BRENDAN BOLAND, a victim of paedophile priest Brendan Smyth, has said he fears no healing is possible for him while Cardinal Seán Brady remains as the Catholic primate.
Evidence from Mr Boland in a recent BBC documentary detailed how crucial information he passed on to the then Fr Seán Brady and two other members of a three-member clerical inquiry into Smyth’s activities in 1975 was not in turn passed on to parents of other victims of Smyth’s abuse.
Cardinal Brady publicly apologised to Mr Boland on Monday and said he would like to make that apology to him personally at the earliest opportunity.
“I wish to acknowledge and thank Cardinal Seán Brady for the public apology tendered by him to me and all abuse victims,” Mr Boland said in a statement last night.
“I have sought this for a long time. While a public apology was previously refused, I am delighted that the cardinal has relented. I also note, and again acknowledge, the offer of a private apology as expressed last November in the course of settlement negotiations in my case and reiterated on Monday last. I hope that I may yet find the strength to meet personally with him,” he added.
Mr Boland referred to how the information gathered from him by the inquiry team in 1975 was passed on to the late bishop of Kilmore, Francis McKiernan, who in turn informed Smyth’s Norbertine order superior – but this information was not provided to victims’ parents.
Cardinal Brady said on Monday the information should have been given to the parents.
“If the right thing had been done by Father Brady, and Bishop McKiernan, the unspeakable abuse of the other children I had sought to save would not have happened. Both Cardinal Brady and I will have to live with our guilt in that regard,” said Mr Boland.
“I know that my healing, and I fear the healing of many other abuse victims, will not begin while Cardinal Brady remains as primate of the Catholic Church in Ireland,” he added.
