Archbishop apologises to abused man

ARCHBISHOP Dermot Clifford has issued an apology to a young man who was sexually abused by a priest who was supposed to be hearing his confession.

The archbishop issued the apology after Fr Brendan Wrixon received an 18-month suspended sentence at Cork Circuit Criminal Court yesterday for gross indecency against the then teenager between October 1982 and February 1983.

The court heard that at the time Fr Wrixon was acting as confessor during a religious workshop organised by the Diocese of Cloyne.

The man claimed in a victim impact statement that the Catholic Church was more interested in protecting itself than in helping him. It had taken him 20 years to break his silence, because of the shame he’d endured.

"The truth is I was sexually abused by Brendan Wrixon when I was a teenager. I was wronged in a very serious way.

"He was the adult and I was the young teenager.

"He should have known better. As a priest his role was to be guide and witness to Christian values."

Archbishop Clifford, who is Apostolic Administrator of the Diocese of Cloyne, said he was "deeply sorry" that the trust of a young person was betrayed by a priest. He said he wished to apologise to the victim and express his "sincere regret" to him and his family.

Archbishop Clifford said Fr Wrixon has not held a diocesan appointment since 2005.

Judge Seán O Donnabháin told Wrixon that he violated not only the laws of the country, but his own religious view and whatever tenets he believed in.

"You have acknowledged publicly that you wronged him; you are no longer a priest and rightly so. You don’t deserve to be one," Judge O Donnabháin said after Wrixon pleaded guilty to a charge of gross indecency.

Archbishop Clifford said he wished to encourage anyone who has been a victim of child sexual abuse to report it to the gardaí and the HSE.

"I also wish to let victims, or anyone who has concerns, know that they may also contact me directly or contact the diocesan child protection designated officer, Fr John McCarthy," said Archbishop Clifford.

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