Monsignor 'would not necessarily report abuse', and defends Brady

A Monsignor speaking in defence of under-pressure primate Cardinal Sean Brady said he would not necessarily report child sex abuse to the police today.

The comments from Monsignor Maurice Dooley came as Cardinal Brady faced resignation demands over revelations he failed to alert gardaí about one of Ireland’s most notorious paedophile priests in 1975.

The head of the Catholic Church in Ireland has defended his role in a meeting where two children abused by Father Brendan Smyth were asked to take a vow of silence as part of an internal church investigation.

Senior clergymen removed Smyth from some priestly duties and recommended psychiatric treatment, but critics have said the failure to notify gardaí at the time allowed Smyth to carry out a further 18-year reign of terror against children before he was finally arrested.

Monsignor Dooley, who said he studied canon law with Dr Brady, defended the cardinal’s silence in 1975, and added that he would not necessarily refer sex crimes against children to gardaí today if passed information confidentially.

Asked what he would do if a paedophile priest confided his crimes to him today, the Monsignor said: “I would not tell anyone. That is his responsibility. I am considering only my responsibility. My responsibility is to maintain the confidentiality of information which I had been given under the contract of confidentiality.

“There must be somebody else aware of what he is up to, and he could be stopped. It is not my function.”

He added: “I would tell (him) to stop abusing children. But I am not going to go to the police or social services in order to betray the trust he has put in me.”

The clergyman told BBC Radio Ulster’s Nolan Show that he had reported a paedophile to police on one occasion in the past, but repeatedly said that if faced with a situation where he received confidential information, he would remain silent.

The monsignor said it would be the duty of parents or guardians of children to report crimes to police.

“The relationship between priest and the person coming to them is dependent upon this acceptance of confidentiality,” he said.

“If the information is given to me in that context, then I certainly would not report the matter to police.

“If on the other hand I acquired this information separately from that, not in an area of confidentiality, then I would think seriously as to whether or not this matter should be reported to the police.

“And it is possible that my conclusion, after my consideration, was that I am the only person who can protect and the only way I can do it is by reporting to the police, then I would go to the police.

“I have done that on just one occasion where there was a known paedophile and I knew something about him and I went down to the police.”

Earlier today, applause rippled through Armagh’s St Patrick’s Cathedral as Sean Brady entered to say Mass.

Contained and measured, the spontaneous gesture nevertheless sent out a loud message to those calling for the head of the Catholic Church in Ireland to step down.

The majority of the 300-strong congregation applauded him again after his apologetic homily and as he left the magnificent church at the close of St Patrick’s Day mass.

“We didn’t need to clap him,” parishioner Maura McClean said afterwards, “because I think God will applaud him.”

“But that was the reaction of the decent people of Armagh. I think he’s a true genuine person who’s done no wrong.”

Her sentiments were echoed by many fellow church goers after they shook hands with Cardinal Brady as he greeted them on the steps of the cathedral.

Marie Ryan said to condemn him for failing to alert the authorities about notorious paedophile priest Brendan Smyth 35 years ago was to judge him using today’s standards.

“It was a different era back then and a lot of things happened that shouldn’t,” she said. “But he definitely has to stay – he shouldn’t resign.”

The Cardinal belied few outward signs of the storm brewing round him as he talked with parishioners outside.

He smiled and thanked people for their best wishes, at one point he even broke into an impromptu verse of happy birthday for a parishioner celebrating her 70th year.

Pat Hamilton said there were tears in many eyes as the Cardinal conducted mass.

“I thought it was wonderful and very emotional too – you could see it in people’s faces,” he said.

On his interpretation of the applause he said: “That was just to let him know we are behind him, that’s what I thought. I would feel the vast majority of people in Armagh are behind him.”

However, Smyth abuse victim Sam Adair said Cardinal Brady should resign.

"Sean Brady should resign because he knows that he has done wrong," he said.