CORRESPONDENT ONE
“I am from the Diocese of Hexham and Newcaste andI discovered your blog following the death of Fr Michael Mc Coy and like many in the Diocese I regularly follow your blog and admire your honesty and determination to keep the actions of the Church management out in the open.
With reference to Bishop Robert Bryne .
I wish to share an other example of his total hypocrisy and duplicity .his complete lack of empathy and his mismanagement of the Diocese
A priest reported to the safeguarding department that he had heard of a historic rape by a serving priest of HN. Angie Richardson immediately informed the Police and Bishop Robert but Bishop Robert did nothing to remove the priest.
After meetings, investigations , statements, etc, the victim has had no pastoral support or care. The victim never wanted all the investigations and refused to make a statement to the Police, not because it was a lie but because the pressure, publicity, and trauma involved was too much to cope with.
What did Bishop Robert do? Absolutely nothing. He removed Fr John Chlosey immediately, an allegation was reported ( he was later found not guilty in court) and he removed Fr Michael Mc Coy immediately, but he did not remove this priest in question.
Why? Who knows? Probably because this priest is known to be a violent man, a priest who does only what he wants and ignored previous Bishops, a priest who openly lives with his lady friend of over 30 yrs in the presbytery , and who it is known in the Diocese has a daughter and granddaughter by this lady. This priest is still in the parish even though he is now retired. He refused to move out of the house. The priest now in charge of the parish built a wall up to separate the church and house, and Bishop Robert knew all of this. The retired priest holds daily masses in the house for his faithful followers and takes a daily collection . Bishop Robert knows all of this but would not challenge him.
When the safeguarding officer suggested Bishop Robert should contact the victim his response was “Contact my office and make an appointment to see me”.
Unbelievable. No concern, no empathy, no servant of the people, just a man who thinks he is above all and everyone should jump to him.
Perhaps you could invite Archbishop Mc Mahon to re-examine all the cases under Roberts’ watch and take the measures he should have done. “
CORRESPONDENT TWO
The RC way of trying to silence dissenters or anyone having the temerity to disagree with the hierarchy no doubt.
I have been intrigued and shocked to read your blog about this individual. It seems we are probably looking at the ‘tip of the iceberg’ and the culture created is dangerous in the extreme. I know from experience the cloak of secrecy is also matched by a wall of silence and until I stumbled upon your blog, had no previous knowledge of the appalling goings on in Newcastle cathedral.
Byrne’s regime is gruesome, sinister, dangerous, and hopelessly outdated. There has been an outcry in my parish about the appointments he made, and it is patently obvious that all had to toe his line or suffer the consequences. Classic bully treatment. The laity has been treated as fools, and if what I read is true, places like Oscott are dens of iniquity frequented by many who should never have been allowed into the seminaries. In the same way as Byrne, given his pedigree, should never have been appointed Bishop of H & N Diocese.
My fervent wish is to see a clear out in our diocese, so any information you can give enabling us to achieve our objective will be appreciated.
The quickest way to empty the pews of already rapidly dwindling congregations is to continue with the regime ( of living in the past promoting Latin Masses), which Byrne created. Using a dead language that the vast majority of today’s youth do not know, let alone understand, will surely encourage them to attend Mass, engage with the Catholic church, or enthral them. Not!
Nutters, oddballs, and weirdos like Byrne and his acolytes need to be stopped. .
Good luck and best wishes.
PAT SAYS
It becomes clearer and clearer to me that many dioceses in England, Scotland, and Ireland are being very badly run by men who should NEVER have been made bishops.
DISASTERS IN ENGLAND
BYRNE Hexham and Newcastle.
EGAN Portsmouth.
COLLINS East Anglia.
DAVIS Shrewsbury.
OAKLEY Northampton
DISASTERS IN SCTOLAND
MR KEENAN Paisley.
TOAL Motherwell.
DISASTERS IN IRELAND
FARRELL Dublin.
MONAHAN Killaloe.
DEENIHAN X 2 Meath
MARTIN Armagh.
MC KEOWN Derry.
CULLINAN Waterford.
BROWNE Kerry
Many of these men have no real intelligence – even and especially those with academic qualifications.
Nor do they seem to have authentic spiritualities and prayer lives.
Nor a natural common sense.
They are simply “safe” company men devoid of original thoughts and full of a desire for advancement.
Nor do they have genuine moral compasses or a true sense or morality and justice.
“There is neither priest nor prophet to ply his trade in the land.”
BISHOP PAT BUCKLEY 