VICTIM REACTION:THE ANNOUNCEMENT of Bishop John Magee's resignation as Bishop of Cloyne was yesterday described as unsatisfactory by three women who had made complaints to him and to gardaí that they had been abused as children by a priest of the diocese.
All three have made complaints to gardaí that they were sexually abused in the 1970s when they were girls by a priest identified as Fr B in a report by Ian Elliott, chief executive of the National Board for Safeguarding Children in the Catholic Church.
The women agreed that Bishop Magee’s resignation was “too little, too late” and they said they could draw no comfort or solace from his apology for any abuse suffered by children at the hands of priests in the diocese of Cloyne.
“It makes little difference really. It might make some difference if he had gone voluntarily but I believe he was effectively forced out. He was under pressure to be seen to do the right thing with the Murphy report on child sex abuse in Cloyne due out in June,” said one.
“I’m glad that he’s gone but ultimately it doesn’t make a huge difference because the same people are in charge and they have no appreciation of child abuse and what it does. Lives have been lost through suicide, psychiatric problems and they have no appreciation of that.”
Another woman said she felt Bishop Magee’s resignation was “farcical” at this stage and she found his apology where he mentioned those whom he “had failed in any way” outrageous given that he knew he had failed abysmally to protect children.
“He said he wanted to offer his sincere apology to anyone whom he had failed in any way. How dare he make it seem as if he didn’t know that he had failed people? He failed beyond all belief and he left us victims hanging out there in society as if we were the scum of the earth.”
The woman also expressed scepticism about Bishop Magee’s assertion that proper child protection procedures were now in place throughout the diocese of Cloyne and she instanced recently meeting Fr B walking unsupervised around a town in the diocese.
“Fr B is still walking the streets. I am now an adult but when I see him, I’m a child again and I’m scared stiff. Where’s the child protection when he can walk around the streets of our towns completely unsupervised with children all around?” she asked.
A third woman who also made a complaint against Fr B said Bishop Magee’s resignation did nothing to restore her faith in the Catholic Church and she questioned why he had resigned now rather than going last year when he stepped down from administrative duties in Cloyne.
“It’s nothing but damage limitation. Was he pushed or did he fall? Does this relieve him of all his responsibilities and absolve him for his lack of co-operation? Has he had an epiphany? If so, it’s too little and too late. Can he sleep easier at night now, because I still can’t,” she said.
“Magee should have been fired long ago and not given the chance to resign when it suited him,” said the woman, adding she had no faith in the church. She said she would like to see Fr B arrested and charged as well as named and shamed.
