THE IRISH TIMES
Former pupils allege regular sexual abuse by priest and decorated GAA coach Fr Michael Cremin
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As a football coach, Fr Michael Cremin brought glory to the small Co Westmeath town of Moate, guiding the Carmelite College school team to three All-Ireland GAA titles in the 1970s and early 1980s.
Originally from Co Cork, the priest taught maths in the boys boarding school and coached the football team, as well as later becoming principal.
Now amid ongoing revelations of past abuse in schools, multiple former Moate students who spoke to The Irish Times allege suffering or witnessing sexual abuse by Fr Cremin, who died in 2019.
One Carmelite College boarding student in the late 1970s alleged he was sexually abused by Fr Cremin in the priest’s room when he was about 14 years old.
In other alleged incidents the man claimed he was sexually assaulted during classes, where the priest would sit beside students and grope them. “Everybody else put the head down so they’d avoid the attention. I still haven’t forgotten it,” he said.
“I didn’t wash for a while as a form of defence. I made myself sick every Monday and Friday to avoid going to his class,” the man said. “I told my parents at the time. They wouldn’t believe me,” he said.
Fr Cremin led the Carmelite team to three All-Ireland school football titles in 1976, 1980 and 1981, as well as six Leinster titles during the same period.
The Carmelite order, who also run Terenure College in Dublin, said 41 allegations of child sexual abuse had been reported against 12 priests who had worked in its schools.
PAT SAYS
It seems like abuse, abuse, abuse, abuse everywhere…..
……in parishes, in presbyteries, in sacristies, in convents, in classrooms, in shower rooms, on football pitches, in chapels…..
And it seems never ending – day after day, week after week, month after month, year after year.
The Carnelites, the Jesuits, the Franciscans, the Holy Ghosts, the Cistercians, the Christian Brothers….
The Sisters of Mercy, Charity, Holy Faith, Nazareth, Presentation……
Legionaries, Opus Dei…..
…..
….
…
BISHOP PAT BUCKLEY 
128 replies on “Sexual abuse in Carmelite College Moate: ‘We knew something wasn’t right’”
Pat, you mention Holy Faith..What incident(s) are you referring to? You should ensure you have correct facts.
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You’re asking for a lot there mate. When did facts ever matter on this blog?
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8:41 how parochial of you!! This blog is only one of thousands of verified sources worldwide.
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They’ve never NOT mattered. But this bothers you, doesn’t it?
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10:49 ‘See, I’ve managed to find one order where nobody has been accused of crimes against humanity’ isn’t the winning argument you think it is. 😂
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Padraig ya aul mucker but you are obsessed with this blog and we all know the reason.
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Jaysus Padraig surely you don’t blog direct from the Boiler House or were things a bit slow last night.
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Padraig sounds a grumpy sort, I’d say even the priests like to hang out with someone who’s a bit of craic in those boiler houses.
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1.38: 1.48 and 3.45 – the 3 of you are so stupidly silly and thick as planks. I merely wondered why Pat put the Holy Faith Sisters in his list. I’ve read all relevant audited documents re: safeguarding for every religious order in the country (which are available) and this Order along with many others does not nor ever had any abuse levelled against them. TRUTH MATTERS. P.S. – the boiler house is too far away and since you seem anxious about me needs I’ll avail of your services as visiting sluts!!
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@5:29
” I Did Not Have Sex With That Table ! ”
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And they know.
And they don’t care.
The best they can do is nit pick 👆
Pro-life my arse. Pro-paedo more like.
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11:41 Roman Catholic Church is only pro life because they wish they still raking in all that money on slave labour and illegal child sales, child trafficking, identity documents forgery and fees for medical experiments in the violently abusive church run mother & baby homes.
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9:23 And don’t forget that it’s a non-issue which can make them feel like they’re concerned about something and that they’re persecuted. Ask a so called ‘pro-lifer’ if they have adopted and you won’t find many at all. They want the problem to be someone else’s.
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11.41 Utter nonsense. Hate inciting. Read properly.
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When you think it’s wrong to hate child abuse you really need to stop and think about your life choices.
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10:03 the world is now fully enlightened thanks to widespread internet access etc., of how much Roman Catholic clerics and their cohorts hate children, women and anyone weak or vulnerable or in any form of distress who makes the fatal mistake of believing that they do what it says on the tin.
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Hark at Fr Trendy @ 10:03am, quick to pick up on accusing anyone who objects to the protection of all manner of abusers as inciting hate. Shame Fr Trendy & his Ken & Barbie brigades didn’t cotton on long ago that dressing up as wolves in sheep’s clothing for the purposes of executing sexual & financial abuse on vulnerable children & adults is ultimately & rightly going to bury the RCC.
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10.57
Except that the incitement to hatred is not directed at actions but at people, in many cases on the assumption of guilt by association. Have you an interest in diverting attention from the direction pointed to by the statistics and towards church-related people. Child sexual abuse is a current reality and the majority of perpetrators are known to their victims.
People like you need to be investigated to determine their vested interests.
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The RCC is institutionally abusive and nonce friendly. It needs fundamental reform or forbidden freedom to continue.
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Fr nonce McGarrity hiding his face
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-64835317
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They appear to be either a nonce or covering up for a nonce(s). Safeguarding my arse.
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Don’t be taken in by any of these baby faced twinks that the bishops seem to ordain despite being fully informed of their wrong doing whilst in Seminary. When newly ordained Fr baby faced twink tries it on with your younger family members or God forbid, even yourself or Barbara, Jim, as by all accounts, anything goes with those types in those circles, they take it anywhere they can get it on the sex & money front, do rest assured that Bishop will spring into action & set all his cronies in high & low places on you and your family to ensure you are soundly discredited in the unlikely event you manage to get said Fr Twink in front of a Judge who will probably turn out to have attended college with Fr Twinks dad or uncle or shagged his aunt when he was knee high to a grasshopper or is involved in some nod, nod, nudge, nudge, wink wink arrangements with the extended RCC member Mafioso.
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I suppose what all these crimes show is the need for the strict governance procedures we have now in place for people working with children and vulnerable adults. Back in those days there were no checks. There was no governance in schools or anywhere else. Everyone working in those professions were trusted to be decent people. The result was a few individuals with evil intentions were given free reign to abuse their positions of authority and commit awful crimes in some cases. I was a boarder in a school in that same period and thankfully I didnt suffer any abuse and I was not aware of anyone else suffering abuse. I now realise how fortunate I was.
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Our daily confirmation that the cathbots would like to think this is in the past.
They’re going to get a shock in the years to come. 😂
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9:32 Africa and Asia hasn’t even got started yet.
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Oh no they are not, they are well prepared.
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Covering up continues, Seanie.
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The attacks upon our priests are truly terrible.
Satan is uncaged, by Jesus’ command;and the world is in immortal danger.
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It’s very simple, if you want safety and happiness in life do the opposite of what the unholy Roman cult teaches.
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The clerical brotherhood comes first…and last. Institutional catholicism is self destructing.
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1:12 Cage the nonces & save the world this clerical pity party.
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Don’t forget the 80-odd (reported) vulnerable children the St. John of God Brothers molested.
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God only knows how many more cover ups are to emerge. It’s endless….
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Abuse, abuse, abuse.
Bishop Monahan’s solution: ‘Conversations about the Future’.
Fr Arnie has a big role to play.
It will go down a treat 🤡
https://www.killaloediocese.ie/conversations-about-the-future-killaloe-diocese-2/
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Where are the Killaloe priests, Fr Fitzgerald & Fr Carey? Can the Bishop guarantee public safety with some transparency for once on these outstanding issues in the Diocese of Killaloe.
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Bishop Monahan is too busy putting out the fires in Killaloe 🔥🔥🔥. Survival is the main objective now:
‘Sobering Statistics
During the overall time of the past 7 years, on the positive side, we had three priestly ordinations, two for the diocese, one for a religious order. We were also fortunate to get five very holy, diligent and hardworking priests from Kerala in India.
At the same time, on the other side of the scale we have lost 9 of our living and active priests, between leaving ministry, one being consecrated a bishop elsewhere, some with health issues and other issues arising that have terminated ministry. Quite a number are working away, while coping with serious illnesses as well.
In that short time, I have celebrated the funeral Masses for 15 priests who gave a lifetime of service to the diocese. That’s a loss of over 20% of the priests in that space of time.
We have less than a mere 50 priests in active ministry under the age of 75, but all, apart from a small handful, of quite senior age.
We have a staggering 23 parishes with no resident priest, So you can see the magnitude of the decline and the situation we are in.‘ ~+Fintan Monahan
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10:15 This should correct the moaners who say there’s never anything positive reported on this blog. Such good news. 🙏
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Forget about them, they are no longer your business.
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The poor aul Indians priests might be very Holy when they arrive in Killaloe but how in hell can they remain so in that environment.
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3.30 There’s no business like show business. Three words for ya: Data Protection Commission
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Why is Bishop Monahan so desperate for money that he is taking away the future of our kids in St Flannans College?
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Silence is a very expensive commodity
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Let’s talk about the, there and then, and, the here and now. Que Sera, Sera whatever will be, will be.
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On behalf of the book editors Mark Coen, Katherine O’Donnell & Maeve O’Rourke, you are invited to join us for the launch of:
A Dublin Magdalene Laundry: Donnybrook and Church-State Power in Ireland.
Tuesday 7th March, 6pm at the Irish Architectural Archive, 45 Merrion Square.
All are welcome.
Register at Eventbrite:
https://www.eventbrite.ie/e/book-launch-a-Dublin-Magdalene-laundry-tickets-552629689277
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I read with interest on the rsc website that they have refurbished houses on their Donnybrook campus. The site is worth over 10 million. The Sacred Hearts Congregation have two houses on Northbrook work 2.5 million each. Interesting that Loreto Abbey in Dalkey was founded at the beginning of the great famine in 1843.
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Ask them who founded the first Magdalene Laundry in Ireland, and who founded the Bethany Homes. And if you get a chance, ask about the homes run by the Irish Church Missionary Society, and the Ulster Penitentiary and Home for Fallen Women.
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Blood money they have, it is sinful,
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2:34 Governments pussyfoot about these religious institutions but never introduce legislation that makes life better for the victims, survivors or families of those who died awaiting justice. All bullshit and lip service from church and state.
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Another day another dirtbag RCC nonce is exposed.
I have no doubt this was known in Moate and nothing done about it because his teams won a few miserable Gaelic football matches and brought some glory to that hopeless place. Not only that they saw fit to promote the bastard to principal.
People blame the RCC -quite rightly – but the Irish state is culpable too. It facilitated all this abuse. What kind of country did we live in that at the first complaint this wasn’t dealt with? I always remember John B Keane on church control in Ireland, words to the effect ”first we fought WW1, then the War of Independence, then the Civil War. By the time it was over everyone could fight no more and the church took over unopposed”.
I remember reading a book years ago called ‘The Dark Heart of Italy’ and wondering at the corruption and criminality there. But in reality we are no better in Ireland. Child abuse, murder, selling babies, alcoholism and robbing each other. More than half our parliament are landlords and we have the worst accommodation crisis in Europe, quelle surprise. We have no high horse to climb on, we are as bad a people as anyone else.
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9:08 true for you Toddy.
Those control freaks find sick and twisted forms of glory in these forsaken sheep pens.
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Your monsignoritude, I suggest you merely apply the excuses so often used for the church to answer your question about the state. It was after all the same time frame and it was normal to be raped at school then, but we must be merciful and not demolish these people who were trying their best.
Sounds stupid, DOESN’T IT.
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@9.39 I have no doubt there were some good people too.
Funnily enough though none put their hands up and shouted stop, did they?
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10:13 No they didn’t. In fact the blog post suggests people at least suspected.
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Regarding the John B Keane quote, an inconvenient truth is that all those who took part in the struggles he mentioned were Mass-going Catholics.
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9.08 and 2.38
John B’’s sister was a highly esteemed Presentation Sister who was principal in Caherciveen. Just how far do your snide remarks go?
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Cruel and bitter women who made my life hell. Evil personified. I worked them and was diagnosed as being traumatised.
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9:20 Sue them for the Post Traumatic Stress Disorder they inflicted upon you.
Money is the only language the Holy ones understand or fear – they use God as a front for their multiple business interests and their properties wheeling and dealing.
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9.33: Also sue the state apparatchiks who ensured you were off thecsyrdets and society who didn’t care. What of families of high society who looked the other way but wete glad of slaves from the institutions and farmers and banks…and colleges of education and hotels. They knew their dirty linens were being washed clean of stains etc….but didn’t care about the moral stain on a complicit society…..Yes, let judgment fall where it needs to fall.
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2:13 You’ll be absolutely ranting when you discover who runs the justice system in our society. Luckily it’s not the rape cult.
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2:13 the types that had what were known as boarded outs in our community had family members who were nuns and priests and their houses were regular haunts for local clerics.
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Yes sue the sisters. Write to Sr Mary Christian, probably the most unchristian sister in the province.
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If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, point to the social workers, state, Salvation Army, or anyone else you can deflect to. 40 And if anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, make up vicious stories about them and post them online. 41 If anyone forces you to go one mile, insist they carry you. 42 Refuse to give to the one who asks you, and hire lawyers to turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.
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EVERY Diocese and Religious Order on the island of Ireland needs to be investigated.
Safeguarding MUST be completely independent of the RCC.
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Nothing surprising here. I reckon every religious order in Ireland has something lurking in the back of the cupboard. They will just be hoping against hope that these secrets will not leak out. The only way to really find out what they know and are hiding is to do a mandatory search of their archives. Most will come out then, because the religious orders do know most of what has happened. Whenever I hear them talking about anything, I now refuse to listen to them because they have lost all right to expect my attention. Only when they sort out that cupboard will I think about paying attention again. They have lost our trust completely.
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You name me one religious order priest that has not slept with at least one other, and I will hand you over €1 million – cash
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The best sex I had was when I was in monastery
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Well it wasn’t great sex with the Redemptorists! Clunky, awkward, and premature was my experience of the reds! Especially the priest whose kink was white socks.
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3.45
Is it not Dominicans who wear white socks as a sign to one another that they are going commando?
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I was sexually abused in St Patrick’s when I was an altar boy
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Doesn’t mean it was by a priest, I was abused by an older altar boy while the priest turned a blind eye
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9.57: Go clean out your own inner closets of darkness in your family and in your personal life. “…Have mercy on my God in your kindness. In your compassion blot out my offence….A pure heart create for me O God…”…Yes – pure hearts for all.
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How many times was Gregory Cormican caught by police and let off? Hardly fair to laymen.
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And Irish republicans had the cheek to call the RUC GC anti-Catholic?
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Without the ira we would not have equal rights
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10:19 You have to understand that when RCs use the phrase ‘anti-Catholic’ they don’t mean anything objectively anti-RC or that they even think it’s anti. It’s a way of making themselves feel good for supposedly being persecuted (in Western Europe they’re not) and to make the listener feel bad snd comply to their wishes. Compare the way they use the words celibate and hate-speech. This is reflected in the comments of the past couple of days where a priest was convicted of sexual assault but they were ranting that it wasn’t that bad: RCs never ever understand words the way other people do and the fact they can interpret sexual assault to mean only rape and everything else is just naughty, tells you everything you need to know.
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Gregory Cormican is dead a few years now. However, there are lots of fellow clergy about the place who are out and about mirroring his behaviour – cruising the lay-bys and the truck stops, hanging about open air gay cruising sites etc. It’s a very common clerical extra curricular activity. The problem is, as Gregory found out, you get caught out eventually and worse. Isn’t there something on about George Michael at the moment and his cruising activities in the US ? One talking head says that he knew that a reckoning for GM would come because you can only play with the devil so many times before he bites back. If you are a gay causing priest, you will get caught one day. Then what … ?
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I knew Fr Fearghal McGrady. Never would have guessed. Still can’t believe it.
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People are only human.
We are all sinners.
It’s time to forgive and forget.
Little boys heal.
Sure, what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.
We all have flaws.
I bought myself a copy of the “Big Book of Platitudes: What to say when accused of sexual abuse”. It’ll come in useful on this blog. I can tell that some have dipped into it.
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Pat I don’t think you have all your facts right about David O’Connells death. Look more closely to the Peruvian links, even the police have missed a lot of clues
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I do think there is more to come.
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Is there evidence he was sexually assaulted before he died?
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Pat at 11.22: Let the good man rest in peace.God, not you, will ultimately be his judge. But of course, bully boy bucks always has to play god with all lives. LISTEN MIRE ATTENTIVELY TO THE LENTEN GOSPELS, HYPOCRITE. Try to refind CHRIST..
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You are correct, +Pat. All is not yet revealed about the O’Carroll business. They are probably trying to manage it, but eventually it will out. I very much doubt if he was the saint that they have painted him. People are much more multi-layered than that.
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2:07 There you go attempting to control the narrative and sweep this matter under the carpet. Let the judicial process throw up the missing housemate and join the dots on all the missing links in the Bishop O’Connell murder.
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Ciaran Dallat is up to old tricks again
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Dirty Dallat. Shagging tricks ? Well, when they come back after being caught out, clergy behave for a while but then revert to type. Just a bit more carefully. Dallat should have known that a very close eye would be kept on him, especially in a small place like NI. Butter wouldn’t melt…..
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Wot’s the score @11.22? Been away on hols so must hasten to O’Tooles to find out.
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Pat do you believe there is any decent priest out there? I’m in despair
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Turn to Christ, not to a priest
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There are plenty of psychiatrists. Maybe see one of them?
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There is no decent priest until the RCC talks openly about sexuality and start living the way of Jesus.
Peter mcVerry and the sister in charge of Focus ireland are imo good examples of Jesus apostles than any of the institutional clergy.
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The first photo was taken in Gaynooth (you can clearly see Long Corridor in the background). There should be an investigation of his links to that pink palace.
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The wicked flee when no one pursueth.
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But the righteous are as bold as a lion
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11.25: Of course there are many, many decent priests in parishes. Look for them beyond this blog. I’ve encountered such priests. This blog never supports Catholic priests. Ever.
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The usual selective cathbot reading at 1:55. You can’t save the damsel if she loooves being in distress.
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Yet you have to keep reading this blog to see if your own activity has reached Pat’s ears, don’t you, ‘father’. 😂
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CHURCH WON’T PAY COMPENSATION TO VICTIMS OF SEXUAL ABUSE
LISBON (Portugal)
Portugal Resident [Lagoa, Portugal]
March 4, 2023
By Natasha Donn
Bishops conference to outline measures falls dismally short
“The long awaited press conference tipped to outline measures the Portuguese Catholic Church will be taking in the wake of the findings of the Independent Commission into child sex abuse within the institution fell dismally short of expectations yesterday evening. Victims associations – particularly Quebrar o Silêncio, which has specificially petitioned the Church to come up with immediate solutions for the 106 priests still in active service against whom allegations of abuse have been made – reacted with dismay, saying the message given was ‘ambiguous’ at best.
On another level “ethical, moral questions” seemed to have been completely buried. There were myriad references to the fact that pedophilia is not confined to the Church. Victims’ associations points are that the Church cannot be likened to lay society, by dint of its values – and that therefore betrayal of such values is a great deal worse.”
https://www.portugalresident.com/church-wont-pay-compensation-to-victims-of-sexual-abuse/
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There is a complete breakdown of leadership in the Roman Catholic Church in matters of security and safety of those who come in contact with its members. The reputational and financial interests of its church come first every time and all the time, the abused and wronged do not matter to them, just shut them up by whatever means necessary and carry on regardless. That’s the Roman Catholic Church attitude from top to bottom.
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There is no breakdown. Child abuse was first recognized as a problem in the 11th century. The rape is what it’s about, not a failure of governance.
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When bishop Fintan refers to priests leaving for ‘other reasons’. I wonder what he could mean?
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I left the priesthood for ‘other reasons’. Not to go in to a relationship. Not because we I was in trouble. Not because I was suspended. To get away from the suffocating atmosphere of clergy and bishops, of nosey and inquisitive parishioners, of a Church that seemed incapable of waking up and smelling the coffee and realising that the formula of the past was not going to work today or tomorrow, to stop having to bite my tongue or be tacitly approving even by silence but especially by my role as a priest about such idiocies as celibacy, the ministry of women, the life of lay Catholics and their relationships….and so much more. And, of course, the culture of coverup and the awful sexual abuse that had been committed by people whom I thought were incapable of such wickedness. I had had enough. And so, I wrote to the bishop and told him that I would leave the parish on a given day, a month in advance, didn’t bother to even go to see him, and simply left. What liberation ! Oh, yes, there were all sorts of bits of paper following me around threatening all sorts of canonical impositions and punishments, but in my liberated state I was able to see them for what they were -complete tosh and nonsense. Yes, I was fortunate. I had a marketable career ability, and was able to very quickly find a good and well paid job. So, ‘other reasons’ can be very good reasons to leave ministry. I pity those still tied to it.
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“Other Reasons ”
Well done you!
I think a lot more would also opt out if they too had marketable financial alternatives.
But surely the main reason is, that like the episcopal threats, the whole religious farrago too is all, in your words, “tosh and nonsense. ”
MMM
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The Roman Catholic Church: founded by Jesus.😅😅😅😅😅😅
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5.33: MMM – You must surely be exhausted by now retelling of your disdain for the hokus pocus (as you call it) of religious faith. We know your stance. What civil or political issues get you as madly punch drunk with sound bytes? 🤣😂😁🤣..
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@8:14.
Run with the hare and hunt with the hounds.
Your ad hominem rant is how it sounds.
Have you any contribution to make?
Or just sarcasm for ‘sarky’s’ sake?
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Pat, an English Bishop in the Midlands referred to you and your blog as filth recently at a meeting.
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That’s a real compliment if true. It isn’t, though, no bishop will admit to reading this blog, masturbating or shredding the secret archive.
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4 27: You said this many, many times. Does it coincide with your periods? Banal, stupid comment.
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The Roman Catholic Bishops are obsessed with filth and with covering up for all manner of filth. Delusional Mafia they are.
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4:27 If they want to read filth tell them to read reports from inquires into sexual abuse perpetrated by their colleagues in the priesthood.
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Clergy & Cohorts stop speaking to you because they owe you an apology. Then you are informed they busy speaking about you to control the narrative. Same old modus operandi.
😇🥱🐑😇
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4.27pm
Let’s see – West or East Midlands – active or emeritus?
East is Pat McKinney
West is Longley, Pargeter, McGough, Kenney, Evans, Wright
I’m not sure any of the above has the energy to describe this blog as filth so tired, weary and dull are they but they all recognise filth when they see it – but no filth on this blog just good old exposure of corruption.
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@4.37pm The Midlands does not include possibles you already mention. Keep trying, could do better with a red pen
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Who said Emeritus?
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It seems that any personal contact with priests and their types is not good for ones personal safety or general well being. A frightful state of affairs.
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Nichols and Winning (RIP) laugh at the clegy antics, especially on here. Vinny is not daft. They think he is – that’s the mistake.
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SCHOOL HALL PREDATORS
https://www.churchmilitant.com/news/article/school-hall-predators
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Winning wasn’t the worst. McKinney is likely to be the culprit in re
gard to the blog
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I suspect It’s Evans because he has been on a tour of the Midlands recently, that is is a role? The people here wants to see the organ grinder . No offence to the monkey.
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Evans isn’t too bad.
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Buntty Byrne badmouther Buckley to Longley and out with the diocese.
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4.26: You may have commented before on a few occasions with much the same sentiments and thoughts. Your narrative is familiar…being financially able to walk away from “all of it”. ..Good for you and I hope you managed to do some good as a priest (I’m sure you did) and that now you’ll find a different joy in your life without the burden of a very changed and changing priesthood, a broken church, the craziness of celibacy and a closed door to women’s ordination. However, not all priests are waiting to get out. Some, perhaps – and many have been forced to leave because of sexual abuse. The first 10/12/15years of priesthood were very fulfilling, full of a sense of doing something meaningful, relevant and worthwhile. Then the reality set in. The abuse scandals burst open like a tsunami and from the early 90’s it’s been a continuum of revelations, not just about sexual abuse but financial scandals, bishops and their toy boys, criminal behaviour by cover up and an unwillingness to pay up. The adversarial approach adopted by the Church towards abuse victims and survivors was and remains a moral disaster. Allowing for normal evolving patterns of thinking, philosophy, learning, greater opportunities for people, access to all information and the multicultural, secular society we live in, with the natural consequences for religions and religious faith, the Church and priesthood have had their integrity, trust and relevance shattered, nit by all of these evolutions, but by the scandaks of criminal sexual and other abuses, almost to the point of becoming an irrelevance. Today’s society and the crises in the church and priesthood are not conducive to any sense of well being or fulfilment for very many of us. If I’m truly honest with you, yes, I would retire because I feel shameful and guilty about the enormous hurt I now know was placed unnecessarily on people through a harsh, condemning, guilt ridden preaching of the gospel (much of that preaching being a betrayal of Christ), an inhumane set of moral teachings inflicted on people and the sexual abuse scandals. A very kind, caring pastoral priest I worked with in my early years taught me very valuable lessons about ensuring not to become “clericalised”. I didn’t quite know what he meant but in a short time from then on, I understood his advice. Though try as we may to dissociate ourselves from clericalism, there’s still a culture within church and priesthood which is unhealthy, blind and suffocating. Many of us are still priests because we have somehow learned to rise above the nonsense and commit ourselves to being of some meaningful assistance at various, difficult and joyful moments when and where we are invited to do so. Trying now to be creatively imaginative and pastorally visionary are almost impossible. Despite my negative assessment I still find immense nourishment through the sacraments of the Church, The Eucharist, prayer and in paging through the great artists, poets, composers, mystics and philosophers whose works have been inspired by the great Christian story. But, I have a desire now to be in a quieter place where silence, stillness and beauty abound not to be in a battle of crises, one after another!
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Thank you- I find the honesty of your response moving. I hope you find your quieter place.
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Churches are a bit like the colosseum Still under the care of Rome Co Council and still not finished. Majestic Historic and still full of holes. Purpose is being lost and damage control and limitation is the new false god
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Evans isn’t too bad.
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5.17pm
Your wrong they are the episcopate for the Midlands – active and emeritus – end of.
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Anyone encounter any resistance/interference when leaving the church? Finally took the initiative this past week to request a note be made in the register of Baptism. My email wasn’t even acknowledged. Rude much 😤
Chances of a polite and respectful acknowledgement? 🤷♂️
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