According to the Tribune:
Fr Eugene Greene (81) was sentenced to 12 years' imprisonment eight years ago for raping and sexually assaulting boys as young as seven from 1962 to 1985 in the west Donegal Gaeltacht.
The Irish Independent and Donegal Democrat both reported the controversial remarks of Michael Kelly, Irish Catholic deputy editor.
In December 2008, the Irish Independent reported:
A GAELTACHT community has reacted angrily to a call from the deputy editor of 'The Irish Catholic' to forgive a paedophile priest who is due for release from prison.
Defrocked priest Eugene Greene (80) is expected to be freed this week after serving eight years of a 12-year jail sentence for abusing 26 boys over three decades in west Donegal.
The paedophile, who terrorised and brutally raped his young victims, many of whom were altar boys in the various parishes he served, is widely expected to return to the west Donegal Gaeltacht to live with a family member shortly after his release.
He came to garda attention only after he reported an attempted blackmail attempt by one of his victims to gardai.
Yesterday, the deeply wounded community was in shock at a call on them from the deputy editor of 'The Irish Catholic', Michael Kelly, to offer their forgiveness to the former priest and allow him to live among them.
"Obviously, Eugene Greene has committed dreadful crimes. He has caused immense pain, especially to victims, but also to the whole community. I think if we are serious in how we take Christian message there is an obligation to show forgiveness, whether or not he has shown remorse," he said.
But local radio station, Highland Radio was flooded with messages from the public objecting to his call. One man described his crimes as abhorrent.
"This man abused his position of trust to the highest extent possible and there is no evidence that he is rehabilitated. Given what he has done he must suffer the alienation he has brought on himself," he said.
Michael Kelly told The Derry Journal: "The priest has to live somewhere. He has committed dreadful crimes and to the best of my knowledge he has not tried to rehabilitate himself. There is an onus on the community to look after him as a christian community."...
He added that Father Greene has a genuine need for forgiveness and that in the true spirit of christianity people should turn the other cheek.
He said: "The easy option would be to be very right wing. However, at the end of the day, you have an elderly man who although he did despicable things needs to be provided for. It is part of the paradox of Christianity. It is rather radical Christianity."
A Donegal priest, who wishes not to be named, disagreed profusely with the statement by Mr Kelly. He said: "My opinion is that the community can only forgive if there is an acceptance by him, on the exploits of the past, and he acknowledges the damage that he has caused to so many people. It is only then that the community can move towards forgiveness."
No comments:
Post a Comment