Connell says sorry but faces calls to go

IRISH survivors of child abuse by clerics have renewed their call on Cardinal Desmond Connell to resign in the wake of yesterday’s landmark settlement in the High Court.

The Archdiocese of Dublin is to pay sexual abuse victim, Mervyn Rundle, over €300,000 in a settlement. Mr Rundle claims that he informed the diocese about the abusive priest, Fr Thomas Naughton, in 1985 and had to go back 10 years later because the priest was still sexually abusing children.

“I first went to the Archbishop’s house in 1985 with my father. I really thought it was going to be sorted and over with then. I had to go back 10 years later because I heard he was still doing it to other kids. That was really annoying. That was the bad bit. I shouldn’t have had to do that,” Mr Rundle said yesterday.

In an apology read out in court, Cardinal Connell said: “It is also acknowledged that before the abuse of Mr Rundle occurred, reasons for concern about the conduct of Fr Naughton had emerged which, had they been more successfully pursued, could have resulted in his being withdrawn from parochial duties. Lessons have been learned from Mr Rundle's pain.”

Victims and legal observers believe the settlement could encourage up to 2,000 others to take that route rather than go through the Residential Institutions Redress Board, established last month to deal with claims.

“Many of us would feel encouraged to go to court after this settlement,” John Kelly, leader of the 800-member Survivors of Child Abuse, said yesterday.

Mr Kelly added Cardinal Connell’s “abysmal handling of this and many other cases compels us to call again for his resignation.”

“His failure to deal with these cases in a proper manner should have led to his resignation long before now.

“The Redress Board is one-sided and does not offer a forum for an acknowledgement and an apology. That is what most survivors want.”

“We are telling our members not to apply for compensation to the Board yet because if they accept an amount, they have to agree not to pursue a claim in any other forum.”

Mr Kelly added that most compensation amounts through the Redress Board would be unlikely to top 50,000, far less than yesterday’s settlement figure. Colm O’Gorman, the director of One In Four survivor organisation, agreed that the settlement had major implications and provided “a benchmark as to what these cases are worth.” He added, however, that the Redress Board could itself award compensation of this amount and it was not necessary to go to the High Court.

Labour Party justice spokesperson Deputy Joe Costello said: “It appears that this is the tip of the iceberg as hundreds more cases similar to this could be brought forward.”

UCG law lecturer Tom O’Malley said: “If victims feel they are more likely to get a settlement from the Church that is the way they will go.” He warned claimants, however, that they should not imagine there is a ‘crock of gold’ available to them.