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RTÉ News
28-04-2025
- RTÉ News
Breaking Former bishop of Ferns Brendan Comiskey dies
Former Bishop of Ferns Brendan Comiskey, who resigned in April 2002 over failing to address allegations of clerical sexual abuse in the diocese, has died. The allegations resulted in an inquiry into child sexual abuse known as the Ferns Report. Dr Comiskey resigned over claims that he did not report allegations that Fr Sean Fortune had abused a number of children while Dr Comiskey was in control of the Ferns diocese. Fr Fortune was a serial paedophile with a manipulative personality and Dr Comiskey admitted he found him difficult to deal with. Fortune died by suicide while on bail. One of his victims was the advocate and former Director of Amnesty International Ireland, Colm O'Gorman, who subsequently founded the charity One in Four for victims of abuse. Mr O'Gorman was one of the first of Fortune's many victims to report the assaults to gardaí. Born in August 1935, Brendan Comiskey was originally from Clontibret in Co Monaghan. He was ordained a priest of the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary in 1961. He became Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Dublin in 1979 and was appointed the Bishop of Ferns in April 1984. The Ferns report found that the former bishop failed to establish sound child protection measures in the diocese. It also found his predecessor Bishop Donal Herlihy excluded unsuitable candidates from the priesthood and there was a failure ensure that alleged abusers were kept away from children.
Yahoo
21-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Pope Francis' visit to Ireland called a ‘powerful moment' for abuse survivors
Pope Francis' visit to Ireland in 2018 was billed as a historic moment of reflection and healing, but for many survivors of clerical abuse, it has been dubbed a missed opportunity – one marked more by disappointment than reconciliation. The pontiff's two-day trip, which included stops at Knock shrine in County Mayo and a homeless centre in Dublin, was his first to Ireland since becoming head of the Catholic Church, at a time when the country continued to grapple with the legacy of decades of abuse carried out in Church-run institutions. While Pope Francis did meet with survivors and asked for 'forgiveness for the abuses in Ireland' during a Mass at Phoenix Park, some felt his words lacked the directness and accountability they had long hoped for. READ MORE: What happens now after Pope Francis death? Period of mourning and how new Catholic leader is picked READ MORE: Pope Francis dead aged 88 - updates as tributes paid to leader of Catholic Church Among those critical of the Pope's address was Colm O'Gorman, a survivor of clerical abuse and former head of Amnesty International Ireland. He organised a powerful demonstration at Dublin's Garden of Remembrance to coincide with the papal Mass. 'This was not about a protest,' he told the PA news agency. 'It's just about standing in solidarity with people who have been impacted or hurt in this way." An estimated 15,000 to 20,000 people took part in the event, which concluded with a silent walk to Sean McDermott Street – the site of the last Magdalene Laundry to close. The notorious laundries, run by religious orders, were known for incarcerating women and forcing them to work under harsh conditions. O'Gorman described the silent walk as 'extraordinarily powerful'. He said: 'I'll never forget that silent walk, it was just incredibly powerful. Walking down O'Connell Street and turning left to head up towards Sean McDermott Street. And I was walking by, there was a hotel there at the time, and I heard the clink of somebody's spoon going into a coffee cup.' Despite moments of solemn reflection, he says the visit revealed the public's shifting relationship with the Church. 'There were massive gaps in the crowd,' he said of the Pope's motorcade. 'At points, there was nobody lining the route. It was an early sign that people weren't there waving flags like they used to.' While O'Gorman praised Pope Francis for his compassion towards refugees and his more progressive tone on social issues, including women's rights and LGBT+ communities, he said the Church's failure to offer a full apology for abuse remains a serious failing. O'Gorman believes the Vatican has yet to fully acknowledge its role in covering up abuse. He said: He said: 'I have yet to see a papal apology for abuse anywhere, and it's always very frustrating when the statements that various Popes have made over the years are presented as an apology. 'What popes generally do – and that includes, sadly, Pope Francis – is they speak of their regret and sadness, or sorrow at the hurt caused to so many people. That's not an apology. It's an expression of sorrow. 'No Pope has ever done that. The Vatican has never, ever, ever acknowledged its central role in not just permitting these cover ups to happen, but in directing these cover ups.' Seven years on, many survivors are still waiting for what they consider a true reckoning from the highest levels of the Church.
Irish Examiner
21-04-2025
- Politics
- Irish Examiner
Pope Francis' visit to Ireland provided ‘powerful moment' for abuse survivors
The visit of Pope Francis to Ireland seven years ago was said to have offered a 'powerful' opportunity for survivors of clerical abuse to gather in solidarity and highlight scandals. Despite being praised for an 'important' letter to US bishops in February which called on them to resist 'narratives that discriminate' against refugees, the Pope's address given in Dublin on clerical abuse scandals was called 'disappointing' by one abuse survivor. The pontiff visited Ireland for two days in August 2018, which included a visit to Knock shrine in Co Mayo, a meeting with victims of clerical abuse, and a visit to a homeless centre run by the Capuchin Fathers. The visit culminated in an open air Sunday Mass in Dublin's Phoenix Park, where pilgrims' attendance was a fraction of the million people who greeted Pope John Paul II at the same spot in 1979. Pope Francis arrives to attend the closing Mass at the World Meeting of Families at Phoenix Park in Dublin, as part of his visit to Ireland (PA) The legacy of church abuse cast a long shadow over the Pope's Irish visit, during which he addressed a litany of crimes by its institutions and members. During the Phoenix Park Mass, he asked for 'forgiveness for the abuses in Ireland' and for 'pardon for all the abuses committed in various types of institutions'. The visit prompted several demonstrations, including at a mass grave of infants at a former home for unmarried mothers in Co Galway, and at the Garden of Remembrances in Dublin. Colm O'Gorman, a survivor of clerical abuse and the former head of Amnesty International Ireland, organised the rally at the Garden of Remembrance to coincide with the Phoenix Park Mass. He said that it was initially dismissed that the Pope would address a series of abuse and mistreatment scandals by the Catholic Church, which he said would have been 'completely unacceptable'. 'People were contacting me saying it's really upsetting to think that that's all happening and there's no space for this to be acknowledged,' he told the PA news agency. 'This was not about protest, it's just about standing in solidarity with people who have been impacted or hurt in this way. And we ended up with 15,000 or 20,000 people at the event, which was powerful.' The Stand4Truth rally took place outside a former Magdalene laundry in Dublin as part of the demonstrations against clerical sex abuse to coincide with the visit to Ireland by Pope Francis (Aaron Chown/PA) He said the final part of the event involved a silent walk from Parnell Square to Sean McDermott Street, the site of the last Magdalene Laundry to close. The notorious laundry institutions run by Catholic religious orders effectively incarcerated thousands of young women and forced them to work under harsh conditions. Mr O'Gorman described the silent walk as an 'extraordinary' show of 'powerful solidarity and purpose'. 'I'll never forget that silent walk, it was just incredibly powerful. Walking down O'Connell Street and turning left to head up towards Sean McDermott Street. And I was walking by, there was a hotel there at the time, and I heard the clink of somebody's spoon going into a coffee cup.' He said that during the Pope's visit to Dublin in 2018, there were 'massive gaps in the crowd', and that there were sections along the route that the Popemobile travelled where there was 'nobody lining the route'. 'He belted along there at a fair old pace, I think, as a result. That was an early indication of the wider response to the visit. Not that people were disinterested, but people were certainly not out there waving flags in the ways that might have been anticipated.' An aerial view of the crowd at Phoenix Park in Dublin during the Papal Mass (Liam McBurney/PA) He said that while he does not agree with Francis' stance on social issues, he said he has 'enormous regard' for his empathy towards refugees and migrants, and said he his stance on women's rights and LGBT+ issues were 'open and non-judgmental'. 'He called time on vitriolic, nasty marginalising approaches that have typified the response of the institutional church on these issues to these communities before now,' he said. A more liberal approach to social issues emphasised why his response to clerical abuse in Ireland was 'such a disappointment', according to Mr O'Gorman. 'Back to the beginning of his papacy, he's been exceptionally strong and good on issues relating to refugees and migrants. 'I can remember back in the early days of his of his papacy, him saying that every Roman Catholic parish should be welcoming and receiving a family of refugees. 'So to say we're aligned on that particular approach would be an understatement. Pope Francis leaving on an Aer Lingus aircraft from Dublin Airport back to the Vatican putting an end to his visit to Ireland (Joe Giddens/PA) 'To have him position that so powerfully at the very, very beginning of his papacy was really important. 'He's also visited prisons and washed the feet of prisoners, he's visited refugee detention centres and camps. 'He's made really powerful, important statements on on the dignity and the rights of refugees and of migrants, and I think he's been phenomenal in that respect.' He added: 'That dishonesty in relation to the history of abuse here in Ireland when he was coming here was such a disappointment, and the suggestion that he simply wasn't in any way going to deal with that issue when he was here was just deeply, deeply frustrating. 'I have yet to see a papal apology for abuse anywhere, and it's always very frustrating when the statements that various Popes have made over the years are presented as an apology. 'What popes generally do – and that includes, sadly, Pope Francis – is they speak of their regret and sadness, or sorrow at the hurt caused to so many people. That's not an apology. It's an expression of sorrow. 'No Pope has ever done that (apologised). The Vatican has never, ever, ever acknowledged its central role in not just permitting these cover ups to happen, but in directing these cover ups.' Read More Pope Francis dies at age of 88, Vatican announces
BreakingNews.ie
21-04-2025
- Politics
- BreakingNews.ie
Pope Francis' visit to Ireland provided ‘powerful moment' for abuse survivors
Pope Francis' visit to Ireland six years ago was said to have offered a 'powerful' opportunity for survivors of clerical abuse to gather in solidarity and highlight scandals. Despite being praised for an 'important' letter to US bishops in February which called on them to resist 'narratives that discriminate' against refugees, the Pope's address given in Dublin on clerical abuse scandals was called 'disappointing' by one abuse survivor. Advertisement The pontiff visited Ireland for two days in August 2018, which included a visit to Knock shrine in Co Mayo, a meeting with victims of clerical abuse, and a visit to a homeless centre run by the Capuchin Fathers. The visit culminated in an open air Sunday Mass in Dublin's Phoenix Park, where pilgrims' attendance was a fraction of the million people who greeted Pope John Paul II at the same spot in 1979. Pope Francis arrives to attend the closing Mass at the World Meeting of Families at Phoenix Park in Dublin, as part of his visit to Ireland (PA) The legacy of church abuse cast a long shadow over the Pope's Irish visit, during which he addressed a litany of crimes by its institutions and members. During the Phoenix Park Mass, he asked for 'forgiveness for the abuses in Ireland' and for 'pardon for all the abuses committed in various types of institutions'. Advertisement The visit prompted several demonstrations, including at a mass grave of infants at a former home for unmarried mothers in Co Galway, and at the Garden of Remembrances in Dublin. Colm O'Gorman, a survivor of clerical abuse and the former head of Amnesty International Ireland, organised the rally at the Garden of Remembrance to coincide with the Phoenix Park Mass. He said that it was initially dismissed that the Pope would address a series of abuse and mistreatment scandals by the Catholic Church, which he said would have been 'completely unacceptable'. 'People were contacting me saying it's really upsetting to think that that's all happening and there's no space for this to be acknowledged,' he told the PA news agency. Advertisement 'This was not about protest, it's just about standing in solidarity with people who have been impacted or hurt in this way. And we ended up with 15,000 or 20,000 people at the event, which was powerful.' The Stand4Truth rally took place outside a former Magdalene laundry in Dublin as part of the demonstrations against clerical sex abuse to coincide with the visit to Ireland by Pope Francis (Aaron Chown/PA) He said the final part of the event involved a silent walk from Parnell Square to Sean McDermott Street, the site of the last Magdalene Laundry to close. The notorious laundry institutions run by Catholic religious orders effectively incarcerated thousands of young women and forced them to work under harsh conditions. Mr O'Gorman described the silent walk as an 'extraordinary' show of 'powerful solidarity and purpose'. Advertisement 'I'll never forget that silent walk, it was just incredibly powerful. Walking down O'Connell Street and turning left to head up towards Sean McDermott Street. And I was walking by, there was a hotel there at the time, and I heard the clink of somebody's spoon going into a coffee cup.' He said that during the Pope's visit to Dublin in 2018, there were 'massive gaps in the crowd', and that there were sections along the route that the Popemobile travelled where there was 'nobody lining the route'. 'He belted along there at a fair old pace, I think, as a result. That was an early indication of the wider response to the visit. Not that people were disinterested, but people were certainly not out there waving flags in the ways that might have been anticipated.' An aerial view of the crowd at Phoenix Park in Dublin during the Papal Mass (Liam McBurney/PA) He said that while he does not agree with Francis' stance on social issues, he said he has 'enormous regard' for his empathy towards refugees and migrants, and said he his stance on women's rights and LGBT+ issues were 'open and non-judgmental'. Advertisement 'He called time on vitriolic, nasty marginalising approaches that have typified the response of the institutional church on these issues to these communities before now,' he said. A more liberal approach to social issues emphasised why his response to clerical abuse in Ireland was 'such a disappointment', according to Mr O'Gorman. 'Back to the beginning of his papacy, he's been exceptionally strong and good on issues relating to refugees and migrants. 'I can remember back in the early days of his of his papacy, him saying that every Roman Catholic parish should be welcoming and receiving a family of refugees. 'So to say we're aligned on that particular approach would be an understatement. Pope Francis leaving on an Aer Lingus aircraft from Dublin Airport back to the Vatican putting an end to his visit to Ireland (Joe Giddens/PA) 'To have him position that so powerfully at the very, very beginning of his papacy was really important. 'He's also visited prisons and washed the feet of prisoners, he's visited refugee detention centres and camps. 'He's made really powerful, important statements on on the dignity and the rights of refugees and of migrants, and I think he's been phenomenal in that respect.' He added: 'That dishonesty in relation to the history of abuse here in Ireland when he was coming here was such a disappointment, and the suggestion that he simply wasn't in any way going to deal with that issue when he was here was just deeply, deeply frustrating. World Pope Francis dies at 88, senior Vatican official a... Read More 'I have yet to see a papal apology for abuse anywhere, and it's always very frustrating when the statements that various Popes have made over the years are presented as an apology. 'What popes generally do – and that includes, sadly, Pope Francis – is they speak of their regret and sadness, or sorrow at the hurt caused to so many people. That's not an apology. It's an expression of sorrow. 'No Pope has ever done that (apologised). The Vatican has never, ever, ever acknowledged its central role in not just permitting these cover ups to happen, but in directing these cover ups.'
The Independent
21-04-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Pope Francis' visit to Ireland ‘powerful moment' for abuse survivors
Pope Francis' visit to Ireland six years ago was said to have offered a 'powerful' opportunity for survivors of clerical abuse to gather in solidarity and highlight scandals. Despite being praised for an 'important' letter to US bishops in February which called on them to resist 'narratives that discriminate' against refugees, the Pope's address given in Dublin on clerical abuse scandals was called 'disappointing' by one abuse survivor. The pontiff visited Ireland for two days in August 2018, which included a visit to Knock shrine in Co Mayo, a meeting with victims of clerical abuse, and a visit to a homeless centre run by the Capuchin Fathers. The visit culminated in an open air Sunday Mass in Dublin's Phoenix Park, where pilgrims' attendance was a fraction of the million people who greeted Pope John Paul II at the same spot in 1979. The legacy of church abuse cast a long shadow over the Pope's Irish visit, during which he addressed a litany of crimes by its institutions and members. During the Phoenix Park Mass, he asked for 'forgiveness for the abuses in Ireland' and for 'pardon for all the abuses committed in various types of institutions'. The visit prompted several demonstrations, including at a mass grave of infants at a former home for unmarried mothers in Co Galway, and at the Garden of Remembrances in Dublin. Colm O'Gorman, a survivor of clerical abuse and the former head of Amnesty International Ireland, organised the rally at the Garden of Remembrance to coincide with the Phoenix Park Mass. He said that it was initially dismissed that the Pope would address a series of abuse and mistreatment scandals by the Catholic Church, which he said would have been 'completely unacceptable'. ' People were contacting me saying it's really upsetting to think that that's all happening and there's no space for this to be acknowledged,' he told the PA news agency. 'This was not about protest, it's just about standing in solidarity with people who have been impacted or hurt in this way. And we ended up with 15,000 or 20,000 people at the event, which was powerful.' He said the final part of the event involved a silent walk from Parnell Square to Sean McDermott Street, the site of the last Magdalene Laundry to close. The notorious laundry institutions run by Catholic religious orders effectively incarcerated thousands of young women and forced them to work under harsh conditions. Mr O'Gorman described the silent walk as an 'extraordinary' show of 'powerful solidarity and purpose'. 'I'll never forget that silent walk, it was just incredibly powerful. Walking down O'Connell Street and turning left to head up towards Sean McDermott Street. And I was walking by, there was a hotel there at the time, and I heard the clink of somebody's spoon going into a coffee cup.' He said that during the Pope's visit to Dublin in 2018, there were 'massive gaps in the crowd', and that there were sections along the route that the Popemobile travelled where there was 'nobody lining the route'. 'He belted along there at a fair old pace, I think, as a result. That was an early indication of the wider response to the visit. Not that people were disinterested, but people were certainly not out there waving flags in the ways that might have been anticipated.' He said that while he does not agree with Francis' stance on social issues, he said he has 'enormous regard' for his empathy towards refugees and migrants, and said he his stance on women's rights and LGBT+ issues were 'open and non-judgmental'. 'He called time on vitriolic, nasty marginalising approaches that have typified the response of the institutional church on these issues to these communities before now,' he said. A more liberal approach to social issues emphasised why his response to clerical abuse in Ireland was 'such a disappointment', according to Mr O'Gorman. 'Back to the beginning of his papacy, he's been exceptionally strong and good on issues relating to refugees and migrants. 'I can remember back in the early days of his of his papacy, him saying that every Roman Catholic parish should be welcoming and receiving a family of refugees. 'So to say we're aligned on that particular approach would be an understatement. 'To have him position that so powerfully at the very, very beginning of his papacy was really important. 'He's also visited prisons and washed the feet of prisoners, he's visited refugee detention centres and camps. 'He's made really powerful, important statements on on the dignity and the rights of refugees and of migrants, and I think he's been phenomenal in that respect.' He added: 'That dishonesty in relation to the history of abuse here in Ireland when he was coming here was such a disappointment, and the suggestion that he simply wasn't in any way going to deal with that issue when he was here was just deeply, deeply frustrating. 'I have yet to see a papal apology for abuse anywhere, and it's always very frustrating when the statements that various Popes have made over the years are presented as an apology. 'What popes generally do – and that includes, sadly, Pope Francis – is they speak of their regret and sadness, or sorrow at the hurt caused to so many people. That's not an apology. It's an expression of sorrow. 'No Pope has ever done that (apologised). The Vatican has never, ever, ever acknowledged its central role in not just permitting these cover ups to happen, but in directing these cover ups.'
