Bishop asks O’Callaghan to stay silent

THE administrator of the Catholic Diocese of Cloyne has
issued what amounts to a gagging order on its former child protection
officer, Monsignor Denis O’Callaghan, as it emerged a local priest is
receiving text messages from women who claim he molested them. 

The
priest, who has faced a string of sexual abuse allegations, has
complained to north Cork gardaí that he is receiving unsolicited text
messages.

Archbishop of Cashel and Emly Dr Dermot Clifford,
Apostolic Administrator of Cloyne, has asked Mgr O’Callaghan not to make
any further comment on his failure to implement child safety guidelines
after he wrote a letter to the Irish Catholic newspaper seeking to
explain his actions.

In the letter, Mgr O’Callaghan, the
former diocesan child protection delegate, said he should have resigned
his position rather than continue in a job where he disagreed with the
child protection guidelines he was expected to enforce.


However, he insisted his primary focus was always on the pastoral care
of "everyone suffering the consequences of sex abuse, primarily the
victim but also the transgressor".

Mgr O’Callaghan, who was
criticised by the Murphy Commission for his inadequate handling of abuse
allegations, wrote: "Judge Yvonne Murphy was made aware of the Cloyne
commitment to pastoral care, but the commission focused on its remit of
reporting on whether or not procedures were fulfilled."

He
also sought to justify his decision to ignore the mandatory requirement
to report abuse allegations to the civil authorities on the grounds
that, "for most of those priests accused in Cloyne the complaints
alleged incidents dating back over 30 or 40 years".

In response,
Dr Clifford said he agreed Mgr O’Callaghan should have resigned once he
decided he could not implement the 1996 Framework Document from the
Catholic Bishops on safeguarding of children, as his bishop, Dr Magee,
had agreed to implement it.

Meanwhile, the priest in receipt of text messages has told gardaí that they have been "very stressful" for him.


Two women, accompanied by solicitors, have been interviewed by gardaí
in relation to the matter and a file is being sent to the DPP.

The victims expressed deep anger at the priest’s actions.


One woman said: "He is just playing the system again. Everything has
been done by the Church for this man, and here he is causing us more
pain all over again."

Source