Cardinal brady to appear at smyth enquiry

The former Catholic Primate of All Ireland, Sean Brady, is due to appear before the Historical Institutional Abuse Inquiry in Northern Ireland later today.

The inquiry, which is sitting in Banbridge Courthouse, is examining whether systemic failings enabled notorious paedophile priest Brendan Smyth, of the Norbertine Order formerly based at Kilnacrott Abbey, Ballyjamesduff, to continue his history of offending for so long.

Cardinal Brady had faced fierce criticism after it emerged he had attended meetings where two teenage victims of Smyth were sworn to secrecy in 1975.

Although the senior cleric publicly apologised for the church's mishandling of Smyth, the Cavan-native defended his own role in the 1975 internal investigation claiming that, as a priest he had no authority over Smyth.

Yesterday, the enquiry heard that gardaí had been aware of the activities of Smyth as far back as the early 1970s but nothing was done about it.

Confidential documents revealed to the inquiry show that Smyth had himself asked to be admitted for treatment at St Patrick's Psychiatric Hospital in Dublin after he came to the attention of gardaí in 1973.

The documents also reveal that Smyth had been diagnosed as a paedophile in 1973.