Sign in. It’s quick, free and it’s up to you.
An account is an optional way to support the work we do. Find out more.
A WOMAN WHO was sexually assaulted by paedophile Brendan Smyth at the age of 13 has said that she may take legal action against members of An Garda Síochána who had known about his activities at the time of her abuse.
Smyth abused Rose (not her real name) in 1993, 20 years after his behaviour first came to the attention of gardaí.
She was 13 at the time.
Speaking on Morning Ireland, Rose said she would consider including gardaí who were aware of his abuse in a civil case she is taking against Bishop Leo O’Reilly, Cardinal Sean Brady and Smyth’s former order, the Norbertines.
I think all the victims’ civil cases could be broadened out – even those that have been settled.
She said she knew “for a fact that [Smyth] didn’t just visit [her] house” in the years he took shelter in Kilnacrott Abbey in Cavan after being extradited from Northern Ireland.
The abuse perpetrated by Smyth, who was one of the first Catholic priests to be outed as a paedophile in the early 1990s, could have been prevented, she said.
Some of us could have been saved – me included.
Aware of abuse
Smyth’s actions are being examined this week by Northern Ireland’s historical institutional abuse inquiry (HIA).
Cardinal Brady, who swore two of his victims to secrecy during an internal church inquiry in 1975, will appear before the panel later today.
The public inquiry heard yesterday that gardaí were aware that he abused children as far back as the early 1970s.
Previously confidential documents also revealed that a doctor at St Patrick’s Hospital had diagnosed him with paedophilia in 1974.
The inquiry heard earlier this week that the former priest admitted he may have sexually abused up to 200 children.
Smyth was convicted of 117 cases of indecent assault in 1994, less than a year after he abused Rose.
He had served less than a month of a 12-year jail sentence when he died in 1997.
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
Just the look on that evil, vile b@stards face chills me to the very bone!
I remember when I first saw you here Harry – you were ridiculed – just shows the power of patience and time …
What an utterly vile and evil man. The cover-ups and attempts to silence victims is equally vile. The fact that the authorities were not called in to deal with this and other cases of abuse makes the Bishops and Cardinals of the time equally as guilty as Smyth. The CC should be stripped of its wealth and power and cast out of every country where these heinous crimes were committed.
So considering that a minority of 3-4% in the RC church were guilty of the crimes and cover up, are you condemning all the clergy who have helped the poor, the sick etc. Do you include people like Fr. Peter McVerry?
Do you also think therefore that Islam whose prophet raped an 8 yr old (Aisha) and had sex slaves and whom muslims and islam considers as the perfect example to try to emulate and whose followers in UK have gang-raped 400 girls in Rotherham, 500 in Oxford and 100s more in more UK towns, that islam too should be stripped of it’s wealth and power and cast out of ever country?
Invasion: yes to both. Ah the aul “but sure… Charity”. It just boggles the mind the all pervasive infectious nature of the religious virus in otherwise what appear to be rational beings. And if you think it was 3-4% then that is even a bigger delusion than the one where a man with a beard (or hammer, or God of lightening or whatever) created the universe and has a personal interest in whether or not you eat meat on Fridays.
3-4% may well have been guilty but in the intervening years the remainder became aware. Why didn’t they leave their orders or the priesthood altogether and call in the authorities? Ignoring the situation and burying their heads in my opinion makes them as guilty. The good work done by other priests in helping the rest of society need not have suffered. A dog collar and doing good deeds are not mutually exclusive. As for Islamic prophets and Islam, that’s probably worse than Catholicism. Cast all religious organisations out.
Lets not forget the Christian god made a child pregnant too. With himself.. So he could save us all from sins he could have just forgiven.. you couldn’t make it up.. oh wait.
his face makes me feel sick
Gardai keepers of the peace look very very bad here, wonder what’s the excuse that will be pedaled over this debacle? How many minors could have been spared rape if they had acted on the information they received from that doctor who identified Smyth to them as a paedophile in the very early 70′s.
Sean Brady should be jailed for not stopping this man. He’s no Christian.
As vile as he is, just imagine how many people knew what he was doing, covered up for him, protected him and enabled him to continue assaulting hundreds of children from here to the US and then back again. It would have taken a massive network of priests to keep his actions hidden as long as they did.
Many of them are still walking the streets today.
That’s terryfying.
It is possible, and probable, that his abuse would have continued unhindered if he had not been arrested by the RUC.
The RUC have a long history of covering up Child abuse as well, never mind other things.
KINCORA
Why didn’t the R.U.C. highlight it when he fled South ?
Can’t go pointing fingers at Sinn Fein as the only baddies when the R.U.C. did the same thing – it makes Mairia Cahill’s courtcase look as if it was much a problem with the Crown Prosecution Service perhaps as it was one of Sinn Fein or PIRA as you might call it ..
And then we have the British Legal System and Maggie Thatcher covering up Elm Guest House ….
it seems the 9th circle cult are heading for exposure and retribution …
God’s representative on earth
Christ warned that Satan would enter the organised church and be in the very centre of it.
He said a lot of mad stuff alright
Invasion, so if God loves us, why did he allow Satan to enter his very representatives on earth? For his amusement? To “test” us? I’m sure the rape victims are delighted with His games. If that is what you truly believe then it is sad. To think, if I operated a zoo or farm, and set up various mental and physical tortures to “test” the animals, if found out people would call me sick and no doubt I would go to jail. How come God gets a free pass? Oh wait, I forgot, God works in mysterious ways ;)
“Christ warned that Satan would enter the organised church and be in the very centre of it.”
Not a single document from his “alleged” time on Earth yet people seem to know what he said and did.
You were saved.
Every FG and FF Govt. for decades turned a blind eye to Clerical abuse less it offend the righteous and cost them votes.
Any Guard that went after a pervert who happened to be clergy was stopped and told it would cost him his job.
I hope your bought FG/FF annual raffle tickets because they helped keep you out for years.
Its your victims that should have been saved.
Did you know that the age limit for Gardai applications didn’t apply to people who went to the seminary but didn’t become priests, seemingly they were ideal for small country stations.
The church was all powerful in Ireland. The power they held over people is very hard to understand for anyone under 50. People were genuinely terrified of them. Nowadays thank god (excuse the pun) nobody gives a continental f**k about them. Religion has so much blood on it’s hands not only here but worldwide.
Is that true Rod – I wonder if the same application process works for Political Parties …
John
I agree with your sentiment. It is just that I feel the church has become an easy target due to it’s current weakness here. The British Monarchy also covered up sex scandals but you won’t here that when the queen is coming for tea. ” Religion has blood on it’s hands”. Same could be said for Banks, Governments, Corporations and even Atheists.
“Is God willing to prevent evil, but not able? Then he is not omnipotent.
Is he able, but not willing? Then he is malevolent.
Is he both able and willing? Then whence cometh evil?
Is he neither able nor willing? Then why call him God?”
— ‘the Epicurean paradox’
Rather than blame God for not being good blame Satan for promoting perversion …. then free will and conscience makes sense …..
blame is a bad word for above but you catch my drift .
Maybe blame the perpetrator of the crime and leave imaginary creatures out of the equation altogether?
maybe … but it does focus the minds if Evil is given a “name” ……
Then you can say that that person is a Satanist and satanists are bad people …. it is reversing the psychology of that person is a priest and is a good person ….
Do demons exist ? Dunno, but revulsion of that we term evil does – for some – then ask why not for others ????
We have a name. Brendan Smyth.
He wasn’t a demon or possessed. There were no supernatural forces at work here.
He’s responsible for his own actions, the same way me and you are.
I think by claiming ‘Satan made him do it’ you absolving him of any guilt.
Not really what I am saying Andy …I am specifically referring to the satanic masses in the Vatican as a pointer to there being an undercurrent of “evil worship” within the Catholic Church …
Satanic worship makes satanic action ……. that kind of thing ….
I take your point completely about personal responsibility – or “free will” as it is also called …
Is there a network ?
Do they meet to convince themselves of their right to practice vile acts – does their worship of “Satan” warp what I would term natural conscience – that kind of thing ….
And if it is organised then has it infiltrated positions of power that destroy peace in society ?
The SS formed their own religion and baptised their babies with their daggers – this give group approval to the most vile as an example from recent history …
Or, and much more likely, paedophiles have known for centuries that joining the church gives them power, protection and access to children.
These animals joined the church for the sole reason of attacking children and the church facilitated and protected them every step of the way. There’s no secret society or cult, it’s just the church.
Or what if well-meaning and confused Homosexuals fell for the church line that they were evil and they “turned to God ” and then got raped in seminaries – evil perpretating evil for want of a better term !
The Catholic church is several cults under the one banner …
How many different “orders ” ? How many cover-ups – look at that Mexican guy he set up his own branch …..
Don’t underestimate the cult of Satan – it exists whether Satan does or not is actually irrelevant to the child vicitims …
What about the orphans in State and Catholic run orphanages who were used for vivisection experimentation here in Ireland by big pharmaceutical companies who were doing brain surgery and other surgeries as well. Why is that not looked into as well?
There were all too many cover ups and many gardai looked the other way as well?
The catholic church gave him somewhere to live and supported him knowing what he had been doing.
He is buried in kilnacrott abbey and a nice headstone if I remember correctly saying the grave of Fr Brendan Smyth. I will get a photo of it over the wknd. Keep an eye on my twitter account.
AGS & the catholic church should be hanging their heads in shame.
Could you have wee tinkle on his grave while your there please. :)
seems the journal is being bugged to have me gagged viewers note
A doctor diagnosed with him with Paedophilia?? Please don’t tell me it’s been categories as a mental illness!
Well it probably is.
have your say