott free - the sex offenders, the killers, the financial fraudsters, the legal cheats, the erseholes that waste hospital/courts time etc
all deserve at least custodial sentences.

the Then Fr Brady was a mute idiot afraid to squeal on his own church - maybe he thought he could rectify things later etc
either way he and all others that could have done something about it should be sacked.
That way the Catholic church has a clean bill of health and no legacy from past disgraces remain.

but a 'scandal' for not squealing - no.
sad and spineless - yes.

I think you are on the same page as me anyway, you are saying he has to go/be sacked, that in itself is a scandal is it not?  That the Primate of All Ireland will walk over this is a major scandal I would say.

I think he has to go for the greater good of the church

as it stands though he didnt do anything (literally) which is his crime - and for that is not actually deserving of being sacked.

[Franko]

there are plenty of priests who have done fantastic work in Ireland over the past 100 years (and more). There continues to be magnificent priests.
A small amount has given the rest a bad name , and like other intitutions and countries who did not know how to deal with huge problems when they arose - the Catholic church in hindsight prob couldnt have reacted any worse than they did.

However with vocations lessening in Ireland and foreign priests to now to become commonplace, I expect another hundred years of fantastic work, now more so than ever with people in economic turmoil and in need of help and comfort.

Wise up LB.

The current head of the Catholic Church in Ireland knowingly withheld information on a priest sex offender who had abused children and went on to abuse a great deal more children.

Scandalous would be one of the least emotive words I can think of to describe it.

[mylestheslasher]

Well if we are going to be pedantic I'll retract the word scandal, enter in its place what you will.

Ulick - You should get out more. Let me sumarise. In 1975 the then Father Sean Brady (later Cardinal, i'm sure you have heard of him - wears a little purple thing on his head) was present when two children who had been sexualy abused by notorious paedophille Fr Brendan Smyth. Father Brady then witnessed these children sign a document so that they would not speak of the issue again. Father Brady claims he was just taking notes and passed these onto his bishop who didn't act on them. He claimed initially that he had done no wrong. Survivor groups claim Fr Brady could have saved many children from abuse if he had gone to the Gardai and reported Smyth especially since it was obvious that he was still at large after his note taking exercise. Fr Brady then watched 2 court cases prosecute Smyth and still did not come forward. He sat on his information for 20 years. A few weeks ago he was calling on Bishops in the Murphy report to "do the right thing" - presumably resign. He indeed said that if his (in)actions were to ever lead to harm to children he would resign. Early in the week he said only the pope could convince him to resign. Following an outcry which you missed he now says he is ashamed of his actions and his considering is position. So Ulick, do you think he should quit.

[Doogie Browser]

Well said Myles

[Hardy]

Survivor groups claim Fr Brady could have saved many children from abuse if he had gone to the Gardai and reported Smyth

I agree with your post Myles, but the survivor groups are probably wrong on this one, given what we learned from the Murphy report (and probably suspected all along). Given the culture of deference to the Church at the time, there is no guarantee whatsoever that the guards, at the highest level, and their political bosses wouldn't have colluded in the cover-up.

This is not to condone Brady's inaction, of course.

[lynchbhoy]

there are plenty of priests who have done fantastic work in Ireland over the past 100 years (and more). There continues to be magnificent priests.
A small amount has given the rest a bad name , and like other intitutions and countries who did not know how to deal with huge problems when they arose - the Catholic church in hindsight prob couldnt have reacted any worse than they did.

However with vocations lessening in Ireland and foreign priests to now to become commonplace, I expect another hundred years of fantastic work, now more so than ever with people in economic turmoil and in need of help and comfort.

Wise up LB.
The current head of the Catholic Church in Ireland knowingly withheld information on a priest sex offender who had abused children and went on to abuse a great deal more children.
Scandalous would be one of the least emotive words I can think of to describe it.

that would be your opinion and the opinion of a lot of people - throughbenefit of hindsight.

however , I do not agree with you.

[lynchbhoy]

Survivor groups claim Fr Brady could have saved many children from abuse if he had gone to the Gardai and reported Smyth

I agree with your post Myles, but the survivor groups are probably wrong on this one, given what we learned from the Murphy report (and probably suspected all along). Given the culture of deference to the Church at the time, there is no guarantee whatsoever that the guards, at the highest level, and their political bosses wouldn't have colluded in the cover-up.

This is not to condone Brady's inaction, of course.

the problem is that there are too many sheep in all institutions who wont act
that has not changed throughout the world.

[Hardy]

LB I think the bigger problem is not with the sheep but with their shepherds. Remember that in both the church and state, while the crimes were perpetrated by the little guys, the cover up was orchestrated from the very top and the cover up is by far the bigger crime, because it facilitates ten more crimes for every one committed originally.

[lynchbhoy]

LB I think the bigger problem is not with the sheep but with their shepherds. Remember that in both the church and state, while the crimes were perpetrated by the little guys, the cover up was orchestrated from the very top and the cover up is by far the bigger crime, because it facilitates ten more crimes for every one committed originally.

absolutely
the young shepherd here was one of the little guys so was never going to be listened to

the problem was with the Catholic Church in Ireland, the top men there tried to hush it up, I dont even think they would have even relayed the whole problem to the vatican and up the chain of command - such was their arrogance

these head honchos and the little men - the b@stard sex offenders - they all deserve jail at least.

the Catholic church itself is as good as any globally massive organisation could be.
there will be pockets of evil everywhere.

the catholic church up until now was not aware or geared towards combatting or dealing with such evil or wrongdoing - and thus chose the wrong options.

[Ulick]

Scandalous indeed. So I take it Brady isn't one of the good guys anymore?

[Puckoon]

When you turn a blind eye as an adult man of 36 to the reports of 2 small children who have been assaulted by Brendan Smyth and have them sign an oath of secrecy - you were never one of the good guys.

[mylestheslasher]

Donagh Ulick is trying some pathetic attempt at being amusing. Normally very politically tuned in (agree with him or not) he is trying to tell us he hasn't heard anything about the story. I don't see anything amusing about this story myself. Funny how you lose all ready and interest when a story comes along that puts member(s) of the church in a bad light isn't it, I wonder why that is?