Connell’s fight for old Church may backfire

CARDINAL Desmond Connell’s celebration of his 82nd birthday next month could be marred by his legal wrangle with the man who succeeded him as Archbishop of Dublin.

Cardinal Connell’s tenure as Archbishop of Dublin between 1988 and 2004 was marked by recurring and unchecked episodes of child sex abuse by priests and other religious personnel in the archdiocese.

His position of power while clerical sex abuse took place in his diocese is being examined by the State’s Commission of Investigation into Child Sexual Abuse in the Dublin Archdiocese.