Fr D’Arcy out of order

In an interview on RTÉ Radio last Saturday, Fr Brian D’Arcy defended his attendance at the recent rally in support of the Quinn family on the grounds of “compassion”, and compared it with his attendance at marches in the 1990s by victims of clerical and State-sponsored abuse.

Of all the claims and counter-claims surrounding the issue, this is surely the most disgraceful. How dare Fr D’Arcy say there is even the slightest comparison to be made between the Quinn family’s gamble and the plight of those who had their lives destroyed at the hands of the State and a minority of the Catholic clergy.

Just last May, Fr D’Arcy was (quite correctly) very quick to call for the resignation of another man from the Border counties, Cardinal Seán Brady, on account of the “major credibility problem” that arose from his past conduct. Cardinal Brady has yet to be found guilty by any court on this island, whereas Seán Quinn has been found by the High Court to have committed a litany of wrongs against Irish taxpayers.