Cardinal should have resigned long ago

There has been no surprise at the announcement that Cardinal Seán Brady has offered his resignation to Pope Francis. This was obligatory once he reached his 75th birthday yesterday. There are unlikely to be many regrets, because he should have resigned some years ago.

This week, the Economic and Social Research Institute revealed the profound long-term effects that sexual abuse has on children — leading to psychological disorders such as anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder.

Fr Brendan Smyth was one of the most notorious serial abusers in this country. The political repercussions from the failure to tackle his abuse led to the fall of Albert Reynolds’ government in 1994. But the failures of that government were comparatively insignificant in comparison with the contemptible cover-up that was facilitated within some of the highest circles of the Catholic Church in Ireland.