BishopAccountability.org
	Joint Statement from McCloskey Family and Bishop Limerick Post [Ireland] April 28, 2006 http://www.limerickpost.ie/dailynews.elive?id=7283&category=Daily-Fri THE brother of deceased former alter-boy, Peter McCloskey, has said Bishop Donal Murray's admission that Peter was telling the truth and that the Diocese of Limerick failed to protect him is "a step in the right direction". Joseph McCloskey and his mother Mary met with Bishop Donal Murray last Sunday in an effort "to resolve and understand what led to Peter's death". And Mr McCloskey said that he hopes that his brother's tragic death and the subsequent media coverage "will assist in the better handling of any future cases". "The church and Bishop Donal Murray still have very serious questions to answer. And we are insisting that the truth comes out in honour of Peter's memory. He paid too high a price for answers. But basically the diocesan response to Limerick clerical abuse cases is wholly inadequate. "One in Four believe that Limerick is a blackspot in the handling of such cases. This is because we believe that the Limerick diocese does not adequately reflect what they are saying publicly. I've been told that the mediation process is actually very positive for many people and Limerick is not representative of the country as a whole," he said. A joint statement released by Mary and Joseph McCloskey and Dr Donal Murray, Bishop of Limerick, stated that "Bishop Donal Murray wishes once again to acknowledge that he completely accepts the truth of Peter McCloskey's experience of clerical child sexual abuse". "The Diocese of Limerick acknowledges that there was a failure on its part to properly inform itself as to Fr Denis Daly's suitability for ministry in the diocese and the appropriateness of allowing him to minister in the diocese. The Diocese accepts that the information available at that time should have prevented Fr Daly from taking up ministry in Limerick. "Peter was a man of extraordinary honesty, integrity and courage. His commitment to the truth demands that all involved work to fully examine and address the grave issues which have been raised as a result of Peter's tragic death. All involved acknowledge that this will be a challenging and at times uncomfortable process but we affirm our commitment to work together to that end"." Joseph McCloskey said that Bishop Donal Murray initially wanted to meet the family in order to offer his condolences over Peter's death. "That was a little difficult to accept although we do acknowledge the sincerity with which his sympathy was extended. The meeting lasted for six hours and was difficult, tense and at times challenging. And we learned that both Bishop Murray and my brother had very different perspectives of what went on. And that the reality of Peter's experiences were not clearly apparent to the Bishop, which I found very disturbing. "The meeting was the commencement of a process and a step in the right direction. But the very real issues behind why Peter died needs to be looked at and ownership needs to be taken by the diocese and the many other parties involved". He also said that the strict confidentiality agreement from the mediation still needs to be lifted and he wants the myth that Peter walked out of the mediation process cleared up. "This is not true. And I can confirm this as Peter's brother who was there on the day. The mediation broke down because of a failure to engage but this was not from our side. And what happened at that mediation caused Peter considerable upset and distress. This is not about attacking a person. But we want Peter's truth acknowledged," he said. Mr McCloskey alleged that he had suffered clerical abuse in 1980 and 1981 from Fr Denis Daly when he was a 10-year-old altar boy in the parish of Caherdavin.
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