THE Bishop of Derry, Dr Hegarty, yesterday described the sexual abuse of children as evil and said it had to be eradicated from society.
In a statement, he said he profoundly regretted the circumstances which had led to Father McCallion's plea of guilty and being sentenced in court.
"Sexual abuse of children is grievously wrong and causes great harm. It also causes anger and confusion. My first thoughts are for the victims who have suffered so much. My sympathy goes out especially to them and to their families. Others too have been affected by these events and need support - the wider family circle of the victims, the parish community of St Mary's, the diocese of Derry, Father McCallion, his own family his abbot and religious community.
"Now that the criminal process is completed, the work of healing and forgiveness must continue with greater intensity. As a diocese we must persist in our efforts to ensure that everything possible is done to provide pastoral care for all who have been affected by what has happened. This pastoral care must be inclusive of all who are suffering the effects of these crimes and especially the victims who suffer the most.
"For the future, all our efforts must have as their primary focus the safety and welfare of children. In trying to eradicate this evil, we shall continue to co operate fully with the statutory bodies who have a particular responsibility and competence in this area. Indeed, it is for all people in the church and in society as a whole to come to terms with what is involved in preventing child abuse and protecting children," he said.
At the December hearing in Derry Crown Court, a psychiatrist, Dr Helen Harbison, who gave evidence for the defence, said when McCallion left his home in Lifford, Co Donegal, to enter a Cistercian school at the age of 16, it was his first time away from a home which lacked parental affection.
A year later, he applied to join the Cistercian Order. Life in the order was harsh, with a daily routine of eight hours in church, eight hours alone and eight hours working in silence in the fields.
During the next 15 years, McCallion left the abbey just once, when he had an appendix removed. He developed a non sexual relationship with a woman receptionist at the abbey during a time he called the "black eighties", when he was very unhappy.
McCallion told a colleague of his relationship and was shocked when it was reported to his superior. He was told either to end the relationship or leave the order.
He came to Derry in 1987 on loan to the Creggan diocese of St Mary's, where he found the parish work extremely difficult.
Part of this work involved visiting local primary schools in the Creggan Estate. He found boys very difficult to control in contrast to girls, with whom he was more relaxed. He felt uncomfortable in crowds.
Dr Harbinson had described McCallion as a passive man, neither forceful nor manipulative, resigned in manner and a high intellectual achiever. His difficulties, she said, originated in his childhood. In a sense, she said, McCallion did not have a childhood and did not remember affection in the home.