Archbishops pay tribute to disgraced former bishop Brendan Comiskey as funeral announced
'PERSONAL SYMPATHIES' |
Comiskey, who died yesterday at the age of 89, will be buried on Thursday, May 1, at 1pm in the Church of the Sacred Heart, St Johns Drive, Clondalkin, Dublin
Former Bishop of Ferns, Brendan Comiskey. Photo: PJ Browne
Comiskey, who died yesterday at the age of 89, will be buried on Thursday, May 1, at 1pm in the Church of the Sacred Heart, St Johns Drive, Clondalkin, Dublin.
He died early Monday morning in the Louth County Hospital, Dundalk, predeceased by his parents, two sisters and seven brothers.
Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland Eamon Martin said: "I wish to express my sadness at the death of Bishop Brendan Comiskey SS CC, Bishop Emeritus of Ferns, who served for over twenty years as a member of the Bishops Conference.'
He added: "I am deeply conscious that he chose to resign as Bishop of Ferns in April 2002 while recognising his failures in governance, and accepting that his continuation in office would 'indeed be an obstacle to healing' for victims and survivors of abuse.
"The safeguarding of children and vulnerable persons, and the prompt reporting of allegations of abuse, is of paramount importance in the Church today and must remain so.
"Bishop Comiskey's death will rekindle memories of pain and suffering for many and I my thoughts and prayers at this time are also with all those who have been traumatised or let down by the awful sins and crimes and abuse perpetrated by members of the Church, or by the failure to appropriately and adequately follow up concerns that were brought to those in leadership.'
Archbishop of Dublin Dermot Farrell said Comiskey's decision to resign as Bishop of Ferns following allegations of child abuse in the Diocese 'necessitated both courage and strength'
Archbishop Farrell said: 'His words communicated both his humility, and the painful discovery of the reality of abuse, and its long-lasting consequences. It brought him to the realisation that those who shepherd the Lord's flock were to be more concerned about the survivors, the most vulnerable, than about themselves, their position in society, their reputation, or their status.
"I offer my personal sympathies and prayers to his family, to the members of the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary, priests, religious, friends, and to the many people whose lives he touched throughout his 64 years of priestly and episcopal ministry. We ask the Lord to grant him eternal rest.'
The Monaghan native retreated from public life following the publication of the damning Ferns Report which outlined a catalogue of child sex abuse in the diocese over a period of forty years.
It emerged that Bishop Comiskey had failed to protect children from paedophile priests and failed to report allegations that Fr Seán Fortune had abused a number of children.
The Ferns report found that Comiskey had "failed to recognise the paramount need to protect children, as a matter of urgency, from potential abusers".
Born in August 1935, Dr Comiskey was originally from Clontibret in Co Monaghan and was ordained a priest in 1961.
He became Bishop of Ferns back in 1984, aged just 49. He would serve in the role for 18 years, through what is widely regarded as one of the darkest periods of the Catholic Church.
Speaking to the Irish Independent in 2014 about the clerical abuse scandal, he said: 'I did my best and it wasn't good enough and that's it.'
For clerical sex abuse survivor Colm O'Gorman, the news of Bishop Comiskey's passing stopped him in his tracks.
"I had to think, 'how do I feel about it?'' he said. 'First of all, I'd say that the death of anybody is a sad moment. I genuinely mean it when I offer my heartfelt condolences to his family, friends and those who loved him.
"Brendan Comiskey has been a private individual for a very long time. In terms of his legacy, I think it's clearly laid out in the Ferns Report for anyone who wants to read it,' said Mr O'Gorman, who founded the One in Four charity which offers support to women and men who have experienced sexual violence.
"He was, however, one Bishop. It was really clear in the years following the report that Ferns was sadly not unique at all.'
In recent years, Bishop Comiskey had been under the care of the Sisters of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary in Ranelagh in Dublin.
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WITH its two-for-one cocktail deals, karaoke nights and football screens plastered over every wall, Monaghans wouldn't stand out from any other Irish bar found up and down the Costa del Sol. 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Horror moment Scots gangster Ross Monaghan is shot dead by hitman at Spanish pub as staff & punters flee in terror But both the Daniels and Richardson gangs have over the last few months faced attacks ordered by a new mobster on the block, known as 'Miami', determined to establish himself as a force to be feared. Meanwhile, Spain-based Lyons associates have acted as middle men and recruited foot soldiers on the ground. The bloody feud began with a drug deal gone wrong involving Ross 'Miami' McGill, a McGill was a long-time ringleader of the Union Bears, the club's most hardcore group of fans. Dozens of snaps show the Scotsman leading chants from the stands of the Ibrox stadium and he was even given a send-off by then-manager Steven Gerrard when he stepped away from the leadership role in 2021. You can see a darkness - something bad behind their eyes Crime scene witness By then, however, McGill was on the police's radar and soon moved to Dubai after skipping court on drug-dealing allegations. It is from there that he is believed to have been directing a wave of attacks across those who crossed him. 'When EncroChat was cracked, many senior members of organised crime were detained in prisons up and down the country,' explains Graeme Pearson, former director of the Scottish Crime and Drug Agency. EncroChat was a communications tool widely used by organised crime to talk in secret. Its infiltration by police and crime agencies led to hundreds of arrests across the UK and Europe. 'The next generation of would-be gangsters stepped into that void and decided that they were going to be the top kids going forward,' Graeme says. 'It left something of a vacuum at a top level for somebody like McGill to step into the frame.' 'All hell broke loose' He continues: 'All hell broke loose in February. It became evident there'd been a fallout, allegedly about the theft of half a million pounds worth of drugs. 'Ross McGill came onto the scene, but being a new face, the gang took advantage of him, and he was paid with counterfeit money.' Having been done over for £500,000, the mobster is said to have wasted little time before enacting revenge. 14 McGill is a former Rangers ultra, pictured next to captain James Tavernier 14 McGill, posing in a white Rolls Royce, is said to be directing a gang war from Dubai In McGill's crosshairs were allies of Edinburgh-based cocaine kingpin Mark Richardson, currently being held in isolation at HMP Low Moss. Calling themselves Tamu Junto (TMJ) - Portuguese for 'We're in this together' - the footsoldiers targeted homes and businesses belonging to those linked to Richardson and the Daniels. The shameless group have even been posting sinister, slick videos set to music proudly showing off the trail of destruction they've left. One clip made in April showed the aftermath of a firebomb attack on a garage linked to the son of the late Jamie Daniel, while a house in Edinburgh was also torched. It became evident there'd been a fallout, allegedly about the theft of half a million pounds worth of drugs Graeme Pearson, former director of the Scottish Crime and Drug Agency In the video, they warn: 'We are urging everyone in Scotland on the streets and those incarcerated to join us in the fight against Mark Richardson and the Daniels family. 'These rats have been thieving for a long time. 'It's time for people to stand together as one and remove this vermin from the streets.' Earlier in May, the home owned by Kelly 'Bo' Green, daughter of late crime kingpin Jamie Daniel and ex-partner of slain gangster Kevin 'Gerbil' Carroll was torched, leaving scorch marks around the exterior. Even more shockingly, a 12-year-old boy and 72-year-old woman were battered after being found in a property linked to the Daniel family. A trio of thugs armed with knives and machetes also stormed a car repair firm in East Kilbride run by convicted heroin dealer Robert Daniel, 50. 14 This house in Edinburgh's Hay Drive area was the latest to be targeted in a series of attacks in April Credit: Duncan McGlynn 14 Edinburgh-based cocaine kingpin Mark Richardson is currently being held in isolation at HMP Low Moss Credit: Michael Schofield - The Sun Glasgow It is believed that the Lyons mobsters based in the Costa del Sol proved crucial in helping McGill identify targets and recruit foot soldiers for his war of revenge, with boss Steven Lyons, 44, thought to live there. 'The TMJ is a very new development. The authorities haven't recognised it yet,' says Pearson. 'But there is a street acceptance that they operate at the behest of McGill. 'So when McGill erupted onto the scene, it seemed a marriage of convenience for the Lyons family to connect up with the new kid on the block.' There is currently no extradition treaty between the UK and Dubai. As such, thugs like McGill are essentially untouchable, able to live a life of luxury with their ill-gotten millions. 14 A haul of firearms seized during Operation Escalade, a Scottish police operation fighting back against organised crime 14 A grenade was among the cache of weapons discovered in a concealed compartment at the back of a Honda car 14 £5.1m in cash seized in Operation Venetic, an investigation on Encrochat, the encrypted communication system used by organised crime gangs Credit: PA 14 Shootings and firebombings have gripped Scotland's streets amid an explosion of violence The vicious mob recently refuted reports that McGill had called for the violence to be halted. 'We have terrorised you since March and we will continue to do so,' they said in a post on social media only the day before Monaghan and Lyons were shot. 'Despite false claims in the media, TMJ will continue to target anyone associated with the Daniel family or Mark Richardson. 'We aren't going away - we will continue to target you. 'We have no rules, we have no limits. 'We are coming for you.' It's thought that more than 100 mafia-like groups could be operating on the Costa del Sol, which is less than an hour's drive away from the port of Algeciras, one of Europe's main points of entry for cocaine. The expiration of an extradition agreement between the UK and Spain in 1978 made the region especially popular among British gangsters. Charlie Wilson, part of the Great Train Robbery, was one of them - before he was shot dead in 1990 at his villa in Marbella. There was also the crook and nightclub owner Ronnie Knight, and Krays associate Freddie Foreman. Meanwhile, plenty of lesser-known Brit gangsters have met a grizzly end on this part of the Spanish coastline. That includes Scott Bradfield, whose limbs were found crammed into a suitcase back in 2002, and 39-year-old Sean Hercules from Leeds, who died following a shootout with police in 2018. Wave of violence Police Scotland have so far made more than 40 arrests as part of Operation Portaledge, which was launched in response to the escalating violence. Scotland's top cop Jo Farrell said the force is determined to create 'a hostile environment' for gangsters involved in the violence. Underworld figures have claimed that McGill rejected an offer of peace talks with top mob boss Steven 'Bonzo' Daniel, 45. An insider said: 'Bonzo has reached out a few times looking to call for peace. 'But the Dubai guy has made it clear he is not interested.' McGill and the Lyon clan also have a trick up their sleeve - an alliance formed between the slain Monaghan and the notorious Kinahan crime cartel from Ireland. 14 Chilling clips of firebomb attacks are being shared on social media and WhatsApp 14 A forensics team at the scene of an attack last month Credit: Andrew Barr It is believed that Monaghan was key in building the friendship after he boldly approached arch-boss Daniel Kinahan several years ago. As allies of the slain gangsters plot revenge, their alliance with the Irish gangsters could prove crucial in gaining an upper hand against their Scottish rivals once and for all. Read more on the Irish Sun Meanwhile, the ambitious McGill is also likely to not let Saturday's dramatic violence deter him from waging war on his rivals. And with carnage all but guaranteed, the Costa del Sol may find itself the sunny backdrop to a very bloody game of revenge.
