This section is reprinted from The Irish Times, February 12, 2008. Author is Patsy McGarry, Religious Affairs Correspondent. View original link at http://www.ireland.com/newspaper/ireland/2008/0212/1202509701024.html

There has been a general welcome for the decision of Cardinal Desmond Connell to withdraw his High Court action yesterday, in which he was claiming privilege over 5,586 documents before the Dublin Archdiocese Commission of Investigation.

Marie Collins said last night his decision was "a huge relief". She was "just glad to know the commission can carry on its work without hindrance".

Mrs Collins was abused as a child in 1960, when a patient at Our Lady's Hospital for Sick Children in Dublin, by Fr Paul McGennis, then a chaplain there. He later pleaded guilty to the abuse.

She said the past week had been "terrible" and that "it should never have happened. It did damage all around. It brought everything back and reopened old wounds." It was also a reminder of "the legislative way the Church dealt with victims and the frustration of trying to deal with that attitude", she said.

She also believed it had raised the profile of the commission. "It is working away quietly, with great integrity and no profile at all."

She felt Archbishop Diarmuid Martin was "doing an excellent job, the job he came here to do. My only worry is that there was not a word from any of the other bishops all week. I worry that Archbishop Martin is not representative [ of their view]. I fear many of them may be of the old mindset," she said.

Andrew Madden, the first person to go public in Ireland about his abuse, in his case by Dublin priest Fr Ivan Payne, was "thrilled" at yesterday's news from the High Court. It meant "the commission can get back to its work privately and away from the glare of publicity".

He would have been very concerned for the commission had Cardinal Connell persisted with his action and won. He felt the High Court action may have damaged the cardinal but that, above all, "it was another missed opportunity for Dublin priests to show moral courage". Their silence was "unimpressive", he said.

But he did not believe Archbishop Martin had been damaged. "His openness, transparency, his concern for justice and fairness is to his credit," he said.

Christine Buckley, director of the Aisling Centre, said the cardinal had failed "to realise that the church in 21st century Ireland had moved on".

His action illustrated his "inability to comprehend the deep and lasting effects of abuse", she said.

She felt the attempt to block the commission in its work "smacked of cowardice and naivety, in that it showed little understanding of the likely impact, not just on victims but on the Irish people in general".

The decision was also welcomed by the One in Four group, which helps people who have been sexually abused.

In a statement its advocacy director Deirdre Fitzpatrick said: "We are relieved that the work of the commission can now continue unhindered by legal wrangling."

She continued: "We believe it was imperative for the cardinal to withdraw this application and he has done so today. This recent development will bring relief to the many victims of clerical sexual abuse who have already given evidence. They must now be assured that the Dublin arch-diocese will continue to fully engage with the commission's investigation."

© 2008 The Irish Times