Clifford meets with alleged Cloyne sex abuse victims

ARCHBISHOP Dermot Clifford, the new head of the Diocese of Cloyne, has met with several alleged victims of clerical sex abuse in the diocese and has extended invitations to others to meet with him shortly.

The Archbishop of Cashel and Emly took over the day-to-day running of the diocese earlier this month after he was appointed apostolic administrator of the diocese by Pope Benedict XVI. Bishop John Magee is now concentrating on co-operating with the Dublin Archdiocese Commission of Inquiry investigation into alleged child sex abuse in the diocese. A spokesman for the diocese refused to comment on the meetings beyond confirming they had taken place.

Meanwhile, the Cloyne diocese has confirmed that training has been given to those charged with supervising Father B, the priest at the centre of several civil cases and who was accused in the National Board for Safeguarding Children (NBSC) report of abusing four different children between 1995 and 2005. Father B is on restricted ministry and living in the north Cork area. In recent weeks, two more women have gone to the gardaí with claims they too were abused by Father B.