CONFIDENTIALITY:FORMER SDLP leader Mark Durkan has called on the Catholic Church and its Derry diocese to "come clean" on any confidentiality agreements it may have with victims of clerical child sex abuse.
The Foyle MP made his call yesterday after disclosures about a case of alleged sexual abuse by a priest from the Derry diocese against a young girl that subsequently involved the signing of a confidentiality agreement.
Bishop of Derry Dr Seamus Hegarty issued a statement last night confirming that the priest paid £12,000 in compensation in an out-of-court settlement to the woman who alleges that she was sexually abused by the priest over a 10-year period from when she was aged eight, beginning in 1979.
The woman had sued retired bishop of Derry Edward Daly, Bishop Hegarty and the priest. “After a protracted period of time, the priest paid £12,000 to her,” said Bishop Hegarty in a statement last night. “The diocese made no contribution to the money paid by the priest. The case against bishop Daly and Bishop Hegarty was dismissed,” he added.
“A confidentiality agreement was not proposed by the diocese, but was proposed to the diocese by one of the other parties, and, to facilitate a settlement, the diocese agreed. This agreement was in the year 2000, five years after the civil authorities were first aware of the matter,” said Bishop Hegarty.
The other parties are understood to be the victim and the priest. Bishop Hegarty’s spokes- man, Fr Michael Canny, last night said he did not know which of these parties sought the confidentiality clause. The woman gave an interview to yesterday’s Belfast Telegraph providing details of the alleged abuse.
Fr Canny said Bishop Hegarty was bound by the confidentiality clause which limited him in his comments. If the bishop broke the agreement then he could be sued, said Fr Canny. “I don’t know which party asked for the confidentiality clause,” he said.
Fr Canny said if the confidentiality code was waived or if it was established that one of the parties broke the confidentiality agreement then “we could say anything and everything” about the case.
Foyle MP Mr Durkan said that people should not be held to confidentiality agreements so that the full truth about such cases can emerge. “People want to know that the church is dealing with all of these issues on the basis of full honesty and humility,” he said.
The abuse is alleged to have taken place between 1979 and 1989. On her 18th birthday the woman told her parents about the alleged abuse. At the time, according to the woman, auxiliary bishop of Derry Francis Lagan was informed. He offered counselling in Dublin which the family attended, the Belfast Telegraph reported.
In 1994, Bishop Hegarty was informed of the allegations. He would “deal with it”, according to the victim’s family. The following year the family said it discovered the priest was still working as a priest in Derry. He was then moved to another diocese. He returned to the diocese in 1997 with the woman deciding to take a civil case the following year as she was unhappy with Bishop Hegarty’s general response.
In his statement last night Bishop Hegarty said that the police were informed about the allegations in October 1995. He said the priest was “out of parish ministry” since June 1995.
The priest did not face any criminal proceedings, it is understood. Asked to comment last night a PSNI spokesman said, “We do not comment on individual cases or persons. No inference should be drawn from this.”