In 1975 the now head of the Catholic Church in Ireland, Cardinal Sean Brady, swore two victims of notorious paedophile priest, Brendan Smyth, to secrecy after taking their statements.
When this emerged in March the Cardinal faced calls to resign and went into a period of reflection.
In a statement issued last night Cardinal Brady indicated this reflection was over and he would be carrying on with his work.
The statement said, “I commit myself, with all my human weakness, to walk humbly with all in the Church in Ireland as a fellow pilgrim on this journey of renewal and to discern God’s will for the Church at this time.”
Background
Cardinal Brady was a 35-year-old cannon lawyer when he met the teenage victims.
He reported the abuse to his boss, Bishop of Kilmore Francis McKiernan, but not to any other authority.
This emerged in March 2010 as one of the victims took steps to sue Cardinal Brady.
At that time he confirmed he attended two meetings with the teenage victims – at one he recorded what happened whilst at the other he asked the questions.
Cardinal Brady’s spokesperson said the oath wasn’t a gagging order but was put in place to “protect the good names of all involved”.
With widespread calls for him to go, the 70-year-old, who collapsed at mass in March, asked for time to think.
Reflection
In responding to the report of the National Board for Safeguarding Children Cardinal Brady made his intention to stay on clear.
He thanked those he had met, in public and in private, as part of his reflections on his next step saying, “I listened firstly to those who are survivors of abuse.”
Cardinal Brady vowed to work with ‘courage and determination’ in his remaining years as Primate of All-Ireland and his statement concluded, “I will do all I can to help sow the seeds for a genuine healing and renewal in the Church which, for so many of us, is our family and our home.
Measures
Included in the statement are a number of requests the Cardinal has made to the Holy See including…
- A request that Pope Benedict visit Armagh
- The appointment of an Archbishop to assist Cardinal Brady
- A vow to a ‘voluntary’ audit and review of safeguarding of children throughout the church.
Read the Cardinal’s Full statement here: Cardinal Brady’s Statement.
