A priest who was abused by an older member of the clergy when he was a teenager has received an apology from the Catholic church forty years after it occurred.
Father Paddy McCafferty was subjected to rape and abuse in the 1980s, at the hands of James Martin Donaghy, who was a priest until his conviction in 2012.
The church’s apology follows a recent review into the handling of the cases of Donaghy's abuse by the late Bishop Patrick Walsh and the diocese.
It came with an acknowledgement that an apology issued by the Catholic church at the time of Donaghy’s conviction showed “a lack of demonstrable regret … from the diocese for the wrongs done to his victims”.
Fr McCafferty has accepted the apology, expressed by Rt Rev Alan McGuckian, Bishop of Down and Connor, and expressed his desire to move forward in healing.
However Fr McCafferty said that he had suffered for decades with Complex Post Traumatic Stress Disorder following the abuse, and that recently the trauma hit him hard.
The parish priest in Ballymurphy, Belfast, said: “I welcome today’s apology from Bishop Alan on behalf of the diocese of Down and Connor. This has been a very long and painful road. Today is an important step towards further healing and recovery.
“When I was being raped and abused as a young adult, by the then Fr Jim Donaghy, the way I coped was to dissociate and pretend it wasn’t happening.
“For decades, I have suffered, since the abuse stopped, with Complex Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Two and a half years ago, the enormity of what Donaghy inflicted hit me like a ton of bricks. This is because I was now strong enough to face the horror of what I suffered.”
In issuing the apology on behalf of the diocese, Bishop Alan also paid tribute to Fr McCafferty’s courage in leading the way to uncovering abuse.
“Fr McCafferty came forward out of concern for others who could be at risk,” Bishop Alan said.
“He showed courage and leadership in the face of incredulity, disbelief and animosity on the part of many, including clergy of the diocese.”
Bishop Alan encouraged anyone else who had suffered abuse to come forward, adding: “We, as a diocese, will ensure that our response is victim-centred, professional and just.
“The diocese encourages anyone who has concerns, suspicions or allegations of abuse to come forward and to report that abuse to the statutory authorities or to the appropriate safeguarding representatives.”
