Nine claim abuse but no prosecutions follow

A TEENAGE girl who alleges that she was abused by Fr Ronat said he claimed the Holy Spirit was descending upon her as he touched her body.

The complainant, given the pseudonym Caelan, made a complaint in 1997, saying she was abused by Fr Ronat between 1979 and 1981 at a residential retreat.

She said the priest conducted confessions in a bedroom and that she was instructed to lie on the bed. He then touched her and made reference to “the heat of the Holy Spirit” descending upon her.

Caelan first made a statement to gardaí and then contacted the church. John Magee, then Bishop of Cloyne, phoned her about the matter but there was no record of their conversation.

Bishop Magee told the Commission of Investigation into the Catholic Archdiocese of Cloyne there was a meeting of the advisory committee and that they recommended Fr Ronat be put on “restrictive ministry”. However, the commission found no evidence of any advisory committee functioning at that time.

Monsignor Denis O’Callaghan met with Fr Ronat, who denied the allegations and told Mgr O’Callaghan he was suing other complainants for defamation but he later changed his mind and admitted confessions had taken place in his bedroom. However, he denied wrongdoing on those occasions.

A limited Garda investigation was carried out and no prosecution was recommended. The DPP agreed with that recommendation.

The other complainants were:

* Donelle: She alleged abuse including sexual intercourse in the 1970s when she was between the ages of 15 and 20. She said she first reported the abuse in 1999/2000 when she contacted the parish priest where Fr Ronat was serving to tell him that he had a “very dangerous man” in the parish.

The parish priest denied he ever received such a phonecall. Donelle said she told Bishop Magee about it but he said he had no memory of it.

In 2005, she made a complaint to gardaí and in 2006 she met Mgr O’Callaghan whom, she said, remarked that there were always complaints about the priest but they were laughed off.

In 2007, the DPP decided not to prosecute.

* Edana: In 2004, Edana told a local nun she had been abused by Fr Ronat in 1981/82 when she was aged between 15 and 17. The nun relayed this to Mgr O’Callaghan, although, at Edana’s request, she did not reveal the identity of the alleged victim.

The nun was assured by Mgr O’Callaghan that Fr Ronat was on restricted ministry. However, she saw him officiating at a funeral and wrote to the monsignor to express her concern about this. Edana made a complaint to gardaí in 2007 but in 2008 the DPP decided not to prosecute.

* Fenella: She went to Fr Ronat for advice in 1990 after leaving a novitiate where she had been preparing to become a nun and claimed he gave her drink and then sexually assaulted her. She said she reported this to the superior of the novitiate in 1992 and went to the gardaí in 2009. Fr Ronat denied the allegation and the DPP decided not to prosecute.

* Keita: In 2009, she complained to gardaí and the diocese of being abused in the 1970s, when she was 15. Fr Ronat had celebrated Mass in her family home in 2006 or 2007 despite supposedly being under restricted ministry. The DPP decided not to prosecute.

* Muirin: In 2009, she complained to gardaí of being sexually assaulted by Fr Ronat when she was 14. She also made allegations about another priest.

* Naveen: She made her complaint in 2009, alleging abuse by Fr Ronat when she was about 16. She also complained of the same other priest that Muirin reported.

* Unidentified complain- ant: A woman rang Mgr O’Callaghan twice in 2005 to report being abused by Fr Ronat in 1978 when she was 18 years old but she did not reveal her identity or follow up on her complaint.

* Anonymous complain- ant: An anonymous complaint of sexual abuse by Fr Ronat was received in 2009 but no details were given.