Brendan Smyth

Brendan Smyth (8 June 1927 – 22 August 1997) was a Catholic priest who became notorious as a child molester, using his position in the Church to obtain access to his victims. During a period of over 40 years, Smyth sexually abused and indecently assaulted over 100^[1]^[2] children in parishes in Belfast, Dublin and the United States. Controversy surrounding his case brought about the downfall of the government of Ireland in December 1994.^[3]

Early life and ordination

Born John Gerard Smyth,^[4] in Belfast, Northern Ireland, Smyth, upon joining the Norbertine Catholic religious order in 1945, changed his name to Brendan. The Norbertines, also known as the "Premonstratensians," were aware of Smyth's crimes as early as the late 1940s, yet they did not report him to either the Garda Síochána or the Royal Ulster Constabulary. Smyth was moved from parish to parish and between dioceses and countries whenever allegations were made. In some cases, the order did not inform the diocesan bishop that Smyth had a history of sexual abuse and should be kept away from children. He abused children in parishes in Rhode Island and North Dakota in the US and was suspected of similar actions while on pastoral work in Wales and Italy.^[4] Norbertine Father Bruno Mulvihill made several attempts to alert church authorities about the abuse committed by Smyth.^[5]

1994 arrest

Smyth's first conviction followed the reporting to police of his abuse of four siblings in Belfast's Falls Road. After his arrest in 1991, he fled to the Republic of Ireland, where he spent the next three years on the run, staying mostly at Kilnacrott Abbey.^[6]^[4] This led to the collapse of the Fianna Fáil–Labour Party coalition government when the poor handling of an extradition request from the RUC by the Irish Attorney General's office led to a further delay of Smyth's trial. An award-winning UTV Counterpoint programme on the scandal by journalist Chris Moore, followed by a book, accused the head of the Norbertines and the Archbishop of Armagh of mishandling the case, and the Norbertines of negligence and a failure to tell others of Smyth's crimes, enabling Smyth to sexually abuse large numbers of children for 40 years.

Death

Smyth died at 70 in prison of a heart attack in 1997 after collapsing in the exercise yard,^[7] one month into a twelve year prison sentence. The Norbertines held his funeral before dawn and covered his grave with concrete to deter vandalism. He was buried in Kilnacrott Abbey, which was later put up for sale with 44 acres (18 ha) of land, including the grave.^[8]

On 27 October 2005, one of Smyth's victims succeeded in having the title "Reverend" removed from the gravestone.^[9]^[10]

Later investigations

Reviewers of the case differ as to whether there was a deliberate plot to conceal Smyth's behaviour, incompetence by his superiors at Kilnacrott Abbey, or some combination of factors. Cahal Daly, both as Bishop of Down and Connor, a diocese where some of the abuse took place, and later as Cardinal Archbishop of Armagh, is recorded as having been privately furious at the Norbertine "incompetence".^[11]^{[unreliable source?]}

In 2010, Daly's successor as Roman Catholic Archbishop of Armagh, Cardinal Seán Brady, faced "huge pressure to resign" after he admitted that in 1975 he witnessed two teenage boys sign oaths of silence after testifying in a Church inquiry against Smyth. Survivors groups saw this as evidence of collusion, but Brady said he "did not have the authority" to turn Smyth in.^[12] On 17 March 2010, the Deputy First Minister for Northern Ireland, Martin McGuinness, called for Brady to resign.^[13]

Dramatisation

A two-part dramatisation of the Smyth case, Brendan Smyth: Betrayal of Trust, was broadcast by the BBC on 13 March 2011 with Ian Beattie in the title role and Richard Dormer as Chris Moore. It was directed by Michael McDowell.

References

^ http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/8567868.stm Profile of Father Brendan Smyth
^ Irish Independent. "Cardinal will only step down if told to do so by Pope". Retrieved 15 March 2010.
^ Coalition in power 2 years when Smyth row erupted
^ ^a ^b ^c Evil spirit of a ruined church, The Irish Times, Weekend Review, p5, 20 March 2010
^ Priest who blew whistle on Smyth estranged from order, Grainne Cunningham, Irish Independent, 17 March 2010
^ http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/8567868.stm Profile of Father Brendan Smyth
^ "Few voice sympathy at death of molester. Pedophile priest's case undermined reverence for Catholic Church". Baltimore Sun. 24 August 1997. Retrieved 14 June 2011.
^ Reilly, Jerome (2008-04-06). Abbey for sale, with pervert priest's grave included. Sunday Independent, 6 April 2008. Retrieved on 2009-07-04 from http://www.independent.ie/national-news/abbey-for-sale-with-pervert-priests-grave-included-1339709.html.
^ "Evil spirit of a ruined church". The Irish Times. 20 March 2010. Retrieved 19 June 2010.
^ kshaw (2005-10-27). Abuse priest has 'Rev' title removed from grave. Retrieved from http://bishop-accountability.org/abuse2005b-archives/014327.html.
^ Spiritus-Temporis.com (2005). Roman Catholic Church sex abuse scandal: Flawed policies. Disclaimer on page indicates: "Some of the information on this page come from a Wikipedia article and are licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License." Retrieved from http://www.spiritus-temporis.com/roman-catholic-church-sex-abuse-scandal/flawed-policies.html.
^ Caldwell, Simon, & Pisa, Nick (2010-03-15). Leader of Roman Catholic Church in Ireland urged to quit over abuse victims' silence vow. Mail Online, 15 March 2010. Retrieved from http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1257904/Irelands-Catholic-leader-Sean-Brady-paedophile-priest-cover-up.html.
^ http://www.independent.ie/national-news/shamed-plea-buys-brady-more-time-to-stay-as-leader-2102852.html