New claims over Cardinal Brady's role in sex abuse inquiry
Cardinal Sean Brady Cardinal Brady was a priest in County Cavan at the time of the investigation


New revelations about the failure of the Catholic primate of all-Ireland to protect children from abuse have been uncovered by the BBC's This World show.

It found Cardinal Sean Brady had the names and addresses of those being abused by paedophile priest Brendan Smyth, but did not ensure their safety.

The investigation centres on a secret church inquiry in 1975 when a 14-year-old boy was questioned about abuse.

Smyth abused him and others in guesthouses on trips across Ireland.

In 1975, Cardinal Brady was a priest and teacher in County Cavan in the Republic of Ireland, when he was sent by his bishop to investigate a claim of child sexual abuse by a fellow priest.

That priest was later exposed as Ireland's most prolific paedophile, Father Brendan Smyth.

The first child to tell his parents about the abuse was 14-year-old Brendan Boland.

The man tasked with the secret church investigation that followed would later become the most senior priest in Ireland.

Sean Brady's role in the affair became clear in 2010, when it became known that he had been present when the abused boy was questioned.

The Catholic Church has been knocked off its pedestal in Ireland, and its leader is battling to hold onto his own position. Cardinal Sean Brady has been under pressure for some time. But he has always made it clear he will not resign, unless there is specific proof that his failure to act allowed clerical child abuse to take place. Clearly, he does not believe the evidence in the BBC documentary meets that criteria. However, with the media spotlight on his past, the Catholic primate is struggling to shift the focus to the present and the future. That is a very uncomfortable position, for any church leader.

He claimed, however, that the boy's father had accompanied him, and described his own role as that of a note-taker.

However, the BBC This World investigation has uncovered the notes Cardinal Brady took while the boy was questioned.

The child's father was not allowed in the room, and the child was immediately sworn to secrecy.

What Cardinal Brady failed to tell anyone in 2010 was that Brendan Boland had also given him and his colleagues the precise details of a group of children, some of whom, were being abused by Smyth.

Cardinal Brady did interview one of them and swore him to secrecy.

This World spoke to all of the children who Brendan Boland had identified, they all told the programme that to the best of their knowledge none of their parent's or families were warned in anyway about the paedophile Brendan Smyth.

Cardinal Brady did consider his position as Primate of all-Ireland when his role in the secret inquiry was first exposed.

The Catholic Church has said that "the sole purpose of the oath" signed by Brendan Boland in Cardinal Brady's presence was "to give greater force and integrity to the evidence given by Mr Boland against any counter claim by Fr Brendan Smyth".

The church also points out that in 1975, "no state or church guidelines for responding to allegations of child abuse existed in Ireland". Or morals it seems either

That shower of cunts won't offer a resignation.

And we should be thankful for it too. They've killed their pathetic religion.

The church also points out that in 1975, "no state or church guidelines for responding to allegations of child abuse existed in Ireland".

Has it? Haven't you got those blasphemy laws, they're pretty recent aren't they. People still make excuses despite the cover up and the resulting children that were abused, on top of all the the Church's refusal to accept responsiblity and drag its heels at every opportunity. Pope came to the UK and look at all the people who turned out for him and we're CofE primarily. I don't get it, Brady is evil, anyone who can stand buy whilst another priest roams the world abusing children and has a list of children he can help and does nothing is just a very bad person, certainly not a person suitable for lecturing others on behaviour and morality. Yet if the people of Ireland wanted him gone from his position he wouldn't still be there, but he is.

Anyway that's my take on it, you'll know more.

The blasphemy laws are a joke. I'm not aware of anyone ever being charged under them.

People who make excuses for the church are mad Christians. Given that religious nutters in your country and ours have been know to tend to blow shit up, justifying child abuse isn't much of a stretch.

The vast majority of Irish people want those cunts brought to justice, they don't want resignations they want prison. Unfortunately, little of what they've done is criminal. There's no chance of them being done though, because they've destroyed as much evidence as they can.

Anyway, the people above the likes of Brady are the real powers behind all of this. They all did what they were told.

The fact that they thought that the Church was above the level of the law of the country is ridiculous, though given the reverence that the Church was held in at the time it's not suprising that they thought like that.

It's a good thing that this is finally coming out, but instead of calls to resign he should be prosecuted for perverting the course of justice.

The fact that they thought that the Church was above the level of the law of the country is ridiculous, though given the reverence that the Church was held in at the time it's not suprising that they thought like that.

It's a good thing that this is finally coming out, but instead of calls to resign he should be prosecuted for perverting the course of justice.

There was some cannon lawyer on Morning Ireland himself a priest/brother or something and he claimed that Brady had nothing to answer for in cannon law, civil law or morally. AS he wasn't the investigator just the note taker and it wasn't his duty to report it. FFS

There was some cannon lawyer on Morning Ireland himself a priest/brother or something and he claimed that Brady had nothing to answer for in cannon law, civil law or morally. AS he wasn't the investigator just the note taker and it wasn't his duty to report it. FFS

the catholic church and fianna fail never apologise never resign is their common mantra, between them they have wrecked havoc in my country.

The Catholic primate of all-Ireland has said that he will not resign as Church leader despite revelations in the BBC's This World show.

It found Cardinal Sean Brady had names and addresses of those being abused by paedophile priest Brendan Smyth.

However, he did not pass on those details to police or parents.

Cardinal Brady said he accepted he was part of "an unhelpful culture of deference and silence in society, and the Church".

"With others, I feel betrayed that those who had the authority in the Church to stop Brendan Smyth failed to act on the evidence I gave them," he said in a statement on Wednesday.

"However, I also accept that I was part of an unhelpful culture of deference and silence in society, and the Church, which thankfully is now a thing of the past."

The cardinal said he was "shocked, appalled and outraged" by Smyth and said he had trusted that those with the authority to act in relation to Smyth would treat the evidence seriously and respond appropriately.

where are the apologist actually, Mullet, Bullet, lillyw and Willie D wonder what they will come up now?

It makes me distinctly uncomfortable to accept that in the much-derided (down South) old cliché bandied about by the likes of Carson & Paisley "Home Rule is Rome Rule" - there was a shameful amount of truth.

If I worked for a Dell, or a Microsoft; a Glanbia or a Musgraves, there would be corporate policies to some degree or other to be adhered to. There would be corporate loyalty to take into account. But those organisations do not put corporate rules & regulations above the laws of the land.

I deliberately made no mention of banks BTW.

I find it utterly abhorrent that any organisation on this island can place adherence to it's laws above the laws of the land.

Worse, that any government, or succession of governments, would accept that state of affairs.

Does it amount to undermining the State? Is it treasonous? Should the Holey Roman Catholic Church be a proscribed organisation?

Fair dues Enda Kenny. You called it in that speech of your. You backed it up by closing the embassy. But these were cheap, relatively easy moves. There's a far more costly exercise ahead which needs to be planned for and then executed. Proper seperation of church and state.

An unhelpful culture, what a load of mealy mouthed shit.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-17921673

The Catholic primate of all-Ireland has said that he will not resign as Church leader despite revelations in the BBC's This World show.

It found Cardinal Sean Brady had names and addresses of those being abused by paedophile priest Brendan Smyth.

However, he did not pass on those details to police or parents.

Cardinal Brady said he accepted he was part of "an unhelpful culture of deference and silence in society, and the Church".

"With others, I feel betrayed that those who had the authority in the Church to stop Brendan Smyth failed to act on the evidence I gave them," he said in a statement on Wednesday.

"However, I also accept that I was part of an unhelpful culture of deference and silence in society, and the Church, which thankfully is now a thing of the past."

That shower of cunts won't offer a resignation.

And we should be thankful for it too. They've killed their pathetic religion.

Has it? Haven't you got those blasphemy laws, they're pretty recent aren't they. People still make excuses despite the cover up and the resulting children that were abused, on top of all the the Church's refusal to accept responsiblity and drag its heels at every opportunity. Pope came to the UK and look at all the people who turned out for him and we're CofE primarily. I don't get it, Brady is evil, anyone who can stand buy whilst another priest roams the world abusing children and has a list of children he can help and does nothing is just a very bad person, certainly not a person suitable for lecturing others on behaviour and morality. Yet if the people of Ireland wanted him gone from his position he wouldn't still be there, but he is.

Anyway that's my take on it, you'll know more.

Actually just to respond to this, I heard a great quote that is very apt in this situation (as well as many others)

"Opinions don't change, generations just die"

That I think is very apt to explain the situation here. In the latest census in Ireland the number of new atheists that came from the under 30 bracket was nearly 50% or something like that, we are a fair bit away from change but it is coming, thank fuck!

Why do you care is people have faith or not?

Well I don't think anyone has the right to comment on this unless they go to mass every Sunday [/vonduggan]

It makes me distinctly uncomfortable to accept that in the much-derided (down South) old cliché bandied about by the likes of Carson & Paisley "Home Rule is Rome Rule" - there was a shameful amount of truth.

If I worked for a Dell, or a Microsoft; a Glanbia or a Musgraves, there would be corporate policies to some degree or other to be adhered to. There would be corporate loyalty to take into account. But those organisations do not put corporate rules & regulations above the laws of the land.

I deliberately made no mention of banks BTW.

I find it utterly abhorrent that any organisation on this island can place adherence to it's laws above the laws of the land.

Worse, that any government, or succession of governments, would accept that state of affairs.

Does it amount to undermining the State? Is it treasonous? Should the Holey Roman Catholic Church be a proscribed organisation?

Fair dues Enda Kenny. You called it in that speech of your. You backed it up by closing the embassy. But these were cheap, relatively easy moves. There's a far more costly exercise ahead which needs to be planned for and then executed. Proper seperation of church and state.

Some of the absolute sewer-scum on the Christianity forum on Boards.ie defending the RCC again.

We also need to seperate the faith from the organisation. This has fuck all to do with what people believe in and everything to do with the ability of an organisation involved right across the education and youth services.

Some of the absolute sewer-scum on the Christianity forum on Boards.ie defending the RCC again.

In all honesty, I feel a great deal of pity for people like that.

My grandmother was not an especially nice woman. She had a difficult enough life (mostly her own fault) and was in a difficult marriage for fifty years (again, mostly her own fault.)

She was a very devout Catholic, and it gave her a lot of comfort to know she was a good Catholic, which is a big deal if you're a bitch who is constantly getting given out to by everybody around her.

When you take into account her own background, and what she saw though, it was clear she was wilfully blind to what was going on. Girls in her own class were basically slaves in Magdalene laundries. Her brother would talk of the violence and disgusting behaviour of the Christian Brothers and their female equivalents. But people who have devoted themselves to Catholicism are terrified to accept that the organisation they've pinned so much of their lives on is inherently corrupt. These people are scum. Admittedly, all religions are. The various schisms, etc, of Christianity are mostly proof that people are self-serving scum.

Until the people who need Catholicism are dead, there will always be a hardcore who continue to defend the indefensible, because to accept that it was the organisation as a whole, and not some rogue element is just beyond them. This was not some arsehole bishop in Cavan or Armagh or wherever the fuck the cunt was hiding, protecting a handful of isolated cases, this was a highly developed structured organisation, and they knew exactly what was happening, and did exactly what they needed to hide it.

Tbh, what happened here is frightening, but what surprises me more is how it managed to happen so easily in places like the Netherlands, America and the UK. Ireland might have been a little Catholic hellhole, but those are all proddy as fuck, so it's hardly an Irish problem. God alone knows what they got up to in loser countries. Think of the poor kids in South America, Africa or Asia...

Since when did being a good catholic become mutually exclusive with being a good christian?