Texts and Emails, Monday 15 March 2010
Topic: The Cardinal Brady fallout.
Guests: Pat Rabbitte (Labour Justice Spokesman), Justine McCarthy (The Sunday Times), Christine Buckley (Aislinn Centre), Diarmaid Ferriter (UCD History Professor) and Chris Moore (Journalist & Documentary Maker).
I read an old story from the 1800s about a priest whose brother had been murdered. The murderer confessed to him in the confessional. The priest could not reveal this as it was given in the confessional. Years later the murderer confessed to him again outside the confessional. The priest immediately brought this to the authorities where the murderer was apprehended. Moral of the story: Cardinal Brady and others had a duty to inform the guards about abuses of children brought to their attention outside the confessional. This practice prevailed up to recent times when the law changed and they got rid of the confessional box, at least in some places. That was longwinded hope it makes sense.
Md, Wicklow
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3 months ago Cardinal Brady said he would resign if he were in the position he's now in.. What changed? THAT visit to the Vatican. They all came back duly humbled and chastised AND revigorated.
Nick.
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It's time for the Papal Cross to be torn down & replaced with a Garden of Solitude for abuse victims.
Leo Traynor, Dublin 6
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What about all victims who will never get justice because the DPP will NOT proceed - reason is "TIME DELAY”. I am one of four who signed statements about one man. No case because of time delay.
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Cardinal Brady should not resign. He should be fired and should be prosecuted for covering up a crime.
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These clowns crave power and money. Not one cent should be given by the public in collections until they change their attitude on child abuse.
Joe, Wexford
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I would like to congratulate Fr. Kevin Hegarty, the only priest on this island with the balls to stand up publicly for what is right and decent. How can a man who was complicit in the cover up of the crimes of this country's most notorious paedophile priest continue to lead the Catholic Church in Ireland? Dr. Sean Brady should step down as what he did or more accurately what he failed to do was both morally and legally WRONG.
Joe, Belmullet.
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From pope to parish priest rotten to the core.
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When will a policeman arrest Cardinal Brady. He has admitted knowing the priest was guilty of a crime and he failed to report that crime. That is a criminal act and he must be brought to trial immediately.
Sean
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I met a Fianna Fail cabinet minister recently and he very cleverly remarked that the three biggest pillars in Irish society over the course of our history were the Catholic Church, Fianna Fail and the GAA and unfortunately only one of those pillars is still standing.
Alan, Raheny
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What about the other significant adults in the lives of the two children interviewed by Sean Brady? Why did they not report the abuse to the civil authorities?
Martin. Kilkenny
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Was taught by Sean Brady. He was a gentleman when it was common for teachers to beat students. Big issue is what he knew about Smith’s abuse after 1975. As far as I remember he was in Rome for many years. If he knew Smith was still active he should have acted.
Shay
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Rape of a child was always against the law of the land. For a citizen of this land to protect a child rapist by not reporting it to the civil authorities is tantamount to obstructing the course of justice. Not only should he resign, he should do time behind bars.
Gerry
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The 'celebrity abused' have lost all credibility now. The have been very well compensated, heard and vindicated and they're celebrities. What more do they want? A Witch hunt.
Ed
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Can we not move on? We are sick of the media’s unrelenting bashing of the church. The church is on its knees and of course its priests did wrong and it is awful for survivors but please how is this current story now helpful for their healing. Surely nowadays as things are very different and the church is the safest place for children we do not need to have these witch hunts - as a society we desperately need a strong church and it is a source of strength for so many. Cardinal Brady is a good man, please don’t judge him from a less enlightened time.
Dan, Southwest.
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He should be gone. How could he keep his mouth shout about paedophiles? I would lose any job to see people like them brought to justice.
Tommy, Cork
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Is it now time to revisit that clause in the constitution which gives the Catholic Church a special relationship with the state given the number of instances that this church has abused this special position?
Willie Dawson, Galway.
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A rather unbalanced panel. Politico.ie published a comment that Bishop Jones was: A deluded old f*ck (U in place of asterisk). That sort of foul gratuitous comment belongs in the sewers, and has no place in respectable journalism, whether the Bishop is deluded or not.
Ned.
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The frightening of two ten year old children into taking an oath of secrecy about the fact that they were raped by a priest was a further form of abuse. The fact that anyone tries to defend Brady because it was 30 years ago is the most frightening part of this. In Nuremberg, obeying orders was not accepted as an excuse. Remember this truth had to be dragged from the church.
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As a member of the catholic church and a Christian it is getting very difficult to stay a catholic with the daily reports in the media re the history of abuse within the church. There is nothing sacred about abuse and the arrogance amongst our leaders in the church leaves a lot to be desired. They are not above the law of the land. Any member of the church who colluded to hide the abuse must face criminal charges.
Mary O’Brien, Kilkenny
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Jesus said, let he who is without sin throw the first stone. If these people are not happy, join another church.
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Christine Buckley is the Joan of Arc of Ireland. She should be made a saint for her tireless work. I hope her health is okay. And she can keep going for all the unheard and forgotten. God bless her heart.
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Buckley is a known liar.
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Vincent, I have a new baby who I am having major reservations about allowing myself to christen him in a Church where the so call leader can deny any responsibility for allowing such a man as Brendan Smyth destroy so many lives.
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Programme unfair and unbalanced. Is there any right of reply? Not with TV3.
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How many of your panel are practicing Catholics? Is there another agenda? Can the survivors ever move on? What good can come out of this targeting of a man who has put a lot of structures n place to ensure this horror will never again happen? A lot of good is also happening from within the church now.
Nance Schull, West Cork
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I have been a Catholic all my life and am now so ashamed of the Church. The arrogance of the Church in still trying to pull the wool over our eyes is staggering. When are they going to open their eyes to the fact that people have lost all regard for the organisation? Shame shame shame
Mary
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Someone once said for evil to flourish all it takes is for good men to stand idly by.
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Let those "holy" men act now with a shred of decency and resign. Shame on any one who supports a church which is rotten to the core. My childhood was taken from me by priests - shame on these men I thought I had got over my anger until I heard that man self-righteously defending the in-defensible on the radio this morning.
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Canon law is a throwback to the middle ages when corrupt popes cardinals and bishops ruled Europe. It’s time for a new reformation!
John Costello, Boyle.
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We the people of Ireland need to resign from the catholic church- look at the numbers of people still bringing their kids to mass, christenings, communions and confirmations. Why is Irish society still colluding with a rotten abusive institution?
Caitriona
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The church will never be reformed until women, married and single plus married men, can be appointed as priests and bishops.
Ian
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