It is a harrowing chapter in his life that he can only now begin to try and move on from having being told at the weekend that he has been cleared by a Church inquiry - almost a year after being cleared by the civil authorities.

"It was a Saturday morning," he recalled speaking to The Irish Catholic this week. Fr Brennan, the long-time parish priest of Blackrock and Haggardstown, received a phone call from Auxiliary Bishop of Armagh Dr Gerard Clifford. A short time later Bishop Clifford met with Fr Brennan and told him that an allegation of abuse dating back over 30 years had been received. "It was the last thing on Earth I imagined I would ever hear," he recalls.

Church procedures - which have been criticised as too draconian by human rights professionals as well as priests' representatives - immediately swung into place. Fr Brennan was immediately forced to step aside from his ministry. Senior Churchmen are always at pains to point out that the stepping aside is entirely voluntary.

In reality, however, priests faced with allegations of abuse - regardless of the credibility of such allegations - have little choice but to step aside, and move away from their parochial house and the life they have known.

Fr Brennan admits to feeling a "great deal of relief" that he has finally been cleared of any wrongdoing. It has been a long two years since the allegation surfaced just as he was due to be moved to the parish of Keady in Co. Armagh. Continue reading

Among Dolan's main recommendations was that three of the priests on the staff be replaced and one be sent for further training in his particular discipline. He too has subsequently returned to Ireland.

All four staff at the College were given no right of reply.

Ireland's four archbishops, Cardinal Sean Brady, Archbishop of Armagh; the Archbishop of Dublin, Dr Diarmuid Martin; the Archbishop of Tuam, Dr Michael Neary, and the Archbishop of Cashel, Dr Dermot Clifford, Trustees of the College, told The Irish Times they had made a considered response to the Vatican, suggesting corrections of error and fact, including named individuals.

Responding the Dolan's comments, the Archbishops reportedly told the Vatican that the visitation (Dolan's) report "would appear to prioritize its own view of orthodoxy, priestly identity, separation and devotion" and its "harsh judgments on staff members" were "unsupported by evidence."

The Irish Times, which has seen a copy of the report, says Dolan

• reports of a disturbingly significant number of seminarians giving a negative assessment of the atmosphers of the house
• says staff are critical of Rome, church tradition, the magisterium, piety or assertive orthodoxy
• identifies an anti-ecclesial bias in theological formation
• says the college suffers from being gay-friendly (although he found no evidence of rampant immorality or a homosexual subculture)
• notes the staff of the college did not inspire trust
• is critical of the college's programme of formation that does not engender a vibrant fidelity to Jesus and the teaching of His church, and says that
• the college program also does not foster a durable interior life and a humble confident sense of priestly identity and mission.

Cardinal Dolan was assisted in the visitation report by Cardinal Edwin F. O'Brien, then-archbishop of Baltimore, and Msgr. Francis Kelly, who runs Casa Santa Maria at the Pontifical North American College in Rome. Cardinals Dolan and O'Brien are former rectors of the North American College.

Responding to questions arising from his visitation Dolan stood by the reports accuracy.

"While obviously others do not consider themselves bound by the promised confidentiality - so necessary and understandable to assure a fair and honest gathering of information - requested by the Apostolic See, I certainly do," in a statement to the Irish Times.

"Thus, I am unable to comment upon the report, other than to stand by the diligence of the six visitors, and the accuracy of the data we found - both of positive and challenging nature - and presented to the Congregation for Catholic Education in Rome."

Sources

• Irish Times - Vatican report critical of culture and ethos of Irish College in Rome
• Irish Times - Cardinal Dolan statement
• Irish Central
• CNS
• Image: Voice of Justice

Martin was mixed in his remarks. He spoke with deep regret and sorrow for the past but held out hope for the future, saying the Church is on the way to being renewed, but he warned it is likely to be a "lengthy journey".

Calling to mind all who suffered abuse at the hands of those they trusted, Martin called the Church to a spirit of repentance and asked the 20,000 participants to remember each of the victims in the silence of their hearts.

The archbishop also prayed for a renewal in priestly and religious life.

As well as praying for the victims, Sunday's ceremonies also featured the unveiling of a symbolic 'healing stone' with a poem written by a victim of a pedophile priest.

Around 50 protesters picketed the Congress' opening and used the occasion to continue to call for the resignation of Primate of all Ireland, Cardinal Sean Brady, one of a number of Church officials who made made aware of sex abuse being carried out by pedophile preist Brendan Smyth.

Irish coordinator of the Irish Survivors of Child Abuse, John Kelly, said the Eucharistic Congress was a chance for the Catholic Church to move forward, but that it would not happen until Cardinal Brady resigned.

In a sign that 'all is not well', a survey published in the Irish Times found that just 38% believe Ireland today would be in worse shape without its dominant church, 40% did not even knew the Eucharistic Congress was happening in Ireland and only 4% of Ireland's Catholics intended to attend the Congress.

Mixed among the shared experiences of the Eucharistic Congress' first day on Twitter are many calls for people to boycott the Congress and show solidarity with 'survivors' the Congress permeate Twitter.

People from 123 countries will take part in the International Eucharistic Congress, an event that happens every four years.

Sources

• The Journal
• Huffington Post
• Associated Press
• Irish Times
• Image: Twitter.com/shameofireland

After the three-hour meeting, Cardinal Brady said he had apologised wholeheartedly and without reservation for the abuse the victims had suffered as children.

He said he found the meeting profoundly moving and reaffirmed the church's committment to co-operate fully with the inquiry into institutional abuse set up by the Stormont Assembly.