Tuesday 7 March 2017

THE FATHER DAN DUANE CASE






Priest defrocked over alleged abuse loses appeal to pope

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A former priest in the Diocese of Cloyne in Co Cork has lost a personal appeal to Pope Francis against his dismissal from the priesthood after the pontiff found a canonical court was right to defrock him for “the crime of abusing minors”.
Dan Duane (78) had already lost two appeals against a decision by the Canonical Court in Ireland to dismiss him from the priesthood after it found he had abused five girls while serving as a priest in north Cork in the 1970s and 1980s.
A native of Doneraile in Co Cork, Mr Duane was ordained a priest in 1963 and served in a variety of parishes, as well as at St Colman’s College in Fermoy.
Acquitted
He was twice tried at Cork Circuit Criminal Court on counts of sexually abusing teenage girls in north Cork in the early 1980s. He was acquitted on the first occasion in May 2011 on the direction of the trial judge and in November 2011 he was acquitted by a jury.
Last year Mr Duane made a third and personal appeal to Pope Francis after the pope declared 2016 to be A Holy Year of Mercy. However, the pope has confirmed to the Bishop of Cloyne, Dr William Crean, that he agreed with the earlier decision to reject Mr Duane’s appeal against dismissal.
A Diocese of Cloyne spokesman told The Irish Times that “Bishop Crean can confirm that he has received the response of Rome to Dan Duane’s appeal and there is no change in the judgment that has already been made, that is to say that Dan Duane has been dismissed from the clerical state.”
According to the diocesan spokesman, the confirmation by Pope Francis of the earlier decision made by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith means Mr Duane cannot present himself as a priest and is prevented from celebrating any of the sacraments.
‘‘ Three priest judges were satisfied to a standard of ‘moral certainty’ and found him guilty of the complaints by the five women
Complaints
Mr Duane had denied any impropriety at the canonical court hearing held at the Nano Nagle Centre in Killavullen in north Cork, but the three priest judges ruled in March 2013 they were satisfied to a standard of “moral certainty”, and found him guilty of the complaints by the five women.
The diocesan spokesman confirmed Bishop Crean wrote to Mr Duane, who continues to live at the presbytery in Cecilstown between Mallow and Kanturk, to inform him that Pope Francis had rejected his personal appeal and agreed with the decision to dismiss him from the priesthood.


PAT SAYS:

Father Dan Duane was acquitted in two cases in an open civil court of the sexual abuse of minors - once by direction of the judge and once by a full jury.

In civil law he is therefore an innocent man (innocent until proven guilty).

However is a SECRET Catholic Church court he was found guilty by three priests on the basis that they were "morally certain" that he was guilty.

On the basis of that secret judgement he is "DISMISSED FROM THE CLERICAL STATE".

That DOES NOT MEAN THAT HE IS NO LONGER A PRIEST.

"ONCE A PRIEST ALWAYS A PRIEST".

It means that he is NO LONGER A CLERIC IN GOOD STANDING.

The Catholic Church will confirm that any Mass he celebrates is VALID.

He is bound under the pain of mortal sin to give the Last Rites to anyone in danger of death.

So he REMAINS A PRIEST but is NO LONGER A CLERIC.

His Church pension remains in tact but has been reduced by Euro 100 a month :-)



I feel uneasy about this whole case for a number of reasons:

1. If there are Father Duane victims they have not really achieved full justice or full closure.

2. If Father Duane is guilty he has compounded the suffering of his victims.

3. If Father Duane is innocent he has suffered a terrible injustice.

4. I also feel very uneasy about that SECRET CHURCH COURT.


MY CHURCH "COURT":

When I was sacked in 1986 by Bishop Cahal Daly he first of all refused me any tribunal of appeal.


CAHAL DALY IN LIMBO


In the face of massive publicity and pressure he eventually offered me what I regarded as a KANGAROO COURT.

These were the conditions:

1. Daly would appoint the panel to review his decision.

2. I could choose ONE panel member from A LIST HE WOULD DRAW UP!

3. Daly would meet the panel but I would not meet them. I could only write to them!

4. Daly would show the panel my "personnel file" but I would not be allowed to see it!

5. I would not be told the charges against me!

6. I could not know who the witnesses against me were or be allowed to cross examine them!

7. I would have no right to appeal the panel's decision.


What did I do? I told Daly to STICK HIS PANEL WHERE THE MONKEY STUCK HIS NUTS :-)





SECRET TRIALS are dangerous trials.

SECRET TRIALS smack of the INQUISITION.


CATHOLIC CANON LAW with it's SECRET TRIALS are just another reason why the Roman Catholic Church is TOTALLY AT ODDS WITH THE JESUS OF THE GOSPELS.





42 comments:

  1. So all those females were lying?

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    1. No. The fact there were 5 and not just 1 is certainly of immense importance.

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  2. This is weird. Either civil law is right or wrong. Listen, I'm not surprised that Canon Law went against the Civil Law in this instance. Listening to the Canon lawyer on Joe Duffy's Liveline would suggest that they operate in another world which has very little to do with Christianity and an awful lot to do with man-made law and (bad) PR.

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  3. Ah Pat you couldn't make this up. The Irish College in Rome are staging Twelve Angry Men. "Members of the community of the Pontifical Irish College, Rome, will perform Reginald Rose’s play, Twelve Angry Men, directed by Joseph Keegan, at the College at 19.30 on St Patrick’s Day, Friday 17th March and Saturday 18th March 2017."
    So you think the Deacon will have a role? Or maybe a few ANGRY Bishops could head over?
    The College's advertisement states that, "the play is a courtroom drama about a jury that must reach a consensus on the basis of reasonable doubt, and the dynamics that unfold among the members as their deliberations proceed."

    It sounds like a Canon Lawyers Convention. Will it be held in secret? Or maybe it's to discuss the Dublin Deacon? Reasonable Doubt and all that. Perhaps Diarmuid Martin will have a role?

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  4. It is impossible to say whether Fr Duane is innocent or guilty when we have not heard the evidence and the details. It would be just random guessing with no solid basis. We don't know.

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  5. Fr Duane will not have heard the evidence or testimony against him. Often clerics are not allowed attend these secret courts.

    Innocent until proven guilty or the standard of moral certainty is an arbitrary choice by church decision making bodies.

    Fr Duane is punished on a standard or moral certainty because he has spend years as the subject of rumour and hated by men like Clifford. Sexually active deacons and seminarians are equally guilty by the same moral standard but those who like them will hold them innocent until proven guilty. WHY?

    CR

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    1. Ah CR but when the boot is on the other foot it is innocent even when proven guilty as in Tuam.

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    2. me thinks that poor fr duane would've been acquitted by the canon law lads if the allegations were made by boys..i wonder..???

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    3. It's hard to say whether it would have made any difference to the Canon Law panel if the victims had been male - - It certainly shouldn't!... An assault is an assault.
      I was wondering if his civil court acquittal was the work of a clever lawyer who emphasised that there was "no purpose to be served by a term in jail with guilty verdict" for a person who was about to be struck off from further priestly duties(by his upcoming Canon Law decision) and thus never again in the situation in which further offences of that kind could take place. Once again, it shouldn't have made any difference, but in the mind of a divided jury??

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    4. Normally no canon law court begins until civil proceedings have ended.

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    5. @15:51
      Guilt will be subject to inquiry.

      What is known is that the burials there were less dignified than we have come to expect today. That isa proven fact based on the bodies uncovered.

      CR

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  6. Pat, I think you're right. F*%K the institutional church. We should all do as you did i.e. Find some crackpot Bishop willing to ordain us Bishops and set up our own Church of Bishops. We could then ordain all followers as bishops too so that we could all dress up in silly pointy hats and swan about!

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    1. Real bishops don't "swan about".

      They are the overseeing elders / presbyters of Christian communities.

      I think you are getting mixed up between the "bishops" of the early church and the medieval bishops of the current Roman and episcipal churches?

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  7. Do you think they will now kick him out of his Presbytery? Maybe he can do what you did Pat and refuse to move out. I suppose they could send Phonsie down to him and physically evict him from the house. But then again, Phonsie has trouble getting rid of how own neighbour who lives in his garden.

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    1. If Phonsie is sent poor Duane will be black and blue :-)

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  8. This is a strange one but the church does have its own processes for better or worse. The church does like to do things under cover of darkness. Mr/rev Duane does have a right to see any information about him under freedom of information I would think. It would be interesting to compare and contrast the processes of both courts. Ai did tread the boards on the Irish College Stage in the basement. My forte was D I Y sound and lighting. Must say that caliber of material has got more impressive what what

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  9. The priests life ministry comes with a house for life. That presbytery is part of his pension. Rightly or wrongly the life-long career of a priest comes with a right of residency when retired.

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    1. On retirement a priest leaves a presbytery and moves to another diocesan property.

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    2. There may be no other takers for Fr Duane's house though. Cloyne couldn't move him out and place an active priest there but they no longer have them to spare.

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  10. Yes but the Church is not fair when it comes to retired priests, they give some of them old crappy former Presbyteries to retire in or if they are well enough they stick them in a parish property and make them work despite illness. Some Dioceses need to be ashamed of themselves.

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  11. He was acquitted in Criminal Court. Did any of the alleged victims take a Civil action. Just to clarify: there are usually two civil courts. The State/DPP/Guards take a criminal case (and you may end up in Jail). then the victims take a Civil case (and victims may or may not end up with compensation). It's weird that he was acquitted in criminal court and there is no mention of Civil cases. Or perhaps the Civil cases fell if he were acquitted in Criminal Court. Or in some instances in the past Dioceses have been known to pay victims compensation even before a case, if the diocese feels it appropriate. Might this be what could have happened here. Is that why the Canon law case resulted as it did, was it more about euros than morality, vis the decision of the canon lawyers. I don't know what to believe in this instance as it's weird.

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    1. If a priest or seminarian is disliked by his peers or superiors they can spread rumours and 'condemn' him on moral certainty.

      If they like the priest or seminarian he will be protected as innocent until proven guilty.

      Its not that its weird, rather its unjust - but when the church is treated as a boys clubs for the clergy by the clergy then eventually the injustice become so obvious that those on the outside start to ignore the club for what it is.

      CR.

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  12. @ Pat will the Dublin deacon have role in the play?

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  13. The seminarians in the Irish College are very good at acting. They're great at acting the role of bot being Seminarians when on Grindr. The staff will surely have parts?

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  14. A little off the beaten track, but Cloyne related. The best looking priest in the country was Fr Patrick Relihan. That ordination photograph of him from his classpiece or whatever it was gave me goosebumps. Is he actually gone or just on sabbatical? If he was in my parish I wouldn't be able to concentrate on his sermons. Now he was Gorgeous.

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  15. Pat, have you heard about the Armagh Priest who won £10,000 at a game of bingo last Saturday night in Mid-Ulster. He also won around £4,000 before Christmas. Great that he can go to Bingo at weekends. He is the same Priest who recently returned to his former Parish for a farewell gathering where he was given a very generous cheque.

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  16. @19:40 The priest is obviously lucky. So what if he won twice in Bingo. He obviously did a great job in his former parish if he got a 'generous' cheque. He was obviously doing his job well. I'd prefer to see them at Bingo than on Grindr.

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  17. They were great in Maynooth for holding Private Inquiries. Can you imagine how banjaxed they were? Imagine deans (who weren't even Canon Lawyers) holding Inquiries. When they weren't dying their hair they were conducting Inquiries.

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  18. I wait for the day when someone brings a case for Institutional Abuse against Maynooth. It certainly fxxxed up an awful lot of people. About half of them became ordained. Not because they were called by God, but because they were ordinary automatons who neither lead nor drove; or because they weren't caught when they were having sexual relations with each other.

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    1. Someone needs to study the number of people ordained in the last 12 years who have already left. Clearly wrong calls are being made.

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    2. This was all about money . Not saying he did not cross the line . Had he been 16 and felt up the girls he would not have gone to court. This was about a man crossing the line and tie money that could be screwed from the chitch. .not one person was raped.felt up maybe . No this was all about breach of trust . The bloody girls kept going back all the time . Nobody twisted their arms .

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  19. Perhaps the Irish College in Rome should stage 'My Fair Lady' instead? Or perhaps the 1979 play, Bent? Or maybe even the stage version of Le Cage aux Folles?

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  20. Nah they should stage the rocky horror....

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  21. I was close to one of the so called victims , my opinion it was all about money, I saw three of the victims meet regular around the kitchen table, he may have crossed a line but he in my opinion was fucked over by the gaurds and indeed the church, the man may have acted as they claim improperly but why in hell did the girls now keep going back for more , he'll one of them had an affair with him fir years , my opinion power was used to punish and destroy him, he was never found guilty on any charge all brought by venemous women ,,,

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  22. One of his victims couldn't get dan duane in jail but she used the same filth to send her ex into prison fir six months for hsrrassment , that is how power is used to destroy some one , and that is a fact ,,, a lot of JUICE was used like in the cases against DAN DUANE , same Local prosecuted, same gaurds , two bastards , something back then in mallow was very corrupt,

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