Prelate belated in putting sex attack suspect off altar

ONE of Ireland's senior-ranking Catholic churchmen, Michael Neary, belatedly secured the agreement yesterday of a priest at the centre of a Garda investigation of a sexual assault against woman to step aside from his ministry.

The Archbishop of Tuam's action is to be welcomed, especially in the week of the Ferns Report when the nation has been disgusted by the litany of shame surrounding clerical child sex abuse.

His move is better late than never.

COMPELLED

However, the archbishop is open to the serious charge that for some time he used his discretionary powers within canon law - under the veil of church secrecy - to conceal from parishioners that this priest was facing a serious criminal investigation.

Clearly, the archbishop finally felt compelled to take this disciplinary step as a result of yesterday's exclusive story in the Irish Independent revealing that one of his priests was continuing to serve in the archdiocese under canonical licence even though this cleric was under Garda investigation for allegedly raping a young pregnant woman.

The unnamed priest said he would be saying Mass yesterday morning in a parish of the archdiocese of Tuam, the principal see in the west of Ireland.

The priest was still hearing confessions and administering other sacraments.

OFFICE

Dr Neary is one of only four archbishops in the country North and South. He ranks in status just below the Archbishops of Armagh and Dublin, and ranks third equal in the Hierarchy's pecking order with the Archbishop of Cashel.

He has been in Tuam since 1995.

Dr Neary declined to answer a list of questions submitted to his office.

A spokesman for the archbishop did say that while the allegation against the priest was being dealt with "at a civil level", Dr Neary would be slow to interfere.

Although the alleged victim was aged 24 when the first of two claimed sexual assaults were made on her and that she is now in her forties, the archbishop hid behind the fudge that "this is not a child protection matter." He did, however, acknowledge that the allegation was to be taken with "the utmost seriousness."

Yet, up until yesterday, the matter was obviously not serious enough for the archbishop, a former biblical scholar at St Patrick's College, Maynooth, to remove the priest from the altar.

Now, within 24 hours, Dr Neary has done a U-turn on his original position.

Following the media exposure, it must be presumed that Dr Neary hastily arranged an urgent meet ing yesterday with the priest.

Both of them realised that it would be in their mutual interest that the priest should step aside from his duties, at least temporarily until the Garda inquiry reached a conclusion.

After a rambling interview with Rachel English on Five Seven Live on RTE radio last night, Dr Neary issued a statement confirming that he was aware a Garda investigation was underway relating to the matter referred to in the Irish Independent.

His stated reason for requesting the priest to stand aside was "in order to remove the shadow of suspicion from other priests of the diocese."

This is mind-boggling. It is the inept handling of this case by Dr Neary that has ensured it such adverse publicity.

He has, in truth, gone against the spirt of the Ferns report in its undertaking.

Dr Neary has done a gross disservice to the good priests of his diocese by putting this unnecessary shadow over them.

Worse still, Dr Neary's statement deliberately focus on the measures which he has taken in rela tion to child sex abuse.

He does not show moral outrage at an alleged act of a priest against a woman, one reportedly pregnant.

NUNCIO

This is a lack of moral judgment on his part.

It is a matter on which he should step-down.

If Archbishop Neary is not prepared to resign, the Papal Nuncio should recommend to Pope Benedict XVI that a special Papal Delegate be sent to Ireland to clean up the mess which Archbishop Neary and most of his colleagues have shown themselves unsuitable to do on the whole issue of clerical sexual perversion.

John Cooney