Ireland’s Cardinal Sean Brady is the latest to come under pressure to quit the upcoming papal conclave because of the alleged cover up of pedophile priest activities.
As pressure mounted on LA cardinal Roger Mahony and New York prelate Cardinal Timothy Dolan was deposed over his actions when Archbishop of Milwaukee, Brady came under renewed scrutiny
He has admitted that he did nothing to stop monster pedophile Father Brendan Smyth even though he was aware of his activities when he sat on a secret church inquiry in 1975 into Smyth who abused hundreds of children in Ireland and the U.S.
During that inquiry Brady learnt from two victims that Smyth had abused them. He was also given the names of other boys that Smyth abused.
Brady reported the findings to the Irish bishops but not to police and has apologized since for his actions. Smyth went on to become the worst known serial abuser in Irish church history.
Christine Buckley of the Aislinn Centre, a support group for survivors of abuse, stated that Brady should skip the conclave.
“I think it’s appalling that he thinks it’s OK to go over there, somebody who forced young people to take of vow of silence and allowed a paedophile to continue in a community knowing what he had done,” she said.
However, Cardinal Brady issued a statement refusing to back down.
His spokesman said Brady regretted the past and felt “all people who feel rightly outraged and let down by the Catholic Church’s failure of moral leadership and accountability” were correct in their thinking.
Meanwhile, a senior Vatican prelate called the participation of Los Angeles Cardinal Mahony in the conclave ‘troubling.’ Mahony was stripped of his duties recently by his successor because of child abuse cover up
Cardinal Velasio De Paolis, the former head of the Vatican’s Prefecture for Economic Affairs said, “It will be up to [Mahony’s] conscience to decide whether to take part or not.”
Mahony via twitter has been adamant that he will take part.
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