Church scandal journalist wants an end to secrets and lies

Catherine Deveney’s life has been turned upside down during the past few months.

As the woman who exposed the Cardinal Keith O’Brien scandal back in February, she knew there would be ructions though perhaps not quite how big they would be.

Her revelation of allegations of inappropriate conduct by four men, three of whom were still priests, against the UK’s most senior Roman Catholic cleric, eventually lead to his resignation.

The Catholic church was rocked to its foundations.

Catherine’s become familiar on TV and radio as the voice for some who claim to have been abused by individuals within the church.

What’s less well known is the effect that taking on the might of such an institution has had on Catherine herself.

She’s a Catholic. But she doesn’t want to come across as a “crusading Catholic”. She doesn’t believe it’s relevant, because the abuses of power she’s exposed are so huge that it’s “bigger than that”.

“I haven’t really talked about being a Catholic and the effect all this has had on me because it’s nothing to do with what I’ve exposed,” Catherine says.

“Yes, I understand some of the issues and I’m familiar with them in a way people outwith the church wouldn’t be,” she explains.

“But it’s so much bigger than that. I’ve had people saying I’m anti-Catholic. That amuses me!”

Since Catherine broke the O’Brien story she has been supported by some but has been met with a “wall of silence” from others.

“I was determined not to change my routine or act as if I had something to hide. But on one occasion, I was in church and became aware of people talking about me. It was very hostile.

“After Mass a woman asked if I was Catherine Deveney. I said yes, probably rather rattily because I thought she was going to have a go.

“But she was so supportive I just hugged her.

“I thought you’ve got the hostility on one hand and the people who understand how important this is on the other.”

The world may have learned of the O’Brien allegations in February, but Catherine was aware all wasn’t well long before that.

“I knew one small piece of the story 10 years ago or more.

“Someone told me about the Cardinal’s behaviour towards him and discussed whether he should go public,” she explains.

“At the time he took the view he would be outing him for being gay. And that wasn’t something he wanted to do.

“And, to be honest, I didn’t really want to either. I’ve never been keen to pursue stories about an individual’s downfall.”

As we now know, the O’Brien situation was more complex than that and when Catherine found out the whole truth, she felt compelled to act. Just last week the BBC exposed fresh abuse claims, focusing on the now-closed Fort Augustus Abbey School in the Highlands. Catherine wasn’t surprised by the allegations and believes there will be more to come.

“There are things that have been going on that I would dearly like to see coming out because it’s the only way anything will change,” she says.

Years ago, Catherine exposed abuse at Nazareth House children’s homes.

“I was stunned at what had gone on. And in my naivety, I thought the church would be just as shocked. Then I realised that wasn’t the way it operated at all.”

How would she like to see the Catholic church respond?

“I want to see them stop the culture of lies and secrecy,” she says. “I want them to stop hiding and moving people around.”

Catherine, who lives in Ross-shire, has since listened to so many allegations of abuse within the Catholic church, that it has deeply affected her.

“I spoke to a lawyer who’s had more than 1,000 abuse cases. Not one has had their lives turn out OK. They lose their jobs, they become addicted to drugs or alcohol and their lives are trashed.

“I’m talking to people in their 60s and 70s crying down the phone, saying: ‘I’m frightened to die but it’s the only way out that I can see’.

“That is when the flinty face of the church isn’t good enough.”

Catherine is a mother of three children, Conell, 23, Niall, 21 and 19-year-old Caitlin. I ask if that made it harder to deal with the horrific allegations she’s heard.

“I suppose you do put you and yours into those situations. And you understand,” she says.

“But these stories are so horrific you don’t need to be a mum to understand the pain and isolation.”

Catherine has a book coming out, Dead Secret. I wonder how she found time to write it.

“Actually, this is the first book that I wrote, others were published before it,” she says.

“It’s the only one with a religious theme and I was worried about the timing. I wrote it after my father died and it’s dedicated to him, Peter Black Rafferty.”

I wonder if the scandals have affected Catherine’s faith.

“I don’t think people who go to church should feel threatened,” she says. “The faith is in God, not the institution.”

Catherine’s a thoughtful woman. It’s clear the past few months have taken a toll. But she is resolute.

“I have no regrets. None whatsoever,” she says simply.

Dead Secret is out on Tuesday, August 6.