Dublin, Ireland, Feb 13, 2008 / 23:02 pm
The retired Archbishop of Dublin withdrew his objections to disclosing sexual abuse documents to a government inquiry after being visited by Cardinal Seán Brady, Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland, The Irish Times reports.
On January 31 Cardinal Desmond Connell, the retired archbishop of Dublin, sought a judicial review to prevent 5,586 documents related to sexual abuse cases from being considered by the Dublin Archdiocese Commission of Investigation. The cardinal claimed the documents were privileged information.
Cardinal Seán Brady is understood to have visited Cardinal Connell on Saturday at the north Dublin nursing home where Cardinal Connell is recovering from a fall he took in Rome. Cardinal Brady is reported to have told Connell that the legal action was damaging towards victims of clerical child sexual abuse and towards the Catholic Church itself.
Earlier this week Cardinal Connell’s legal council withdrew its objections to providing the documents to the commission, which is investigating clerical child abuse allegations between January 1, 1975, and May 1, 2004. The documents had been submitted to the commission by the present archbishop of Dublin on January 15.
The present archbishop of Dublin, Diarmuid Martin, also visited Cardinal Connell at the nursing home. He issued a brief statement concerning the court action, saying that he welcomed the outcome.
"Since its inception, the archdiocese has refrained from making comments on the day to day work of the commission to allow it to carry out that important work. That basic policy remains unchanged," Archbishop Martin said.
"Many victims and family members contacted me during this week. I wish to assure them, as well as priests and parish congregations, of my continued commitment to seeking the truth about the past.
"It is my hope that the common aim of all remains focused on ensuring that an accurate understanding of the truth concerning sexual abuse of children by clergy emerges," he said, according to the Irish Times.
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