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Scotland

Archbishop apologizes, resigns
Under fire in pedophilia cause

In October, Archbishop John Aloysius Ward of Cardiff apologized for the crimes of Father Joseph Jordan, who pleaded guilty to six charges of indecent assault on a boy of 12.

The attacks happened while Jordan was a teacher in Sutton, in Surrey, and in Doncaster, before he became a priest, the court heard. And the archbishop was soon facing calls for his resignation, after it was revealed that he had ordained Jordan, knowing the man was already suspected of child abuse.

Bishop Christopher Budd of Plymouth, who had initially accepted Jordan for training, asked Archbishop Ward not to ordain him. And Father Ambrose Walsh, a Cardiff priest who stepped down as a canon because of Jordan’s ordination, said that the archbishop did not listen to advice. Father Walsh told the Daily Telegraph: “He should not remain in his position for one minute longer.”

But Archbishop Ward initially insisted that he would not be resigning. “I’ve acted, I believe, very prudently and very sensibly,” he told the Daily Telegraph. “I think I will survive this; I don’t see why not. I’ve not done anything untoward, I’ve not neglected my duties as far as I’m concerned.”

Two weeks later, however, the archbishop had changed his tune. In a letter read out in churches throughout the diocese, Archbishop Ward announced that he had asked Pope John Paul II to appoint a co-adjutor bishop who will “help me, stand by me, keep an eye on me,” and once “settled in,” take over.

The archbishop spoke of “difficult and trying days,” and also expressed his “deep sorrow and regret at the unhappy events that have so seriously marred our Catholic community over these last two years.”

The archbishop’s announcement came hours before the scheduled broadcast of a BBC documentary, “Power to Abuse,” in which he admitted ignoring the advice of senior priests in his diocese and of Bishop Budd. He told the program he had done nothing wrong in ordaining Jordan.

Same-sex marriage?
Issue to come before parliament

The Scottish Parliament should support same-sex marriages, Scottish MP Nora Radcliffe has argued. Radcliffe told the Equal Opportunities Committee to set up a meeting with Justice Minister Jim Wallace to discuss the issue. Speaking on a report about sexual orientation, Radcliffe argued that cohabiting couples of the same sex should receive equal treatment under the law. “Same-sex marriages is an issue that has to be discussed and parity of same-gender couples is something that has to happen,” she said. “Cohabiting couples in a relationship who are not married should be treated equally whether they are same sex or not.”

Speaking after the meeting, Radcliffe told the Press Association that her intention was to highlight the matter of same-sex marriages. Same-sex marriages are not recognized under British law and people in such relationships cannot receive the same benefits as those in marriages involving people of the opposite sex.

Radcliffe questioned the definition of marriage, adding that there was a difference between civil marriage and a ceremony in a church. “What the church decides to do is entirely up to them,” she said. “The government should be concerned with the civil-legal bit. We are not saying to the church that you will have to let same-sex people marry in church.”

She said that the parliament was “no way near doing anything” on the issue but emphasized that she supported a change in the law. She added, “Marriage meant a great deal to me, that seal of social approval and family approval. In my view, why should we deny this to people of the same gender?”

Nuns face compensation claims
Abusive behavior charged

The Sisters of Nazareth have received more than 400 compensation claims following the recent conviction of Sister Marie Docherty on charges of cruel and unnatural treatment.

Former residents of Nazareth House homes in Aberdeen and Midlothian have named 50 nuns in cases which have been formally lodged at Scotland’s Court of Session. A total of 420 men and women allege they were abused while children in care at the homes between the 1940s and 1970s.

Their lawyer, Glasgow-based Cameron Fyfe, expects the first of 11 test cases to be heard late next summer against the Sisters of Nazareth, the Catholic order of nuns which ran the homes. The order could end up having to pay out millions of pounds if the claims are successful.

Fyfe told the Daily Telegraph that some of the 50 nuns named in the claims faced being sued individually and action could be taken against at least four local authorities in Scotland if it can be proved they failed to monitor adequately the care of children they sent to the homes.

Sister Marie Docherty was found guilty of four charges of cruel behavior toward children in her care at the homes during the 1960s and 1970s. Sheriff Colin Harris decided that, because of her age and heart condition, a jail sentence was not appropriate.