REACTION:REACTION TO the Cloyne report on failures in the Catholic Church's handling of complaints against priests of child sexual abuse fell into two categories in the diocese yesterday.
A majority did not want to comment, but those who did have something to say expressed their shock and anger.
More than 20 people approached by The Irish Timesin Mallow yesterday said they did not want to comment. However, among those who agreed to speak, there was near-unanimity with people expressing shock and disgust and virtually all supported Minister for Justice Alan Shatter's plan to make it obligatory for anyone with information of abuse to report it.
Patrick Casey from Kanturk said he was not shocked by the Cloyne report and attributed the concealment of the abuse to the culture and ethos cultivated throughout the church by the Vatican.
“Nothing has changed in the last 20 years and I don’t expect it will. Whereas I knew Denis O’Callaghan personally and liked him, I think the problem is an endemic one which stems from Rome.
“So I think it lies with the Pope and that’s where change will have to come from,” he said.
“I think Alan Shatter’s proposal is a great move. There’s a difference between what people do in their spiritual life and what they do in their civil life – if I told my GP I abused somebody, he would be obliged to report it and priests should have to do the same. It’s still a crime.”
Joan Browne, from Millstreet in the neighbouring Diocese of Kerry, expressed some reservations about the possibility of a small minority making a false report but she was adamant both Bishop John Magee and Msgr Denis O’Callaghan should answer their critics.
“I think the O’Callaghan guy and the other guy should speak out and at least say something and respond to the report. It was shocking what came out – both the abuse and the cover-up were bad and people should be prosecuted,” she said.
Lorraine Skinner from Mallow was equally forthright. “They should be prosecuted. They shouldn’t be able to hide behind the collar from any religion – you should not be able to do what you want. And what they did to children who can’t defend themselves was disgraceful.”
Bill Tuohy from Charleville revealed he had little faith in the church. He was opposed to priests seeking to claim privilege for any admissions of abuse made during confession.
“I think priests saying that they can’t reveal what they are told in confession is just them covering their own asses and protecting themselves.”
Vicki O’Donoghue from Banteer said what she found most shocking was the Vatican had instructed Cloyne officials to ignore the guidelines on reporting abuse. “I think it’s good that priests, along with everyone else, will now have to report any abuse. It’s not good enough that they can walk around knowing this person is out there and might be abusing. They may say they are repenting but they need treatment,” she said.
“The guidelines have been completely flouted – it’s so hypocritical. I think the Vatican is a foreign power and have diplomatic status. They would definitely need to be reprimanded in the strongest possible terms.
“And if they don’t measure up, I think it should be looked at – you wouldn’t tolerate it from any other country.”
* Vatican senior spokesman, Fr Federico Lombardi, last night again declined to offer any official Holy See comment on the implications of the Cloyne report , writes Paddy Agnew.
Apart from the fact that the Holy See traditionally takes its time to analyse and digest something as complex as the Cloyne report, it is also possible that the Vatican feels that, in the current heated atmosphere, a statement might only provoke further polemics.
Since the publication of the report on Wednesday, the Vatican has issued no official comment.