Dublin archbishop felt alone in confronting sex-abuse scandal

CWN - December 19, 2011

Archbishop Diarmuid Martin of Dublin, who has frequently criticized his fellow Irish bishops for their handling of the sex-abuse scandal, told a television audience that he felt “very much abandoned” during the crisis.

The archbishop said it was natural for Church leaders to “close ranks” in response to a perceived attack. “But we have to get over that,” he told an RTE television audience. He said that in internal discussions about abuse, “there was very little concern for the children.”

Archbishop Martin, who had been serving at the Vatican when he was named in 2003 to become coadjutor in Dublin, said that he did not realize at the time he would be embarking on an experience that he characterized as “that twilight zone.”

Additional sources for this story
Some links will take you to other sites, in a new window.

An appeal from our founder, Dr. Jeffrey Mirus:

Dear reader: If you found the information on this page helpful in your pursuit of a better Catholic life, please support our work with a donation. Your donation will help us reach five million Truth-seeking readers worldwide this year. Thank you!

Easter Campaign:
Progress toward our Spring 2013 goal ($34,555 to go):
$80,000.00 $45,444.82
43% 57%
Sound Off! CatholicCulture.org supporters weigh in.

All comments are moderated. To lighten our editing burden, only current donors are allowed to Sound Off. If you are a donor, log in to see the comment form; otherwise please support our work, and Sound Off!

There are no comments yet for this item.

Catholic World News Email Newsletter
Donate to Support this Site: Your contribution will be put to good work.
Tour the CatholicCulture.org Site
Shop Amazon to Raise Money for Catholic Culture

Recent Catholic Commentary

Learning from the sick, and from the death of a child 20 hours ago
The case for change in Irish abortion law: based on a framework of falsehood 24 hours ago
The Smell of the Sheep May 16
Too many missing funds: Catholic institutions need tighter financial controls May 16
What capitalists should learn from the Pope's critique May 16

Top Catholic News

Most Important Stories of the Last 30 Days
Pope strongly supports call for reform in religious life CWN - May 8