Bishop's 'sorrow and shame' as priest is jailed

The Bishop of Meath, Dr Michael Smith, has this week expressed "profound sorrow and shame" over the sexual assault on boys carried out over a number of years by one of diocese's priests, Raymond Brady. Brady (77), from Baltrasna, Oldcastle, who is now no longer in the priesthood, was jailed for two years at Trim Circuit Court last Friday after admitting 10 offences of indecent assault and one of attempted indecent assault at parochial houses in Drumconrath and Kilbeg as well as in the victims' homes and at a caravan in Bettystown. He carried out his assaults on his victims on dates between 1st April 1968 and 30th June 1976 when the boys were aged between 11 and 16. In most cases, the assaults began when the victims were altar boys and continued in their homes after Brady had befriended and won the trust of their families. In victim impact statements read to the court, some of the victims, now in their 50s, said they were still haunted by what happened. Expressing sorrow and shame about what happened to the victims, Bishop Smith also apologised to their families "for the trauma and pain inflicted on them". In a statement issued at the weekend, he directly addressed the victims of Brady's offending, saying: "I offer you my humblest apologies for the betrayal of trust you have experienced. I welcome the fact that your experiences are heard and believed. I hope that justice having been served will facilitate your path to healing and inner peace." The bishop said that the highest possible standards were in place in each of the 69 parishes in the Diocese of Meath to safeguard children and young people. He said that the painful facts of the case were "a stark reminder that the diocese must be ever vigilant in its efforts to safeguard children". Brady was believed to have been "loaned" by the Meath diocese to Ossory and served in Thomastown and Kilkenny city after his ordination in 1960. "When I was informed of the investigation, I removed the priest from ministry and he was never returned to ministry. Following a High Court decision in 2004, I believed there was sufficient reason, based on the risk assessment conducted when I was first informed of the investigation, to prevent the priest from returning to ministry. He remained under canonical supervision in accordance with our safeguarding children guidelines," the bishop added.