Victims claim Martin ‘had wings clipped’ in Rome

VICTIMS of clerical sex abuse have expressed deep concerns about Archbishop Diarmuid Martin “appearing to have his wings clipped” and “seeming like a defeated man” since he returned from his two-day meeting with the other Irish bishops in Rome.

One in Four chief executive Maeve Lewis and abuse survivors Marie Collins and Andrew Madden all said they found Diarmuid Martin – whom they have long regarded as the Catholic Church’s leading light in the fight to acknowledge clerical sex abuse – a changed person.

Ms Lewis said that Archbishop Martin could not assure them that the bishops’ resignations would be accepted. “I do not know if the archbishop has silenced himself or been silenced by the Pope. We are devastated and the situation for survivors now looks hopeless,” she said.