THE BLOG LEARNED YESTERDAY THAT THE NORTHERN IRELAND PROSECUTION SERVICE HAS DECIDED NOT TO PROSECUTE FATHER HUGH KENNEDY AFTER INTERVIEWING HIM IN LATE 2016.
Fr. Kennedy had been accused of a sexual assault.
The decision NOT to prosecute was communicated at some time since April 2018 to Fr Kennedy and to Bishop Noel Treanor.
That begs the question as to why Fr Kennedy is still not allowed to minister in the diocese?
Is that because Noel Treanor has ordered that Fr Kennedy be tried in a church court? That procedure often follows action by the civil authorities.
Or does Noel Treanor have other matters on file that is stopping Hugh Kennedy returning to ministry?
One would have thought that Noel Treanor would have been only two delighted to publicly announce the “no prosecution” decision as a “win” for the church and the diocese in the context of all the abuse allegations.
After Hugh’s first accusation, which again did not end up in a prosecution, Treanor proudly re-installed him publicly as administrator of St. Peter’s Cathedral and defended his innocence.
But this second time – NOTHING!
As far as the civil authorities are concerned Hugh Kennedy is an innocent man.
And we, the public, must accept and honour that position.
But the fact that Hugh is not back in ministry seems to suggest that Noel Treanor does not accept that position?
Of course, the big problem here is the total lack of honesty and transparency by Treanor and his cohorts.
This had led Hugh to act as a cleric, and a honoured one at that, by appearing with the Order of Malta in Lourdes.
What we do not know is – is Hugh Kennedy still under suspension and why?
If there is a good explanation then that is ok.
If there is not – then is Treanor not doing Hugh Kennedy a great injustice by not taking him back into ministry.
After all, Treanor has an awful lot of vacancies to fill.
What do readers think?
BISHOP PAT BUCKLEY 
51 replies on “PUBLIC PROSECUTOR DECIDED NOT TO PROSECUTE FR. HUGH KENNEDY IN 2018.”
Is it known if Fr Kennedy wants to return to ministry?
In fairness, one wrongful accusation is stressful, but two has to leave a man pondering if it’s all worth such stress.
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Who said the accusations were ‘wrongful’ ?
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I suppose two different complaints over the last few years make for a little nervousness, particularly if the Dean is not known for being ladies’ man. Would the Norbertines take him? I believe they do a lovely line in white birettas – perfect for summer days.
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It would suit the Dean beautifully.
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2tuGJjRjCWA/Tyg5FaSH0PI/AAAAAAAABnY/xs_3COqXi38/s1600/ruth-satchell.jpg
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Brendan Marshall has moods
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Posting at 2:02 a.m. you have more than moods. Obsessions for a start.
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When quizzed the desk men always say “it’s personally fulfilling”. But it’s not to be supposed to about them, but about others.
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Hughie will not return to ministry. He has already had too many lives, and any Bishop will be very careful about taking him on board again. He’s a risk, and in this day and age of risk management, a Bishop will be well advised to be very prudent and careful. Hugh will no doubt believe that this is unjust and unfair and that he is innocent in law and therefore should be reinstated fully. But, he is going to be severely disappointed. A deal may be brokered whereby he is allowed to remain a priest, but with a very restricted operation of that priesthood, namely in private. A life of prayer and penance in his own house sort of thing.
Is this right ? Well, yes. Even though Hugh may not have committed any offences in law, I think we all know that his judgement and behaviour have been ill advised and questionable, and that he simply cannot be trusted. D & C, indeed any Diocese and Bishop, will hold him at arm’s length.
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Could he be trusted with a desk job, thereby freeing up a parish dodger?
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He did assist in the 4 million renovation of Chateau Noel. Noel put him in chsrge of the textiles – curtains etc.
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Only a madman would choose a parish over a desk job in Lisbreen, being a teacher in Aquinas Grammar or a lecturer in Mary Immaculate College Limerick, or Maynooth.
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Only a true priest you mean?
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The parish dodgers will stay at their desks, come what may. Eventually they are too institutionalised to be any use in a pastoral role eg Sean Brady, Desmond Connell, Cahal Daly, Vincent Nichols, Noel Treanor, Joe Duffy, Paul Prior, Tim Bartlett. One of Francis’s achievements has been to stop the automatic promotion to episcopal rank of desk men, ex private secretaries, seminary lecturers and parish dodgers in general.
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8:32
What a low-grade expression of bitterness and bile. The man has had his situation reviewed by a competent authority. You think you know better.
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@11:32am, I’d say the “bitterness and bile” is bubbling up furiously in yourself sunshine 😉
Kennedy will now be “reviewed” by the really competent authority in his regard – the CDF.
Bet your bottom dollar he won’t be returning to ministry.
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Did he not disappear after some I’ll fated choir trip over the water? The rumours were plenty a number of years ago about his relationship with the cathedral choral conductor. Are they true?
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The they about that trip has still to come out. But I heard Dean and Nigella had a lovers tiff and it all fell Apart on the hotel corridors late at night.
Clowns the both of them.
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Well yes, Mafiosa, there was indeed that incident in the London hotel witnessed by choirboys.
And if himself and the other boyo had been in any other walk of life they would have been sacked on the spot.
However, his woes that lead to both suspensions were not related to the London debacle.
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Any details as to what this suspension is about ?
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This song, by the son of Bishop Hannon of Clogher, reminds me of Dean Kennedy, somehow. Be patient with the 10 second warm up, it gets going after that.
https://youtu.be/bU_bGYaa3FY
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9.13: Tell us O Great Wisdom, what you mean by “true priest”? I struggle with the concept of priesthood and ministry in the present atmosphere for priests but I try to be a true priest. You know what I mean O Learned One? However, I will only look to the ONE TRUE PRIEST – JESUS CHRIST for my definition. Any other vision is fraudulent and I do not want Pat’s vision. It is too self serving, smug and has abrogated an authority of judging, condemning and crushing too many people. That I cannot stomach. Thank you Lord Jesus for staying with us despite all failings, sinfulness and wrongdoing. Bring us back to You, the One True Priest.
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The Dean, when in his cups liked to quote Oscar Wilde. To paraphrase Oscar “to have one suspension may be regarded as a misfortune; to have both looks like carelessness”.
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Pat I think we need a where are they now blog to bring us up to speed since the Maynooth scandals broke. Then one on each of the provences dioceses
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8.51: Go out and work with the homeless and poor, you lazy gossipy gob****e! What an asshole of a suggestion. You moron.
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A revised rogues’ gallery is also long overdue.
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12.58: A rogues gallery! Presumably you too will feature? Many of you crack bat critics and malcontents are the worse form of roguery, if truth be known!! How cute you’d look! 🎎🎎🎎😎😎😎…
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Pat, especially now that MC is offline so there’s less abuse and the blog is more reflective, could you open up a discussion about forgiveness and, if it’s possible, reconciliation? We all need to forgive or been forgiven. So many broken hearts/divorces/sackings/neglect/words unspoken.
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There has most definitely been a complete change of personnel at Magna Carta HQ. Obviously the previous ghost writer got the heave ho! Was there a fight among the cats? 😉
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10. 14: Don’t hold your breath too long. That Carta thing will rise like an inferno from the ashes! Pat will inveigle “it” yet to arise and set his blog on fire with venom…The blog is definitely better without his vulgarity but still requires a more reflective, honest and genuine approach about what the Church of Jesus should be like for today….Arise Mags! Arise!!
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Pat does not ask anyone to comment. The good MC contributes well. The less good MC not so. The Church of Jesus needs to be more like the early church. No empires.just THE KINGDOM.
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9.20: If such reflectiveness ensues, as promised so often, then it should also ask serious moral and ethical questions about the indiscriminate, vulgar, offensive, accusatory and mocking language thrown against so many people. Just criticisms based on validated evidence are acceptable but hate language guised as “justice” is morally reprehensible. Even printing photographs and personal details about others without their knowledge deserves scrutiny. The bitchy gossip and hearsay on this blog are also unacceptable. Didn’t St. Paul plead for “justice/truth but with charity”?? And he was emulating the One whom we should all emulate – JESUS CHRIST!
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Pat, I always appreciated Magna’s contributions. Granted they had an edge, but they usually contained enough thought provoking facts to challenge anyone.
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Pat wants to clean the swamp like Trump but like Trump he is the swamp he would clean.
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@8:32am – spot on.
After the legal/criminal route has been taken – and even if that results in a non-prosecution (there can be all sorts of reasons for that and they don’t automatically mean that the person is “innocent”), then there is the canonical process which could very well conclude that there has been, shall we say, untowardness in Kennedy’s part.
The prosecution service may think it not possible to secure a conviction, or that no law has been broken, but the Church could judge that behaviour, unworthy and unbecoming of a minister of God, has been acted out upon.
I don’t think HK will ever be back in ministry and, yes indeed, he will see himself as ‘the poor martyred victim’.
The man is a buffoon and a total liability. A deep-seated and insatiable drive of self-gratification has been the hallmark of his “career” and add to that now lashings of self-pity.
He will mince around now in his Order of Malta costume that leads the gullible and unknowing to mistake him for a bishop in places like Lourdes.
It’s pathetic really. The man was brought down by his own appetites and self-indulgence; but it will be everyone else’s fault – certainly never the fault of the so-called, self-styled “Dean”.
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That’s the point. Why did the self-styled Dean wear a mozzeta? When I was a sem I wore a simple cassock, collar and surplice with no lace (no man should wear lace) and as a layman I still dress appropriately.
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Some believe it denotes some degree of importance such as being a “Dean”; a cincture is also favoured by certain types for the same reason. I remember an Anglican Head Server who sported the full soutane with mozzetta and cincture. A harmless little hobby for the poor old sod who probably lived in a bed-sit in Balham. The sanctuary of Westminster Cathedral used to be full of those funny little men in the old days when say old Bartlett was Administrator. There was one nice old buffer who wore a sword and was Basil’s Gentleman in Waiting! That’s all gone now Vinny has the nun to protect him with her handbag – not quite as stylish though.
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I do not know this Priest but he will be well kept for years as it takes years to come to a correct answer.
He will be no fool and likely appealed to Rome.
everyone on this blog seems to think the Archbishops and Bishops of our homeland are mad be rest assured they are anything but mad.
They are advised by top lawyers and at times get it wrong but they are not mad.
This guy Kennedy looks a liability and we all make mistakes but same one twice I doubt it.
As they say Rome will decide and not always comes down on the Bishops side we just need to look at Scotland where Galloway lost at Rome and the World known Despard story and + Toal and still going on so Kennedy will know all this.
+ Pat why did you not take Daly to Rome or was Rome not so organised in those days.
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I know many priests who have avoided prosecution by the civil authorities but are still suspended from exercising their ministry as a priest. They are in limbo. Some recognise their situation, and settle in to a pattern of life, other push against it and are constantly asking to be reviewed and reinstated. Most are stuck where they are because they have no other options but to rely on the material support that they get even in suspension from their dioceses / orders. That is a function of the rather feudal relationship that continues to exists between priests and diocese / orders. If they left they would be unsupported and penniless.
HK is toast and does not have a snowflake’s chance in hell of returning to active ministry, for all of the reasons that have been expressed previously. He should really recognise this and edge in to genteel retirement, maybe being able to celebrate Mass at home in private etc. But he won’t. He will still want to be out and about, centre of attention, wearing his gear and being part of celebrations etc. He’s not connected to the reality of his situation.
i don’t wish him any ill will, but if I were one of his friends I would be encouraging him to accept the inevitable and disappear from sight and live a quite life in seclusion.
Having said that, such is the idiocy, complacency and arrogance that exists in the hierarchy of D & C, it is not without the bounds of possibility that + Treanor might give him a new job ! We shall see.
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and to think they won’t prosecute him but they prosecuted you. what’s the world coming to in all seriousness. you were just doing a good thing for people, +Pat
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How absolutely spiffing that the Dear Dean has been cleared of all wrongdoing. Will they make him a Bishop now? Oh how one does so hope!
With all these vacant dioceses, he’s just the very man and what a fine figure he cuts in cerise! Matches his complexion!
Can there be two thrones? One for the Dean and one for Nigella at his right?
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Glasgow Stephen (4pm today on yesterday’s blog). The info you gave about Archdiocese of Glasgow and surrounding Dioceses is useful. I think that between us we have a lot of info that needs put out there. Can I suggest that +Pat runs an all day blog exclusively for Scotland. People need to speak up.
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Hi Bishop Pat. I agree. Would it be possible to allocate a blog one day to the Scottish followers? I think that even you and your readers will be very surprised by the shenanigans that go on here. Much much worse than Ireland. God bless.
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Of course I will give a day to Scotland.
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Jim why is + Philip frightened to tackle them starting in his offices first that would be a great start but no he seems to give them good jobs or parishes and then his brother got top job in HQ all a joke everyone is waiting to see the plum role + Toals brother gets.
In fairness to + Keenan he acted quickly but has to wait on Rome as those two have not resigned just C/O Diocesan offices.
The next six weeks maybe interesting for both Ireland and Scotland if new Cardinals are appointed.
+ Keenan has Tom Winnings ring on and I think he hopes for Glasgow but so does Nolan, McGhee and Joe Toal but the good thing is if an Auxiliary is appointed then they have to get no right of succession and both and the THREE HQ Paul will feel out of place and hurt if they do not get it however they should just be thankful they are still in Clyde Street.
I honestly think it was this blog that pushed the two in Paisley out as they were shocked to be told about it.
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I have lots of info about Scotland. Cannot wait for Pat’s blog. I’m not going to hold back. Enough is enough.
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The 3 in Clyde Street? One is too young, one is too gay, the other ruined his chances with his housekeeper carry on x
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Fr Bolan left to move on with his boyfriend. Who is the other?
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Doesn’t Keenan promote Courage also favoured by KOB on Paisley website?
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Thanks Pat. God bless.
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Thanks Bishop Pat, God bless.
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Bolan has not resigned and still a priest for Paisley I understand it is away to Rome and the other one went to WYD and then left Hannigan again the issue is away to Rome. (they will never get back)
+ Keenan and + Toal promote Courage.
The Young one in Clyde Street is well looked after by + Tartaglia and now National Director for tribunal and moved it all into Clyde Street ah as for the too gay one he is as celibate as like them all Haha.
SC send your info to Bishop Pat and he may consider Scotland chat.
Clerical whispers just now is all about Scots College Rome as Dan is due back June 2020 so they are trying to work out is it Burke from Edinburgh who is suppose to have turned down Galloway or Sharkey from Glasgow as it cannot be Motherwell as the Vice Rector is from there.
However the Big Carrot is Glasgow, Aberdeen, Dunkeld all become vacant in 2025/2026 so mitres on offer and maybe Motherwell due to sadly + Toal’s eyesight so very tempting given Rector’s usually only do 5 years but Scotland is suppose to be going down to 5/6 dioceses just like Ireland and England and Wales has been told too many diocese.
Thanks + Pat
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