A spokesperson for Bishop Murray said that the Archbishop of Sydney, Cardinal George Pell has asked to be joined in an expression of deep sympathy at the very sad news of the death of Peter McCloskey. Bishop Murray expresses once again his deep sadness at Peter’s untimely death.

A bishop is bound to respect the confidential nature of his pastoral relationships. Bishop Murray had a number of personal meetings with Peter and is obliged to observe that confidentiality out of respect for Peter, his family and his children.

Pastoral Response to Peter

Peter first made contact in a letter dated 20 April 2002 from his solicitors to Bishop Murray. The diocese immediately offered appropriate spiritual and pastoral help, and counselling, and it was made clear that this would be available independently of whatever might happen in the legal process. At that time Peter indicated through his solicitor that he was already receiving counselling and thus declined the offer at that time.

Peter’s first personal approach to the diocese was five months later on 25 October 2002, through the diocesan Delegate, whose task it is to receive complaints of child sexual abuse. On the morning of 6 November Peter met the diocesan secretary, and later that day he met the bishop for the first time. At each of these meetings Peter was explicitly assured that he was believed and sorrow was expressed at the suffering which he had gone through and which was clearly troubling him deeply. The offer of support was made to Peter again. At no time did Bishop Murray, or anyone on his behalf, indicate a lack of belief of Peter’s claim that he had been abused.

A counsellor was arranged for Peter on that day. In the following years, the diocese continued to support Peter through counselling and art therapy and in other ways, such as helping with accommodation expenses for a short period. Three different support people, from the diocese, were made available at different times so that someone was always available to Peter.

Bishop Murray and Father Mullins met with Peter on many subsequent occasions. His requests for a meeting always received a positive response.

In January 2003, the diocese also arranged a consultant to advise Peter with his financial difficulties. We believe that Peter came to find this guidance and support very helpful.

In July 2004, the bishop made arrangements for Peter to undertake a three-month course of residential therapy which required an initial assessment in September 2004. He began the course in January 2005. When he discovered that Peter had not completed the course, the bishop assured him that, if he wished to undertake such a course again, the diocese would be very happy to arrange it.

Father Denis Daly

In April 2003, it was explained to Peter that our investigations about the late Father Daly were ongoing. The file which we received in September of that year from the archdiocese of Sydney contained material about Father Daly’s problems with alcohol. It also indicated that he had worked in various dioceses and that some dioceses had not accepted him. Father Daly never asked to become a priest of the diocese of Limerick but he was allowed to do supply work for brief periods in a number of parishes.

Although the Australian file covered a long period of time, there was nothing in it about the sexual abuse of minors. There was one worrying reference in the file namely a statement that Father Daly had been guilty of a “moral lapse” in 1963, which appears to have led the New South Wales Police to insist that he leave New South Wales.

Since first becoming aware, in March 2003, of concerns about Father Daly’s time in Australia, the diocese of Limerick made efforts both with the archdiocese of Sydney and the New South Wales police to discover what the moral lapse might have been. The archdiocese of Sydney had no further information. The diocese of Limerick wrote to the police who responded saying that they had no records at all about Father Daly. This response was received on 13 August 2004. It was suggested by a person working in the archdiocese of Sydney that it had been rumoured at the time that the moral lapse involved an adult sexual matter. This was, however, merely a rumour and no concrete evidence regarding the nature of the lapse exists. Unfortunately no files and no records of complaints about Father Daly existed in the diocese of Limerick at the time of Bishop Murray’s arrival in the diocese.

Allegations against Father Daly

Peter went to Sydney on the 21 February 2004 and stayed a few days. On the 9 March 2004 a man made an allegation to the archdiocese of Sydney, that as a young boy he was abused by an Irish born priest in the late 1950’s. In a letter from the Professional Standards Office of the archdiocese of Sydney dated the 22 March we were informed by it of this allegation. This complaint has not, as Prime Time erroneously stated, been settled by the archdiocese of Sydney. It is still being dealt with there.

During our investigation of Father Daly’s time in Limerick we have also become aware of one matter giving rise to concern. An allegation of which we had no record on file had been made to two priests in the 1980s of an improper gesture or suggestion by Father Daly towards a young man who decisively rebuffed him. It appears that his father told them that Father Daly attempted to place his hand on his son’s knee. This came to light when one of priests recalled the allegation and outlined it to us. The father of the young man is now dead. At the time the allegation was made, the father was told that the matter should be reported to the Gardaí. By the time this information came to light, both the complainant and the accused were dead. Unfortunately we could not take this matter further.

From mid 2004 on we were engaged in attempts to find a suitable course of residential therapy for Peter and to proceed towards mediation. Peter was particularly overwrought because he was completely convinced that the “moral lapse” of 1963 referred to in the Sydney file related to child sexual abuse. Peter could not even consider the possibility that it was about anything other than child abuse. Such information as we had, which was based only on rumour, suggested that it probably did not. When the bishop met him he was very aware of Peter’s fragility, but very hopeful about his willingness to undertake serious residential therapy and by his desire to seek a resolution that would meet his needs by a process of mediation. He feared that telling Peter about the new allegation would have run the risk of his becoming very upset and declining the help that he needed and indeed wanted. In his judgment, telling Peter then would have made matters worse not better for him. Peter’s wellbeing was always our greatest concern. We would never have denied that this information existed.

Confidentiality and the Mediation Process.

In the latter part of 2004, the bishop entered into the preparation for a mediation process which would seek to address Peter’s needs. It was agreed beforehand by all concerned -- the mediator, the 3 people who were representing Peter and the 3 people representing the diocese – that the process would be confidential and would remain entirely separate from the legal proceedings which Peter had initiated. In that context the bishop is concerned that what he said in the Prime Time interview might have put the responsibility for the confidentiality agreement only on the mediator. Confidentiality is in fact a normal and necessary condition in a mediation of this kind. The purpose of the process was to arrive at an agreed outcome and not to attempt to determine facts.

The morning after the mediation meeting, the solicitor representing the diocese faxed Peter’s solicitors saying that the diocese wished to continue the process and remained hopeful that it would bear fruit and that all matters which had been proposed for the meeting remained open. The fax concluded with an expression of the hope that the process could be resumed.

The bishop and the diocese of Limerick express once more their sorrow at Peter’s death, their sympathy to Peter’s family and their sadness that the efforts they made did not succeed in preventing this tragedy.

They appeal to anybody who has concerns in relation to child abuse to contact the Gardaí or the HSE. Anyone with concerns is also most welcome to get in touch with the Limerick Diocesan Offices at 061 315 856.