Magee apology - No more cover-ups in Church

WITH the notable exception of Archbishop Diarmuid Martin and a handful of like-minded bishops, it is abundantly clear that many people in this country have lost faith in the hierarchy to deal openly and honestly with the grave issue of child sex abuse.

Instead of satisfying demands for greater transparency, the belated and utterly inadequate expression of sorrow by Bishop John Magee of Cloyne on his handling of child abuse allegations against 19 priests in his former diocese has led to public clamour for greater clarity on his role and widespread demands for genuine transparency on how the Catholic Church has dealt with criminal acts against children.

Because of the rank hypocrisy of some bishops, young people are leaving the Church in droves. Members of the hierarchy appear more concerned with shielding the institutions of the Church by protecting the perpetrators of abuse rather than supporting their innocent victims. What young people are walking away from is the institutional Church rather than abandoning the tenets of Christianity.