Martin breaks silence in abuse scandal

PAEDOPHILE priest Brendan Smyth should have been stopped from the very first time it was known he was abusing children, Archbishop of Dublin Diarmuid Martin said last night.

However, Dr Martin refused to be drawn on growing demands for the resignation of Cardinal Seán Brady, the head of the Irish Catholic Church, who knew that Smyth had raped children but never reported the matter to the gardaí.

Archbishop Martin said it was not his job to tell people to resign or to stay on.