Cardinal silent on Murphy report and clerical sex abuse

CARDINAL Sean Brady did not respond to requests yesterday to comment on either the publication of chapter 19 of the Murphy report or his failure to report paedophile priest Brendan Smyth to the proper authorities when he became aware of his sexual abuse of children in 1975.

Cardinal Brady is facing renewed calls to step down from his position as the leader of the Catholic Church in Ireland following a Thursday night Ulster Television documentary in which it was stated hundreds of people could likely have been saved from abuse if he had reported Fr Smyth to the police during the 1970s.

The Irish Examiner contacted the Catholic Communications Office yesterday requesting any response from the cardinal to the allegations. The offices failed to respond, despite releasing a statement by the cardinal early in which he expressed concerns about the termination of pregnancies stating “no law which subordinates the rights of any human being to those of other human beings can be regarded as a just law”.