Priest links suicide to abuse

IRELAND has lost one of society’s greatest pillars of strength since the advent of the church sex abuse scandals, a high-profile priest has said.

Fr Aidan Troy, who shielded Holy Cross schoolgirls from loyalist protesters in Belfast in 2001, said it is a huge disappointment to him that the priest’s house is no longer perceived to be a safe place to go.

“Back in 2003, when I first started dealing with the issue of suicide, I had a view that every parish in Ireland could have been a great central place of focus for suicide prevention, a safe place where people could go to talk. Now the priest’s house is the least safe place, this is a huge disappointment to me,” he said.

Fr Troy, who is set to speak at Console’s fifth annual suicide conference tomorrow, wants to open debate on clerical sex abuse and suicide.

Research shows that countries that undergo significant social change can experience a rise in suicide rates, and Fr Troy said he is anxious to open discussion on how this problem can be approached.

“I must acknowledge that the abuse scandals are a big issue if I am to continue to operate in a church that’s so discredited.

Fr Troy’s presentation, Suicide: Our Universal Challenges and Collective Responsibilities, will kick off Console’s suicide prevention conference, which will be opened by President Mary McAleese and addressed by Minister for Health James Reilly, as well as by international and Irish experts.

Console was established in 2002 by Paul Kelly after he had experienced the grief of losing a loved one through suicide.

Through his loss, Paul recognised a need for a dedicated suicide prevention, intervention and bereavement support service here in Ireland.

Since then, Console has developed into a national organisation supporting people in suicidal crisis and those bereaved by suicide through professional counselling, support and helpline services.