Cloyne abuse victims will attend secret tribunal

VICTIMS of clerical abuse in Cloyne have said they will co-operate with the Church’s secret canonical tribunal into the actions of Fr Ronat, a North Cork priest who was the subject of 11 complaints of abuse in the Cloyne report.

Archbishop of Cashel and Emly, Dermot Clifford, the apostolic administrator of the Cloyne diocese, said he intends to reconvene the secret court, which was suspended in 2009 because victims wanted to first see the outcome of the Dublin Archdiocese Commission of Investigation’s report on the handling of abuse in the diocese.

The court was established under the auspices of Archbishop Clifford and could lead to Fr Ronat being defrocked. He will be represented by an advocate qualified in canon law. The court will consist of two clerical canon lawyers and a notary.