THE failure of the diocese of Down and Connor to offer a proper expression of regret to one of its own priests over the way in which he was sexually abused by a fellow member of the clergy was a shocking insight into some of the mindsets previously in place at a senior level within the Catholic Church in Ireland.
It needs to be stressed that the attitudes of the Catholic hierarchy have changed beyond all recognition in recent years, as the comprehensive and sincere apology given to Fr Patrick McCafferty last week over his appalling ordeals demonstrated.
However, the fact that a serving priest could have been treated so coldly only 12 years ago after the conviction of his tormentor indicated starkly the sense of helplessness and despair experienced by all the vulnerable young people who were the victims of clerical abuse during one past generation after another.
The story of Fr McCafferty is an appalling one, and it is a great tribute to his strength of character that he is still making a hugely positive contribution as parish priest of Ballymurphy in west Belfast after all his experiences.
He was first targeted in his late teens as a clerical student by James Donaghy, who went on to be a prominent and influential priest in the diocese of Down and Connor, but shamelessly used his position to become a serial sex attacker.
Donaghy clearly believed that he could do whatever he liked without being held to account, and even threatened this newspaper with legal action when we first began to report on the concerns which began to surface about his conduct.
His brazen approach and privileged status made it exceptionally difficult for him to be properly investigated, but the courage and determination of Fr McCafferty, and two other victims, one who had also previously trained to be a priest and the other a former altar boy, eventually resulted in criminal proceedings.
Donaghy, in typical fashion, denied everything in the face of overwhelming evidence and put the three main witnesses through the ordeal of a full trial before he was eventually found guilty on 23 sex abuse charges and, in February, 2012, jailed for ten years.
It was dreadful that, even after the conviction of Donaghy, the diocese of Down and Connor issued ill-judged comments and failed to provide anything close to the level of support which Fr McCafferty fully deserved.
The statement issued by Bishop Alan McGuckian last week was fulsome and sincere, saying that Fr McCafferty was wrongly treated with “incredulity, disbelief and animosity on the part of many, including clergy of the diocese”, and it will be firmly hoped that the Catholic Church has entered a new era.
