Clergy used ‘mental reservation’ to mislead media without lying

A CONCEPT known as “mental reservation” was used by the diocesan leaders to mislead the media about its dealings with abuse victims in a manner they believed did not involve telling lies, the report finds.

Marie Collins had told the commission of her anger about the concept which, according to the report, “permits a churchman to knowingly convey a misleading impression to another person without being guilty of lying”.

Andrew Madden told the commission how during an informal meeting in 2003, Cardinal Desmond Connell had apologised for the handling of the Fr Ivan Payne case, but had been at pains to point out to him that he did not lie about the use of diocesan funds in meeting the settlement paid by Fr Payne in respect of his abuse of Mr Madden as a child.