Protest at the National Seminary of Ireland in Maynooth.

by kevin flanagan Sun Jan 24, 2010 14:24

I would like to thank John Ayres for reporting the story the way it happened. Arcbishop Diamuid Martin was asked to give a statement to the press after the EGM to say that "It is a crime to withhold information to a crime regardless of what crime it is". The media were given a written statement instead of an interview.

by Mart Mon Jan 25, 2010 02:08

The pictures and report tell it well. An effective protest has been made by victims. The voices of victims have been swamped by the recent flood of intensive media comment, so it's important that victims and their relatives keep to the forefront of the publicity.

by kevin flanagan Mon Jan 25, 2010 03:11

thanks mart we plan to continue to take them on face to face we will be there when ever we can to let them know that they have to be brought before a court of law for there crimes

by John Ayres Tue Jan 26, 2010 08:37

More photos of the protest at National Seminary of Ireland, Maynooth, where the Bishops EGM took place.

Archbishop Diarmuid Martin & Kevin FLanagan outside NUI Maynooth.

Press and Media at NUI Maynooth

Protestors and Media

Eamon Martin taking messages to the Bishop

Students at NUI read posters

by johnnyboy Tue Jan 26, 2010 23:37

fair play to ye,keep at them..........

by kevin flanagan Wed Jan 27, 2010 07:30

thanks jonny for the commet we are going no where they are on the run we may be small in numbers but our spirits are strong feel free to join us any saturday at the gpo thanks again for your commet

by trevor Wed Jan 27, 2010 12:46

It’s good to see students were reading the posters , John ..Before Christmas we wrote to the FEE student organization at Maynooth about the protest we were planning for Christmas Eve outside the Department of Education .

“We would particularly like to see groups involved in opposition to education cuts involved .The government is currently cutting off money for education and the situation is very likely to get a lot worse . We could find ourselves going back to nineteen-fifties conditions .Under such circumstances a rebranded sanitized church could come along and offer its services as educators again . We should take warning from what is going on in America and the UK where schools are being taken over by private charitable institutions . “

We got no reply from FEE at the time and have had have had no response since. We do not know whether FEE is still an active group in colleges, but are anxious to work with any groups opposed to education cuts .

by John Ayres Mon Feb 01, 2010 12:49

Saturday 30-01-2010 saw an increase of signatures at the stand at the GPO O'Connell St. Dublin.

Many more signatures are needed to express the feelings of people, to the true horror of the abuse carried out by the Roman Catholic Church in Ireland. The stand will be there every Saturday 12pm - 4pm. Come along and sign, have a chat with us.

We are all victims of this abuse in one way or another and have no other affiliation with other groups or organizations (Political or Religious). Our purpose is to bring about an International Criminal Investigation into the abuse carried out by the Roman Catholic Church in Ireland.

We are concerned at the response of the Church to reveal details to the Garda for criminal investigation.

We now have a web site you can visit for more information and links to relevant stories and reports from the media about the Reports.

by trevor Tue Feb 02, 2010 17:52

Yes , the response on Saturday was brilliant . The breathtaking arrogance of the church hierarchy and the government's role in covering up for perpertartors of crimes against children , is leading many people on the street to the conclusion that they may have to take matters into their own hands . Survivors of abuse we spoke to on Saturday are extremely angry at the lack of criminal prosecutions of clerics , and regard the Ryan Report -which doesn't even name clerical abusers- as a whitewash .

Fr Patrick Hughes of Park Drive Court, Castleknock, in Dublin, 83 was today imprisoned for a year after pleading guilty to indecent assault charges against an altar boy. The offences occured in the seventies and eighties. Sentencing Hughes , Judge Mary Delahaunt said it took a long time to bring him before the court because of delays caused by 'persons who were shielding you'.The Court was told that the Catholic Church authorities gave gardaí 'the run around' when they were investigating the whereabouts of Fr Hughes .

The fact that the church was actively shielding criminals like Hughes in Ireland as recently as 2003 , allowing him to live unhindered in the UK until the gardai tracked him down in 2007 begs the question : how many more like him are out there ? The church's attitude in treating child abusers as sinners rather than as criminals allows the likes of Fr Hughes to live in denial of the terrible harm they have inflicted upon vunerable children down the years .

Hughes praised his superiors in the church before being led away from the dock saying that he had been “rehabilitated” through their benevolence and through a programme he had attended in Maryland USA. . His rehabilitation programme appears not to have led to any recognition on Fr Hughes’ behalf that he is a paedophile. He insisted before the court that he was sexually attracted to altar boys but was not a paedophile .

http://www.rte.ie/news/2010/0202/hughesp.html

by robbie m Wed Feb 03, 2010 15:23

Retired bishop wilie walsh stated in a newspaper article that the roman catholic church has made tremendous progress over the past twenty years in dealing with the child abuse issue.
Yet, it took twelve years for the police to find the priest patrick hughes who was jailed for a meagrely one year on four counts of indecent assault against an alter boy between 1979 and 1983.
It is known that the church were sheltering him all this time.
Patrick hughes may have expected some relief from his listeners when he stated that he only had a thing for alter boys!!!!!! however, what we do not know for certain is how exacly many alter boys he did abuse.
2010 and they are still covering up on a large scale.

by religious predators Thu Feb 04, 2010 09:49

"He insisted before the court that he was sexually attracted to altar boys but was not a paedophile . "

You are not a paedophile until you act on your urges. Then you definitely ARE a paedophile

This priest definitely acted on his urges ergo he ceratinly is a paedophile.

He should have got a lot longer sentence for molestring a kid. 1 year is a complete joke for this offence.

Plus ca change. They are still at it and still just getting a slap on the wrist for it.

by Captain Blake - The Wrongs of the Catholic Church Thu Feb 04, 2010 16:37

Well done Kevin. Good photography also.

Hope you are feeling well after that dedicated week with no food outside the GPO before Christmas.

Absolute power corrupts and power corrupts absolutely or something to this affect.

People must stand accountable and it is now the time to ask members of the Church to come forward and make the necessary legal statements about crimes committed under their auspices.

The Boston Globe (well worth reading their book on Betrayal and the Catholic Church) kicked to touch on this topic over a decade ago. It is time for the Irish to do some piggy backing on US research and findings and look to the Church for financial reparations.

It is said that in 1997 the Catholic Church land values were worth IR 1 billion. We know a lot of this land was sold. Where did the money go? I would suggest it is gone to the Vatican bank yes it left Ireland.....if so, who has the money now.

Kevin I am coming back to the word you used that has really made me think - you spoke about the sanitisation process. You are right, religious orders have become cameleons and have reappeared in places like All Hallows focus on say a different type of education and also places like Maynooth.

Then there is the powerful Opus Dei at Lismullin - a benefiary of the FAS betac education grants etc. They are also supposed to be providers of student accommodation on University campuses. I ask and my reason is well founded 'at what cost to the beneficiary'. I suggest it is in return for secrecy and life time commitment.

One more question. By comparison to child sexual abuse, it may be secondary but does anyone share with me the power of the church to grant an annulment to a 15 year marriage; after the state has granted one a divorce in court and in favour of a husband who left the marriage for an affair with another woman (children as proof of relationship) inspite of the critical ill health of his wife of 15 years.

The Church usurped the woman's status and the question is was Opus Dei the driver in preference to the new adulterous relationship rather than the commitment the marriage vows are supposed to represent.

Kevin. I have written to Archbishop Martin etc. etc. They choose not to hear. I applaud your persistance.

The words of Jonathan Swift come to mind only the meaning is in reverse. The Church okay have the knowledge but they are blind. Swift said 'Give Vision to the visionless'

Where did the money go? Is it in Switzeland or Lichtenstein or even the Virgin Islands. Or maybe just maybe, you get a good return for hidden funds at the Vatican bank.......

I wholly endorse this.

Captain Blake

by Erin - Morality and imminent bankruptcy Fri Feb 05, 2010 13:06

Kevin

Well done. I can assure you that you will get support from a lot of people. I notice on today's papers that a lot of priests are 'coming out' in defiance of Archbishop Diarmuid Martin.

Martin is a seasoned campaigner with a background of many years working in accountancy in the Vatican bank. The road ahead will be very long and hard but with as the song goes "A little help from my friends', your journey of pain and denial will soon come to a conclusive and healing, I hope, end. In the meantime, keep up the campaign because now your articles are being read by many people who are willing to put their heads out and help you.

The very best of luck

Erin

The above posting is very well written and Trevor it gives you a fair guide of the moral barometer within the people of Ireland right now.