This article is from page 17 of the 2006-03-21 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 17 JPG
WELL-KNOWN priest, Fr Harry Bohan, has added his voice to concerns over Church rules requiring priests to be removed from their ministry when a sex abuse allegation is made against them.
“There is a danger of over-correctness on the issue. The discussion has begun and it is vital that the discussion does take place,” he said.
“It is a cliché to say that a person is innocent until proven guilty, but the bottom line is that children have to be protected.”
“It is a cruel business in every way for all. It is a huge issue and I am delighted that the bishops have taken it on,” said Fr Bohan, who is the Director for Pastoral Planning in the diocese.
Fr Bohan said that morale amongst priests in the diocese was “quite good and a lot of that must go down to the leadership provided by the Willie Walsh as bishop.”
He said he didn’t know what the solution was to the Church rule requiring accused priests step aside.
Last week, another senior Clare cleric, Canon Caimin O’Carroll asked whether it was fair that a priest would be removed and have to wait in limbo for years before any decision was made on an allegation.
Canon O’Carroll’s move to air his concerns came against the background of two priests in Clare parishes being asked to stand aside in the past six months, as a result of allegations being made against them.
Canon O’Carroll said that his views were shared by others in the local clergy. “There would be a lot of sympathy and feeling for the priests that have been asked to step aside from other priests,” he said.