Scandal-hit bishop steps down
A senior Catholic Bishop has asked his congregation to pray for victims of clerical sex abuse as he stepped down to help a state inquiry probing allegations against some of his priests.
Scandal-hit Bishop of Cloyne John Magee, a former Vatican aide, will keep his title but has relinquished the day-to-day running of his parishes across rural Cork.
The beleaguered cleric, from Newry, Co Down, faced scathing criticism after the church’s own watchdog found he took minimal action over accusations against two of his priests – and branded his child protection as inadequate and dangerous.
Bishop Magee, 72, who served as private secretary to three different Popes, last night told his congregation that he was stepping down to dedicate his time to a Commission of Investigation inquiry.
Archbishop of Cashel Dermot Clifford has been appointed by the pope as Apostolic Administrator of the Diocese of Cloyne.
Bishop Magee told his flock in St Colman’s Cathedral in Cobh: “This means that the governance of the diocese has now been transferred to Archbishop Clifford and that he has been given all the powers and duties of the Bishop of Cloyne.
“I retain the title of Bishop of Cloyne and I will dedicate my full time to the matter of the inquiry.”
He added: “I shall certainly give Archbishop Clifford every support and assistance and shall keep him in my daily Masses and prayers. I ask you to do likewise.
“I ask you to join with me as we continue to remember in our prayers any persons who have been so wrongly abused by priests of this Diocese.”
December’s explosive report on child protection in Cloyne, compiled by the Catholic Church’s National Board for Safeguarding Children, detailed how the Bishop failed to inform authorities about abuse allegations.
The accusations centre on two priests in the Co Cork diocese. The first revelation, made by a serving priest in December 2004, claimed he had been abused by another priest when he was a young boy.
In a separate accusation, a second unnamed priest was accused of molesting two teenage girls over a five-year period, abusing a 14-year-old boy and of having a year-long sexual relationship with the boy’s mother.
Victims’ groups were further angered, accusing authorities of attempting to bury the report and a lack of transparency, after it was published on the web on a Friday evening the week before Christmas.
A second audit by health chiefs published in January also found the Bishop failed to tell authorities one of his priests was under investigation for abuse. At the same time he claimed he was fully compliant with child-protection guidelines.
In all, Bishop Magee issued three statements refusing to resign.
Children’s Minister Barry Andrews declined to call for him to step down, instead suggesting the Bishop should consider his position.
The first Cloyne report revealed gardaí were not alerted to the child abuse claims for six months.
It said the diocese did not name the alleged perpetrator to gardai, but named the alleged victim, also a priest.
In the second case, it took the diocese eight years to call in gardai after allegations were made against a priest in early 1995.
Last week, Bishop Magee wrote to priests in the diocese revealing he would not carry out confirmations on primary school children this year, blaming the amount of paperwork he faces as the Dublin Archdiocese Commission of Investigation into child protection investigates Cloyne.
Its audit is expected in July.
It is understood at least five parents’ groups asked the Bishop not to confirm their children in coming weeks.
