The Catholic Church’s child protection agency has severely criticised the former Bishop of Hexham for putting children at risk by promoting a priest who had “displayed a clear pattern of grooming behaviour over the years”.
Bishop Robert Byrne, who resigned in December after just three years and almost a decade before his retirement age, was also excoriated for his friendship with a convicted paedophile whom he tried to bring into his home and for whom he sought work in the diocese.
The 57-page review of safeguarding procedures into the diocese by the Catholic Safeguarding Standards Agency (CSSA) following his resignation found that existing practices met “minimum requirements”.
But the report was heavily critical of the “poor leadership demonstrated by the diocesan bishop”, which it said had “served to undermine the work of both trustees and safeguarding professionals to the degree that people were put at potential risk”.
The CSSA made 12 recommendations on issues ranging from volunteers’ safeguarding practice to whistleblowing policy.
There are a further 10 national recommendations for safeguarding in the Catholic Church in England and Wales, including escalation processes for safeguarding issues and “prioritising the safety of of children and vulnerable adults at risk over reputational issues”.
Steve Ashley, CSSA chief executive, said: “Ultimately, a failure of leadership means a failure of safeguarding.”
He added: “We will trust, we will support, and we will regulate, how they now turn things around.”
Nazir Afzal, CSSA chairman, said: “Our findings show that the actions of a few individuals have undermined the safeguarding work of many.
“There will be people in the local community today hard hit by our report. Protecting people in the future means telling difficult truths today.
“We thank those who told us about their personal experiences, which was an act of considerable courage. We thank the bravery of whistle-blowers.
“We thank the integrity of those in the diocese today who worked with us openly. Most importantly, we thank the families of those impacted, and survivors of church-related abuse generally, for their trust in us to do our work.
“Our door remains open. We look towards a better safeguarding future for the Diocese and the Catholic Church in England and Wales.”
Archbishop Malcolm McMahon of Liverpool, the apostolic administrator of the diocese, said the review was commissioned because “the diocese is deeply committed to the highest standards of safeguarding and takes a zero-tolerance approach to abuse”.
He said: “The diocese accepts all of the recommendations to improve safeguarding practices and to provide pastoral care and support, safety and protection to survivors. Together, we are committed to a safer safeguarding practice.”
The report was scathing about the appointment by Bishop Byrne, an Oratorian, of Canon Michael McCoy as Dean of St Mary’s Cathedral in Newcastle and the bishop’s “inappropriate” friendship with a former priest, who was not named for legal reasons and who in 2014 was convicted of possessing hundreds of indecent images of children.
The CSSA said concerns were raised previously raised about Canon McCoy in 1996, 2007 and 2010 because of his “inappropriate behaviour with young people including the offer of foreign holidays and providing alcohol to them despite being underage”.
Yet Bishop Byrne brushed aside the warnings and insisted on appointing him dean, an act which showed a “lack of understanding” of safeguarding or a “complete disregard for it”, the final report said.
Canon McCoy replaced the late Fr Dermott Donnelly, the brother of TV presenter Declan Donnelly.
Canon McCoy took his own life, aged 57, in April 2021 when he learned he was being investigated by Northumbria Police’s child and adult protection department over an historic allegation of child abuse.
The review also said that Bishop Byrne “evidently socialised” with the convicted paedophile described as “Father A”.
The CSSA report notes that the order to which Father A belonged applied to the Vatican in 2015 for his laicisation.
The Vatican rejected the application, recommending instead that Fr A did a year of penance and underwent a year of therapeutic care before he was returned to active ministry. The provincial of the order would not allow him to return, however, after he was identified as an ongoing risk.
The report said Father A spent time at Bishop’s House in the day and stayed overnight in the bishop’s private quarters.
The report said: “We found no evidence to support Bishop Byrne’s assertion that he was simply providing pastoral support to Father A.
“On Bishop Byrne’s own account, he first sought permission to live with Father A as he personally felt isolated residing alone in Bishop’s House.”
Requests by safeguarding officers into the arrangements were not acknowledged by Bishop Byrne, the report said.
The bishop nevertheless attempted to find work for Father A in the diocese’s archives in 2019 and for an overseas charity in 2021 but both were blocked because of the former priest’s criminal record, the agency said.
The review found their association was “inappropriate” because it allowed Father A “unrestricted access” to a number of diocesan premises which had “presented a serious safeguarding risk”.
A Vatican inquiry into the resignation of Bishop Byrne previously discovered “a succession of errors of judgement”.
But the review led by Archbishop McMahon dismissed reports of “lewd parties” in the media as “simply untrue”.
Archbishop McMahon had earlier warned Catholics of the diocese to brace themselves for a period of “pain and shame” as investigators went about their work.
At the time of his resignation, Bishop Byrne announced his intention to join the Oratorian Congregation in Oxford. He has not returned to the city, however, and is believed to be living in the south of England.
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