Questions asked of the Diocese of Salford regarding the case of Canon Mortimer Stanley

Concerned About Abuse in the Diocese of Salford

Press release - 12 May 2016

The group Concerned About Abuse in the Diocese of Salford (https://www.facebook.com/concernedaboutabuseinthecatholicdioceseofsalford/?ref=bookmarks ) is asking several questions of the Diocese of Salford and its bishop following the first day of the trial of Canon Mortimer Stanley, former parish priest of St Vincent’s, Rochdale (http://www.rochdaleonline.co.uk/news-features/2/news-headlines/102921/retired-priest-father-mortimer-stanley-accused-of-sexually-abusing-children-over-four-decades).

Spokesperson, Dr Philip Gilligan said,

"In December 2013 when the media first reported that Canon Stanley was being questioned under police caution, Salford Diocese gave a statement which said: “The Diocese is co-operating fully with the police and the statutory agencies in these investigations in line with the robust safeguarding policies put in place by the Catholic Church in this country in recent years.” (http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/rochdale-catholic-priest-canon-mortimer-6381949). The “robust safeguarding policies” referred to were presumably those recommended by the Nolan Report twelve years earlier and accepted in full by Bishop Terence Brain of Salford and all the other Roman Catholic Bishops in England and Wales in November 2001.

But what the statement from the Diocese of Salford in 2013 did not report was what actions it had taken during the preceding eleven years that followed Canon Stanley’s ‘retirement’ as a parish priest in the Diocese of Salford. This has,however, become a very pertinent question now that we know that the jury at Manchester's Minshull Street Court was told on Wednesday (11 May 2016) that Canon Stanley had “retired in 2002 and returned to Ireland shortly after the mother of one of the female complainants informed teaching staff that he had inappropriately kissed her daughter” (See:http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/god-like-priest-who-playground-7941853).

We need to know from the Diocese of Salford and from Bishop John Arnold, in particular: Who in the diocese was told about the information given to the teaching staff at St Vincent’s? What action was taken? Was the matter ever discussed with the Diocesan Child Protection Co-ordinator or the Diocesan Child Protection Adviser or by the Diocesan Child Protection Commission, established at the beginning of 2002? Was the information shared with the police and other statutory agencies in 2002?

Could the matters now before the court have been dealt with more than a decade ago, if someone in the Diocese of Salford had acted differently and in accordance with the recommendations that Bishop Brain pledged to implement when he accepted them in November 2001?"

Abuse campaigner disputes removal from Vatican child protection commission

See http://www.thetablet.co.uk/news/3007/0/british-abuse-campaigner-steps-away-from-pope-s-safeguarding-commission

A British abuse survivor is disputing his removal from a Vatican child protection commission and is seeking a meeting with Pope Francis about the matter.

Today the Holy See announced that Peter Saunders was no longer a member of a pontifical safeguarding body and was taking a “leave of absence” to consider his position.

Mr Saunders had been appointed to serve on a commission set up by Pope Francis tasked with improving the Church’s handling of abuse across the world. 

He has been critical of the slow pace of reform by the Church in relation to abuse and just before the commission began its latest round of meetings called for the Pope to attend the gathering adding that it would be “outrageous” if he failed to do so.

Hours after the Vatican released a statement saying he had left the safeguarding body, Mr Saunders told reporters in Rome that he has not left his position and would only talk to the Pope about his ongoing participation in the group.

According to the National Catholic Reporter, Mr Saunders said: "I did not make a decision to take or accept any decision on a leave of absence” and added: "my understanding is that I was appointed by Pope Francis and therefore I can only be removed by Pope Francis.”

He has asked Cardinal Sean O’Malley, the President of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors, to organise for a meeting between Mr Saunders and the Pope.   

The campaigner, who was the founder of the National Association for People Abused in Childhood (NAPAC), said that 15 members of the 17 commission voted in favour of a no-confidence motion in him (one abstained and another did not take part.)

He added that some commission members had expressed concerns around him speaking to the press. 

Mr Saunders had been involved in a high profile media showdown with Vatican finance chief, Cardinal George Pell, who the former NAPAC Chief Executive accused of covering up abuse when in Australia - a charge the cardinal strongly denies.

Mr Saunders has also spoken out against the Pope’s decision to appoint Bishop Juan Barros to the Diocese of Osorno in Chile as Bishop Barros has been accused of an abuse cover-up, even witnessing abuse.

The pontifical commission members include Baroness (Sheila) Hollins, Marie Collins, an Irish abuse survivor and Bill Kilgallon, former Chairman of the National Catholic Safeguarding Commission of England and Wales. Alongside Mr Saunders, Ms Collins is the only other abuse survivor on the commission.

Former pupils at St Bede's school to sue Salford Diocese over sexual abuse claims

See:
 http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/st-bedes-abuse-victims-sue-10787276

Church reviews Father Anthony McSweeney's move to Norwich

See http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-norfolk-32204942 

The Catholic Church is reviewing how it dealt with the transfer of a priest who was found to have indecent videos of teenage boys.

Anthony McSweeney, 68, was last month jailed after he was found guilty of indecent assault between 1979 and 1981.
In 1998, he was found to have pornographic videos while at St Peter's Catholic Church in Essex.
Bishop of East Anglia Alan Hopes is reviewing how McSweeney was allowed to move to St George's, Norwich.
Southwark Crown Court heard how McSweeney and his friend John Stingemore, who died before the trial, assaulted a 15-year-old boy.
McSweeney was also found guilty of making indecent images of children.
The court had heard how a cleaner at St Peter's Catholic Church found sex toys, truncheons and indecent videos in McSweeney's possession.
He was threatened with being "banished" from the priesthood, the court heard, but moved to a new parish six months later.
Bishop Hopes said "questions have been raised" about how the Catholic Church dealt with McSweeney after the items were found.
"This incident was, at the time, referred to the police who decided not to investigate," he said.
"It was, therefore, regarded by the Church as a matter of clergy discipline and dealt with accordingly.
"At that time no allegations of child abuse had been made against Father McSweeney, and no concerns had been raised in that regard."
He said the matter was now being reviewed.

Father Tony McSweeney jailed for abusing boy at children's home

Father Tony McSweeney, a Catholic priest has been jailed for three years for abusing a boy at a children’s home, in the first case to emerge from allegations of a VIP paedophile ring at a guesthouse in south London.

He was arrested in February 2013 at his parish in St George’s, Norwich, where he was a respected member of the establishment. He was a member of the governing body of a Catholic school and at one time had served as part-time chaplain for Norwich football club.

When he was arrested officers found indecent images of boys on his computer, and evidence presented to his trial revealed that he had been offending as far back as the 1970s, when he began training for the priesthood.

His trial heard how for four decades he was an active paedophile, and that the church and the authorities, including the Catholic church, ignored at least two clear warning signs of his sexual interest in children.

For more information see http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2015/mar/27/priest-tony-mcsweeney-jailed-abusing-boy-childrens-home

Canon Mortimer Stanley's trial due to start on 2 November 2015

Canon Mortimer Stanley, 83, former parish priest in Norden, Rochdale, appeared at Manchester Crown Court on Friday (6 March 2015) via a video link from Limerick in Ireland.
He pleaded not guilty to 19 separate counts of indecent assault involving 10 young girls and will now face a trial in Manchester in November.

Stanley was parish priest at St Vincent de Paul RC Church in Norden, Rochdale, and the alleged victims were all pupils at the neighbouring St Vincent’s RC Primary School on Edenfield Road in Norden.

For more information, see  http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/retired-roman-catholic-priest-83-8786598

Father Anthony McSweeney convicted

 Mail online reports "Father Anthony McSweeney, 68, faces jail after he was convicted of preying on the vulnerable boy while he was working at Grafton Close Children's Home in Hounslow, west London, more than 30 years ago." and that

.... In 1998 McSweeney nearly lost his job when his cleaner discovered his stash of sex toys, truncheons and pornographic videos at St Peter's Catholic Church in Leigh-on-Sea in Essex.

She played one of the tapes and saw it featured two boys between 14 and 16 years old having sex, the court heard.

McSweeney was originally told that he would be 'banished' from the priesthood, but after around six months was quietly moved to a new parish, St George's in Norwich."

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2972392/Catholic-priest-convicted-sexually-abusing-vulnerable-boy.html#ixzz3T2citElN

Catholic priest accused of abusing boys 'was caught with child porn and sex toys but was just moved on by the church and escaped police charges'

"A Catholic priest was caught with child porn and sex toys 15 years after he abused boys at a care home but initially escaped police charges, a court heard today.

Father Tony McSweeney, 68, allegedly molested three youngsters at Grafton Close Children’s Home in Hounslow, west London in the 1970s and 80s.

Years later a cleaner discovered a drawer crammed with video tapes and vile child pornography in the video player - but was ignored when she sought help from the Catholic Church, jurors at Southwark Crown Court heard. .............

She said she also turned to the Catholic church for help.

‘It was basically inferred I had misjudged maybe the age of the boys on the video, they told me they were aware Tony McSweeney was homosexual,’ she said. 

The priest was moved from the church ‘some months’ later..........."

Read more at: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2959046/Catholic-priest-accused-abusing-boys-caught-child-porn-sex-toys-just-moved-church-escaped-police-charges.html#ixzz3SEGD4IsW

Father Tony McSweeney trial begins at Southwark Crown Court - 16 February 2015

See the links below for more detailed reports:

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/father-tony-mcsweeney-catholic-priest-5173308

http://www.edp24.co.uk/news/former_norfolk_catholic_priest_father_anthony_mcsweeney_abused_vulnerable_boys_court_told_1_3958893

Committee against Torture criticizes Vatican over its response to priest sex abuse scandal - two-thirds of perpetrators are not laicised

The Holy See admits to 3,420 credible allegations of sexual abuse by priests between 2004 and 2013. However, only 848 priests have been laicised. Why are the other 2,572 not laicised?

 

 See: http://www.worldbulletin.net/world/137179/un-vatican-failed-to-act-effectively-on-child-abuse

"The Vatican has failed to provide information requested by the United Nations about the number of children who were sexually abused by priests, the UN Committee against Torture has said.
The committee's comments came on Friday after a preliminary report from the Holy See to the UN Offices in Geneva said there were 3,420 credible allegations of sexual abuse by priests between 2004 and 2013.
A total of 848 priests had been defrocked and 2,572 disciplined, according to the report.
The committee's vice-chairperson Felice Gaer said: "How many victims are there? We do not know the numbers. We know it is very large. We are concerned about it."
There were also cases where victims of abuse had not received compensation, he added.
Vatican 'not consistent'
The committee said it was also concerned that accused clergy had been transferred to other institutions where they remained in contact with minors and others who were vulnerable.
It also noted the Vatican's declaration was not consistent with norms under its own law as well as the UN's Convention against Torture.

Analysis of the Criticism By the United Nations of the Vatican Over Child Abuse - And the Vatican's Reaction to It

For an interesting Analysis of the Criticism By the United Nations of the Vatican Over Child Abuse - And the Vatican's Reaction to It, see http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/keith-porteous-wood/vatican-child-abuse_b_4774147.html

The English Catholic Church and the Sex Abuse Crisis

BETRAYED

The English Catholic Church and the Sex Abuse Crisis

RICHARD SCORER

PUBLICATION DATE: 11^th MARCH 2014

PRICE: £16.99

Since the late 1980s, the Catholic Church has been embroiled in a profound crisis of clerical sexual abuse. In many Western countries, paedophile priests have been exposed and convicted, and the Church’s moral and social standing has suffered deeply.  Scandals in Ireland and America have been extensively documented and much debated. The English Catholic Church has also been shaken to its roots by allegations of abuse; but until now the situation in England has not been properly examined, and nor have its causes and possible solutions been fully considered.  

The author, one of the UK’s leading lawyers in the field, considers the prevalence and causes of abuse, the influence of wider society upon the Church’s response, allegations of cover-ups, campaigns led by victims, battles within the Church, the legal dimensions and the debate around the laicisation (“defrocking”) of individual priests. He attempts to answer the following questions: How serious has the problem been in the English Catholic Church? How effectively has the Church responded? Can it hope to recover from this scandal, and deal credibly and effectively with allegations of abuse that may be directed at it in the future?

The shocking true story of the extent of sexual abuse in the Catholic Church in England is exposed here for the first time.

AUTHOR

Richard Scorer is a lawyer who is widely reputed for his work on child abuse and human rights issues. He was described by the Independent on Sunday as ‘one of Britain’s leading specialists in child abuse litigation’ and is rated as a Band 1 ‘Leader in the Field’ in serious injury law by Chambers Legal Guide. Since 1996 Richard has represented hundreds of child abuse victims including the cases involving Father Michael Hill which, in 2001, led directly to sweeping reforms of child protection policy in the Catholic Church.

Richard Scorer is available for interview

For more information please contact

 Suzanne.sangster@bitebackpublishing.com or call 020 7091 1260