It is interesting to compare the statements of Cardinal Brady, the self-styled Wounded Healer, on the subject of his colleague Bishop John McGee, former Bishop of Cloyne who resigned yesterday while a State inquiry into his handling of child sex abuse issues in his diocese continues.
When calls were made for McGee’s resignation in January 2009 Brady stated “I have known John Magee for almost 50 years and I have always found him a reliable and dependable person. I know trust has been damaged, but trust can be restored and built up and even earned by genuine steps being taken to address the issues and the concerns of victims.”
When McGee’s resignation was announced yesterday The Wounded Healer stated “I wish to acknowledge the long and varied ministry of Bishop John Magee in the Church. I thank him for his contribution to the work of the Irish Bishops’ Conference over the past twenty years, particularly in the area of liturgy. I assure him of my prayers at this time and wish him good health in his retirement. However, foremost in my thoughts in these days are those who have suffered abuse by clergy and those who feel angry and let down by the often inadequate response of leaders in the Church.”
There’s nothing to beat a leader who is consistent, lucid and whose priorities are transparent and easily identifiable from the issue of personal self-interest and survival. Where do we stand now on the issue of trust and the recovery of trust now that another wounded healer has been lost?
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