Six Months On

This is your weekly reminder that there has been a liberal coup in the Diocese of Hexham and Newcastle. See also this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this and this. At least in the public sphere, I alone have fought back. I have done so to the cusp of the victory of which we have now had a foretaste. Where is Carol Lawrence's report? There is still no sign of this month's Northern Cross, either.

On 15th December, Pat Buckley wrote to the then Apostolic Nuncio to Great Britain, Archbishop Claudio Gugerotti, to report an alleged sexual assault by Bishop Robert Byrne CO, and on 20th December, Archbishop Malcolm McMahon OP of Liverpool wrote back to confirm that the Police had been notified. It does not take six months to decide whether or not to make an arrest pursuant to one allegation of sexual assault by an adult against another adult, and Bishop Byrne will be assisting at his uncle's funeral this Friday, 16th June.

That is public ministry, so His Lordship must hold an Enhanced DBS check. He certainly would not hold one if he were subject to a Police investigation for sexual assault, or probably if he ever had been. It has been established that there has never been a Police investigation into His Lordship. He should now sue every media outlet that had suggested that there was one. An Oratorian does not take a vow of poverty, and the English Oratories have friends who could afford any lawyer in London. I alone have publicly defended Bishop Byrne. I have done so from the very start.

But notice that Bishop Byrne resigned on 12th December, six months ago tomorrow. This significant Diocesan See has been vacant for half a year. That is not especially uncommon in this country. Anyone would think that Dioceses were really being run by self-perpetuating oligarchies of generously salaried laywomen who used priests as errand boys, who actively preferred to have no bishops, and who spat the word "Safeguarding" at anyone who dared to answer them back.