Cardinal Resists Resign Calls Over Abuse

The Catholic Church in Ireland is facing further pressure today as calls intensify for the church's leader to resign after he admitted knowing about the sexual abuse of two children.

SDLP Health Spokesperson Conall McDevitt has said it is now time for Stormont Minister for Health Michael McGimpsey to bring forward proposals to seek justice for the victims of institutional and clerical child abuse in Northern Ireland.

He was speaking after Cardinal Sean Brady admitted that he was at meetings in 1975 where two abused children signed vows of silence over complaints against disgraced priest, Fr Brendan Smyth.

Cardinal Brady was involved in investigating complaints of abuse in his capacity as secretary to the bishop of Kilmore.

The two children at the centre of the case are reported to have been aged 10 and 14 when the investigation took place in 1975.

Cardinal Brady said that while he believed the victims, in his limited role, he did all he could to make sure Fr Smyth was stopped from working as a priest.

He said it was not fair to judge him by the child protection standards of today.

He added that as a relatively junior cleric it was not his responsibility to report Smyth to the police and that he passed all relevant information to his superiors.

However, Mr McDevitt insited: "Following up on the Ryan and Murphy reports in the south, I have been lobbying for the Minster for Health and the Executive to acknowledge that it is the duty of the state to uphold the rights of the survivors of abuse here.

"The SDLP brought a motion to the Assembly last November and we are concerned at the delay by the Minister for Health in responding to it.

"When I asked the Minster for Health for an update last week he informed me that he is awaiting a response from the Minister for Education and that this is not now expected until April 30th," he continued.

"This is a worrying development and an unacceptable delay. The survivors deserve better and I am calling today on the Minister for Education to bring forward the date of her response to the Minster for Education so the Executive can agree a way forward," he said.

Meanwhile, the Rape Crisis Network Ireland said the cardinal's position had become untenable.

Also, TUV leader Jim Allister and Sinn Fein MLA Sue Ramsey said Cardinal Brady should consider stepping down.

The Irish Labour party said the police should investigate Cardinal Brady's role in the internal church inquiry into Fr Smyth.

The party's spokeswoman on social and family affairs, Roisin Shortall, said the cardinal was "hopelessly compromised by what had emerged".

"I believe that there should be a Garda (Irish police) investigation to determine whether or not the failure to report Fr Smyth's crimes to the civil authorities was, itself, a criminal offence," she said.

(BMcC/GK)