Paul Malpas

Sorry to appear like a dog with a bone but that Naughton case yesterday has me amazed.  One of the terrible things that came out of this case of a Catholic priest returning for sentencing for his second conviction for paedophilia is  the length of time it takes to squeeze the facts out of the reluctant Church.  This time we are talking of 26 years ago and every ping of a button and rasp of a zip recorded and annotated.  The other mind benders are and I list them in no particular order:-

1.  Naughton could not remember the then six year old boy he had sexually assaulted at least 70 times in 19 months.  There must have been that many, to him it was no different than breakfast.

2.  The victim has attempted suicide twice and he is now a sex addict suffering from post traumatic stress and depression and believes he can never have a normal lasting relationship with a woman.

3.  The victim’s father told the parish priest that Naughton had to leave town (Blessington that is).  He was moved one week later to Dublin where he continued his roaming. This seems to be a case of nimbyism at its most extreme.

4.  The judge noted that Naughton was of the “highest standing in society, had the respect of society and had the confidence of society” before giving him two years for his heinous crimes and also ordered him to enter into a bond of €200 to keep the peace after his release.  So he does not expect him to die inside. The judge must have been left behind by Armstrong and Co after their moonwalk in the sixties.

5.  Naughton, when asked if he had anything to say to his victims said “No, nothing”.  He obviously suffers no remorse, which makes his case  and the church’s case untenable.

6.  Diarmuid Martin, the mumbling Archbishop said “I hope those involved in the proceedings will find some solace and justice in his having to serve a jail sentence for his crimes”  What justice!  Does two years in nick equate to hanging for a Catholic priest.

7.  Naughton has had more than 20 complaints of child abuse levelled against him.  Four alter boys in Donneycarney and one in Blessington.  15 more to go.  We could be entertained for years to come if only the poor blighter can keep his pecker up.  There are probably 100s more that have not yet surfaced.

8.  He spent ten years plus in Africa and the West Indies where he is suspected of doing similar.

9.  The first recorded complaint was in 1983.

10.  Bishop Murray, who thankfully is on his way out, failed to tell the psychiatrist treating Naughton of any previous accusations and that indeed Naughton was a “reluctant participant” in the therapy.

11.  The number of parishes he worked in from 1976-1999 are still being examined but it seems he was one of these ping pong balls being continually batted across the net in front of various complaints.  This was not one moment of  aberrant behaviour by the bishops.  It was designed Church policy from the top.

12.  A number of people have settled civil claims against him rather than bring him to a criminal court, presumably with the connivance of the Church, one man from Ringsend, a particularly cruelly named district given the circumstances, being awarded over €400,000.

13.  Naughton however is still a priest of the Archdiocese.  The moral is obvious:-

A MASS A DAY AND ROGER AWAY.

However there is some light in the distance.  Bishop Murray of Limerick has gone.  It was he who allowed Naughton to circumnavigate the archdiocese.  Eamonn Walsh and Raymond Field look as though they are on their way.  All presumably with their pockets full of gold and given a comfortable place to live which is denied to a lot of us god fearing folk.  Moriarty and Drennan hopefully will be next.  Which leaves us with six more that I mentioned in my Once a Catholic piece on 7 December 2009 Archbishop Desmond Connell and Bshops William Walsh, Dermot O’Mahoney, Brendan Comiskey, Fiachre O’Ceallaigh and Lawrence Foristal.   They all said in a statement on December 10 2009 that they were shamed by the statement that child abuse was covered up but that individually they claim to have done no wrong.  Let not one of them escape.

How can we not accept the fact that the Catholic Church is rotten to its very core.

Can I thank Edil Kennedy of the Indo for the dutiful and full account of the sentencing procedure yesterday.