Resignation in Cloyne - Hesitancy of Bishop Crean raises alarm

THE last thing the Catholic diocese of Cloyne in East Cork needs is another scandal.

The resignation on Friday of its child protection officer is hardly that, yet it is bound to create unease among the congregation and, in particular, victims of abuse by clerics in the diocese.

It is six years since Cloyne’s former bishop, John Magee, resigned over his cover-ups of child abuse involving two priests. One of them is Dan Duane who was defrocked after sexually abusing minors but continues to defy Church authorities by celebrating Mass in his home.