Rome Watch Winter 2004

Despite the fact that Sinn Fein and the I.R.A. are inextricably linked together.

Despite the fact that the I.R.A. have neither disbanded, disarmed or decommissioned.

In spite of the thirty years of bloodstained terrorism by the I.R.A., the war of genocide and ethnic cleansing, killing and maiming thousands of innocent Ulster Protestants and members of the Security Forces.

Here is how they voted by Constituency to make Sinn Fein the dominant party amongst the minority Roman Catholic population, giving them 23.52% of the vote.

Belfast East	1,180	Foyle	13,214
Belfast West	21,368	Mid-Ulster	20,194
Belfast South	3,933	Tyrone West	16,111
Belfast North	8,514	Fermanagh/South Tyrone	15,901
Antrim North	6,195	Londonderry East	6,121
Antrim South	4,295	Newry/Armagh	18,852
Antrim East	768	Lagan Valley	3,242
Down North	264	Upper Bann	9,494
Down South	12,007	Strangford	1,105

BISHOP of Derry Dr Seamus Hegarty was among a number of people who provided character references for a former Catholic priest jailed on child pornography charges. Former County Donegal priest Paul McDaid (38), was sentenced to two years in prison with the last six months suspended when he pleaded guilty to possession of more than 3,000 child pornography images. His name has also been placed on the Sex Offenders Register.

At Letterkenny Circuit Court Judge Matthew Deery said he took into account the fact that McDaid co-operated with Garda and voluntarily sought counselling. He also showed great remorse for his crimes. Earlier it was revealed that McDaid, from College Park in Letterkenny, was ordained a priest in 1989 but left the priesthood seven years later in 1996.

During his time as a priest McDaid worked as a diocesan secretary to the then Bishop of Raphoe, Dr Seamus Hegarty, who later became Bishop of Derry. After leaving the priesthood the Letterkenny man undertook further studies before taking up employment as a health promotion officer with the North Western Health Board in Co Donegal.

The court was told that Gardai seized 3,474 pornographic images during a search of McDaid’s home on May 27 last year.

The Garda was given the County Donegal man’s name as part of an international investigation into child pornography called Operation Amethyst. McDaid used his credit card to obtain child pornography on the internet from an American company which was being investigated by Interpol.

Among the images found on a laptop computer at his home were pictures of children as young as three in various sexual acts, as well as ‘pseudoimages’ showing a girl known by McDaid imposed on a picture of a naked teenager.

Passing judgment, Judge Deery revealed that he had received a letter from the Bishop of Derry, Dr Hegarty, giving a character reference for McDaid. Dr Hegarty noted that the defendant was “very contrite” for what he had done and that the crime was out of character for the man that he knew. The Derry bishop believed McDaid still had a “very positive contribution” to make to society. Two other local priests also supplied character references.

Judge Deery revealed that McDaid was forced to leave his home when graffiti was daubed on the walls. He also incurred debts through his addiction to the internet. He had lost his good name and job and his relationship with his fiancee was at risk because of his crime. While the treatment he would receive in prison was not as good as the programme he was on at present, the judge said he could not accept that the Letterkenny man was not aware of the harm his activities caused to the children involved. McDaid was refused leave to appeal.

THE Bishop of Derry was accused of “protecting the Church and not the victims” after he supplied a court with a character reference for an ex-priest jailed on child porn charges.

Sex abuse support groups rounded on Dr Seamus Hegarty for backing former Co Donegal priest Paul McDaid, who was sentenced to 18 months in prison this week after pleading guilty to possessing over 3,000 pornographic images of children.The bishop has declined to comment on the controversy.

McDaid was caught when he used his credit card to buy Internet porn from an American company who were under investigation by Interpol.

More than 1,000 images of children engaged in sex acts were seized from his computer. Pictures of children as young as three were discovered, as well as altered images of a naked teenage girl known to the ex-priest.

After seven years in the priesthood, during which time he was a diocesan secretary for Dr Hegarty, McDaid left to become a health promotion officer with the Western Health Board.

Dr Hegarty’s character reference - and two more from other priests - was revealed by the judge at McDaid’s sentencing and described the sex offender as, “very contrite” for his crimes, which the bishop believed were “totally out of character”. A psychologist who had counselled McDaid also maintained that he was remorseful for his actions.

But Marie Brown from Foyle Women’s Aid lashed out at the Bishop for “protecting the Church and not the victim”.

“This is another example of minimising the crime,” she said. “Personally I wouldn’t give a character reference for anybody involved in child pornography, however ‘out of character’ it was. He obviously didn’t really know the character.”

“As a victim or the parent of a victim, I would be extremely angry. I would be more interested to know what the Church is doing as an organisation to try to deal with these issues. It seems to me that the Church should be more thoughtful of the victims rather than protecting their own!”

FOUR Catholic priests, who attended the Protestant wedding of a lapsed colleague in Edinburgh, have been told by their archbishop that their behaviour was inappropriate.

Father John Cudlipp, once curate of St Mary’s Cathedral in Edinburgh city centre, married in a Scottish Episcopal church in Midlothian earlier this year while on leave of absence from the Catholic Church, effectively breaking his vow of celibacy. Keith O’Brien, the archbishop of St Andrews and Edinburgh, has made clear that four priests who joined the service as Mr Cudlipp’s friends should have stayed away. He has met Father Stuart Gray, Father Jock Dalrymple, Father Simon Hughes, and Father Gordon Muchall to discuss their attendance.

“While the attendance of several close priest friends in a personal capacity is understandable, it is not something that should have taken place or that the Church would approve of. I am satisfied that the position of the Church is fully understood by those involved.”

But the newsletter Catholic Truth, which details the saga in a recent edition, has called on the archbishop to discipline the priests, saying:

“Otherwise we will draw the obvious conclusion that he condones what they have done.”

Fr Cudlipp, who asked for leave of absence to consider his future in 2001, married in Lasswade in April this year, automatically suspending himself from his post.

Catholic Truth claims he married a Catholic primary school teacher and, at the ceremony, “Fr Stuart Gray said a prayer for the newly ‘married’ couple and imparted a blessing”. The article, written by a columnist under the pseudonym of Mrs McHickey, says while it was “widely known in church circles that this wedding was planned, the fact that these four priests attended has come as a nasty shock to most.”

“The situation whereby the archbishop has merely had a private word with the priests concerned does not really seem to measure up to the gravity and implications of the whole situation.”

He described it as “the latest example of a long saga of a disregard for all sorts of doctrine”.

The Catholic Church confirmed that the four priests attended the wedding, but did not “officiate”.

THE requirement for Roman Catholic priests to be celibate contributes to some of them becoming sex abusers, according to a church report. Many suffer from an “arrested“ psychological development and have little capacity for intimate relationships with men or women, it says. “The expectations of celibacy and the nature of ministry, unfortunately, keep such men arrested, underdeveloped, secretive and susceptible to committing sexually abusive behaviours,” says the ecumenical report Time For Action.

A series of interviews, with clergy sexual offenders showed that older Catholic priests entered the ministry with little sexual experience.

“They bring, therefore, to adult church leadership a serious sexual and relationship immaturity. Sexual desire is not eliminated by a commitment to ministry,” the report says. Clergy are “caught in a trap” because they experience sexual desire as part of their humanity but also experience shame and distress at the presence of such desire. This can lead to a whole range of problems including “a distinctive pattern of sexual abuse that is rooted in sexual addiction”. The report also suggests that the high level of homophobia in some denominations shows “high levels of covert or repressed homosexual interest in these same people”.

The report, published by the ecumenical body Churches Together in Britain and Ireland, is being sent to Church leaders, who are being invited to comment. The report also examines issues such as pastoral care for survivors of sexual abuse, the training and screening of clergy and the rehabilitation of offenders within the church environment. It contains interviews with victims and details the effects on those abused.

The report urges churches to to build on their existing codes of practice by involving survivors of abuse in future work. It demands that “strong action be taken to end the culture of silence and secrecy that surrounds many aspects of ministry and church life”. Other recommendations include reviewing complaints and disciplinary procedures, setting up the equivalent of supervision programmes for those working in pastoral care, and training clergy on the dangers of misuse of power.

The following article from the “Irish Times” should shock, sadden and awaken our readers

The remains of an additional 22 women were discovered when 133 bodies were being removed from a Magdalen Laundry graveyard in north Dublin in 1993 to allow its development for housing. All but one of the 155 bodies were then cremated at Glasnevin Cemetery.

Death certificates existed for only 75 of the initial 133 bodies, even though it is a criminal offence in this State to fail to register a death which occurs on one’s premises.

The 155 bodies were removed from the graveyard because the land at High Park, Drumcondra, was being sold by the Sisters of Our Lady of Charity to a property developer. They had been buried over the previous 100 years.

According to the Department of the Environment, an initial exhumation licence was granted to the Sisters on May 25th, 1993, in respect of 133 named women, one of whom “Bridget O’Neill” was said to have died as recently as April 1987. But the firm of undertakers carrying out the exhumations had to stop work when the remains of an additional 22 women were found. A further exhumation licence was issued on August 31st, 1993, to take out “all human remains”.

The Department of the Environment has said that death certificates were provided in only 75 of the cases covered by the initial exhumation licence. The General Register Office issued “no-trace” forms for 34 other cases, and said it could not conduct a search of the remaining 24 as “insufficient details” were provided.

The Department added that in the case of the 34 “no-trace” women, “it appears that the statutory registration procedures were not complied with at the time of their deaths”. As for the remaining 24 women, only one was referred to by her first name. The rest were identified only by a religious name such as “Magdalen of Lourdes” or “Magdalen of St Teresa’’.

In relation to the additional bodies, the Department said it only had a record of 14 additional remains. In its statement, the Department added that it had sought “no additional information” for the extra licence. Nor did the Department make any recommendation or direction as to whether the bodies should be cremated or reburied.

The discovery of the additional bodies, and the lack of death certificates for so many of the women, is highlighted by the investigative journalist, Mary Raftery, in her column in The Irish Times recently.

In a statement replying to Ms Raftery’s inquiries, Sister Ann Marie Ryan, of the Sisters of Our Lady of Charity, said the exhumation and re-interring of the bodies of the 155 women “was approved by all relevant authorities, and we have had no queries from families about our decision in the intervening time. One family took the remains of a deceased relative to a family plot at this time. The remaining 154 were respectfully cremated and laid to rest in Glasnevin Cemetery at a public ceremony.”

Attempts by The Irish Times to contact Sister Ryan for further comment proved unsuccessful.

VATICAN CITY - Pope John Paul II announced the first major changes to the rosary in centuries and urged all Christians to rediscover the “mystic profundity” the rosary can offer in prayer and meditation.

The Roman Catholic pontiff, who has called the rosary his “favourite prayer,” marked the start of the 25th year of his reign by issuing the Apostolic Utter Rosarium Virginis Mariae on the Most Holy Rosary and proclaiming October 2002 to October 2003 the Year of the Holy Rosary. “Is there a better instrument of prayer than the rosary for the demanding but extraordinarily rich tasks of contemplating the face of Christ together with Mary?” the pope asked. “We must, therefore, rediscover the mystic profundity contained in the simplicity of this prayer, dear to the popular tradition.”

John Paul addressed some 20,000 pilgrims attending his weekly general audience in St. Peter’s Square on the 24th anniversary of his election. He signed the apostolic letter during the audience as the first act of his 25th year as pope. In the 61-page letter, the pope explained that he was adding a new set of five “mysteries of light” to the three existing sets of meditations in order to focus on “Christ’s public ministry” and “bring out fully the Christological death of the rosary.”

The mysteries of light will follow the “joyful mysteries” recalling Christ’s birth and infancy and precede the “sorrowful mysteries” of his suffering and death and the “glorious mysteries” of his resurrection. The mysteries of light are Christ’s baptism, his “self-manifestation” by turning water into wine at the wedding of Cana, his proclamation of the Kingdom of God and call to conversion, his transfiguration and his institution of the Eucharist.

Usually prayed with beads, the rosary consists of the meditations interspersed between the Our Father prayer, a decade of Hail Marys and the Glory Be. “In effect,” the pope said, “the rosary is a method of contemplation.”

According to tradition, St. Dominic, founder of the Dominican Order of Friars Preachers, first prayed the rosary in the early 13th century to try to quell the Albigensian heresy. Some historians date it centuries earlier.

Its popularity waned following the Second Vatican Council of 1962-65, which emphasized the liturgy as the highest form of worship. It also was criticized as unecumenical because of its emphasis on Mary. But John Paul, who attended Vatican II as a young bishop, said he has always turned to the rosary “in moments of joy and in moments of difficulty” and has “always found comfort.”

“The rosary belongs among the finest and most praiseworthy traditions of Christian contemplation,” the pope said. He urged it as the Christian answer to New Age meditation “techniques of a psycho-physical, repetitive and symbolic nature.”

Calling the rosary “a prayer for peace,” John Paul said its revival is timely in response to last year’s terrorist attacks on the United States, the wave of terrorism, bloodshed and violence that has followed and the conflict in the Holy Land.

The Pope urged parents to teach the rosary to their children and families to pray the rosary together to help to counter the “forces of disintegration on both the ideological and practical planes” that he said are threatening the family.

John Paul noted that the rosary is divided among days of the week with Monday and Thursday dedicated to the joyful mysteries, Tuesday and Friday to the sorrowful mysteries.

Jesus said:"But when ye pray use not vain repetition as the Heathen do”. - Matthew 6: 7

A PRIEST has pleaded guilty to three charges of indecently assaulting a 13-year old Armagh boy between 1987-1990.

Fr Michael Gerard McQuillan, with an address at Abbey Street, Armagh, made a brief appearance at Newry Crown Court. The 42-year-old stood looking at the floor with his hands clasped in front of him. He answered the charges in a low voice as they were read over to him by a court official. Fr McQuillan will be sentenced later when a Probation Service pre-sentence report ordered by Judge Randal McKay has been prepared.

Defence QC John Orr indicated that he was awaiting a psychiatric report in respect of the accused. The priest, who was viciously beaten up a year ago, was freed on continuing bail.

A CATHOLIC priest from Glengormley was today released on bail after he was charged with indecently assaulting a teenage male.

Father Frank McAllister (48), a curate of St Mary’s on the Hill parish in Carnmoney, was charged with indecently assaulting an 18-year-old male in the early hours of the morning.

Belfast Magistrate’s Court heard that the alleged offence took place at McAllister’s residence, the address of which was given as Carnmoney Road, Glengormley. Solicitor Peter Madden, appearing for Fr McAllister said: “He will contest the charge.” Fr McAllister was released on £500 bail with a surety of £1,000 on condition he reside at a specified address, he does not contact the injured party and stays out of the Glengormley area.

Here we see the Archbishop of Canterbury kneeling in the Vatican to kiss the Pope’s hand. This is a far cry indeed from the first Protestant Archbishop of Canterbury, Thomas Cranmer who was burned alive for his faith, declaring with his last words that the Pope of Rome was the Anti-Christ of Bible Prophecy.

The hands that Rowan Willliams kissed have for a lifetime consecrated the Holy Wafer, claiming to turn it into the body and blood of Christ.

The “Thirty-Nine Articles” of Archbishop William’s own Anglican Church brand the mass as a blasphemous fable and a dangerous deceit.

Surely no God-fearing Christian can remain within the fold of the Anglican Apostasy. The Word of God tells us clearly to come out of the religious Babylon, lest we share in her plagues and her judgements. - (Revelation 18)

Since the beginning of the 14th century or earlier, many nobles, including King Edward II of England and Henry I of Lancaster, have worn the scapular under their court robes. Later on the popes extended this privilege of Mary by granting a plenary indulgence of a very particular kind. The Holy Virgin would rescue from purgatory on the Saturday after their death all those who faithfully wore the scapular. T

his was called “the Sabbatine Privilege” and was said to have been included in a bull of Pope John XXII dated March 3rd 1317. However, since this bull was never found in the pontifical archives, its authenticity was questioned causing controversy in the following centuries.

For a variety of reasons too numerous to mention here, this bull was thought to be false. But other popes familiar with the controversies, notably Clement VII (1523-1534) and St. Pius V (1566-1572), ratified the privilege. Its existence is thereby established with or without the authenticity of the controversial bull. Furthermore, Pope Paul V (1605-1621) directed that the controversies cease and published a decree that stated: “It is granted to the Carmelites to preach that the Blessed Virgin will, by her intercessions and by a special protection after death, specifically on Saturdays, aid the souls of those brothers and sisters who die in the state of grace and who during their life wore the habit.”

It is noteworthy that St. John of the Cross, Carmelite and Doctor of the Church, died on Saturday, exactly at midnight, in full conviction of this privilege.

The scapular that Our Lady held in her hands when she appeared to St. Simon Stock measured 2.5 meters long and 45 centimeters wide (6 3/4”x 1 1/2”) with an opening in the center to fit over the head. This type of scapular is also common to the Benedictines, Carthusians, and Dominicans.

The scapular worn by the faithful today is a greatly modified version of this original scapular and consists of two small rectangular pieces of brown cloth (with or without images on them) held together by cords. The scapular is not a talisman of the Virgin Mary that automatically assures salvation. It is a sacramental, that is, a sign of Our Lady’s special grace and power, and to gain its benefits, certain conditions must be met. First of all, one does not simply put the scapular on; he must be ‘‘enrolled.’’ Once enrolled and initiated into the confraternity of Mount Carmel, the benefits derived by the wearer of the scapular will be directly proportionate to his faith in its privileges and his love for the Virgin expressed in true Christian living.

Before being enrolled in the scapular, one should be fully aware of what it signifies. The scapular initiates us into the (totally Marian) Carmelite family. It also has a symbolic character much in the same way as does a coat of arms. It indicates that we devote ourselves to Mary and her service. It is the Livery of Mary.

Like the Japanese kimono or the ceremonial cloak of the American Indians, the scapular, though very small, has its own language. In its simplicity it says, “Yes, I belong to Mary.”

The Bible knows of no mythical Purgatory; only of a Ressurection to Judgement or Reward. This false doctrine exalts the Virgin Mary, encourages superstition and has more in common with the heathen faiths than with Biblical Christianity.

Nigerian Cardinal Francis Arinze is hotly tipped to succeed John Paul II following a Vatican reshuffle on Tuesday. The Polish-born Pope gave the 69-year-old a key post - fuelling rumours he is being groomed for the Roman Catholic Church’s top job. The 81-year-old Pontiffi is suffering from Parkinson’s disease and arthritis and speculation on the next leader of the world’s one billion Catholics is rife. If Cardinal Arinze gets the job, he will be the first black Pope since the 5th Century.

The last African Pope was Gelasius I, who ruled the Vatican from 492-496. The only British Pope was Adrian IV (1154-1159). Cardinal Arinze was born to Christian and Muslim parents in Eziowelle, Nigeria. Growing up he chose the Catholic Church and later became Archbishop of Onitsha, Nigeria. He was made Cardinal in 1985 and promoted to Cardinal Priest in 1996. Now based in Rome, he is seen as outgoing, relaxed and charming.

But like the present Pope, he is a conservative who takes a hard line on abortion, homosexuality and women priests. His “multi-faith” background led to him being appointed head of the Pontifical Council for Inter Religious Dialogue where he won admiratlon for his diplomatic skills. His Vatican department has even kept links with pariah Muslim countries such as Iraq and Libya.

There are 128 cardinals around the world aged under 80 eligible to vote for the next Pope. Of the total 176 cardinals only 16 are African, although the majority of Catholics live in the Third World. John Wilkins, editor of Roman Catholic weekly The Tablet, said:

“Cardinal Arinze is a runner but the race is wide open. The Pope always used to be Italian but the present one opened up the position to the world.”

John Paul II became the first non-Italian Pope for 476 years when he was elected in 1978. But Cardinal Arinze, now Prefect of the Congregation of Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, is playing down his chances of becoming Pope. The one crucial rule of papal elections is “never appear to be a candidate”. Nobody runs for Pope.

Like all the contenders, Cardinal Arinze will be keeping his cards close to his cassock.

“You may hang and shoot and persecute, but destroy it you cannot; you may flatter and foster and give it power, but your friend it will never be. Popery is the curse of God upon a land, and nothing can remove it, only the Blessing of God, made known in the Gospel of Jesus Christ”

This is taken from: “The Siege of Derry - How Ulster fought for Liberty”

It is not the aim or intention of Rome Watch to incite hatred of Roman Catholics but rather, by use of International Press reports already carried in newspapers, to show the religious and political advances of the Papacy in the light of Bible Prophecy, which foretells an end-time World Religion, Government and Economy.