Cloyne to probe new claim
Ralph Riegel
THE Diocese of Cloyne last night said it would investigate claims that one of the clerics at the centre of child abuse allegations is still in contact with youngsters.
The promise came as the father of a Cork girl, who complained that she was abused by the cleric, said he had information that the man was recently in contact with a youngster.
He said he was very concerned to have heard from a friend who had spotted the cleric in a shop talking to a youngster.
The teen was working in a retail outlet and was apparently approached and engaged in conversation by the priest.
The girl's father had complained to the Bishop of Cloyne, Dr John Magee, 14 years ago about the alleged treatment of his own daughter by the man -- and had been told the cleric, who was subsequently removed from primary pastoral duties, was under strict diocesan supervision.
"I would say it was nonsense," the man said last night in response to assurances about supervision of the cleric.
The priest involved is also the focus of abuse allegations from a number of other youngsters.
Some of the cases in the diocese involving priests date back almost 20 years.
The girl was one of the children at the centre of probes by the National Board for Safeguarding Children (NBSC) and Health Service Executive (HSE) into how the Diocese of Cloyne managed the abuse allegations.
Last night, the Diocese of Cloyne's child protection team said they would look immediately look into the latest claims.
A diocesan childcare official said they would be "very concerned" by the nature of the allegations.
The revelation came as victims' rights groups last night expressed outrage at the suggestion Irish bishops now appear to have rallied behind Dr John Magee.
Not a single Irish bishop has directly called on Dr Magee to resign -- and several have now indicated that, with a new six-month abuse commission inquiry now under way, Bishop Magee is clearly the best person to help the probe.
The Archbishop of Cashel & Emly, Dr Dermot Clifford, said his Cloyne colleague was now in a key position to help the Archdiocese probe.
"The key person to assist with the inquiry into the diocese of Cloyne, which was announced this week by Minister Barry Andrews, is Bishop John Magee," he said.
But victims' support charity, One-In-Four, pointed out that there is nothing to preclude Dr Magee from fully assisting the archdiocese inquiry should he decide to retire as bishop.
"This highlights a profound lack of understanding of just how serious the issues involved are," One-In-Four director, Maeve Lewis stressed.
