Comboni Missionaries (Misioneros Combonianos)

The Comboni Missionaries, known in Spanish speaking countries as Misioneros Combonianos and in Italy as Missionari Comboniani, are likely to face a Statutory Enquiry into the sexual abuse that took place at Mirfield, Yorkshire in the UK in their seminary there in the Sixties and Seventies by Father John Pinkman of Liverpool, Father Domenico Valmaggia from Como and Father Romano Nardo from Italy.

This would mean that priests like Father Martin Devenish, Father John Fraser, Father David Glenday and Father Robert Hicks could be forced to appear before the Home Affairs Select Committee.

Indeed Comboni Missionaries abroad, like Father Enrique Sanchez and the Paedophile priest Father Romano Nardo, who is hold up at the Mother House in Verona in Italy, with no access to children, may be asked to appear as well as Father Enrique Sanchez, the Superior General of Misioneros Combonianos.

Father David Glenday of Dundee

Misioneros Combonianos highest ranking priest, Father David Glenday, is now in a senior position in the Vatican. He has access to Pope Francis. He is from Dundee in Scotland, originally.

Although there is no suggestion that he was, in any way, involved in sexual abuse, he was head of the order in the UK, Father Provincial, in the UK and head of the whole order, the Superior General, in the nineties around the time that Mark Murray first complained about being sexually abused by Father Romano Nardo.

He also went to the Comboni Missionaries seminary in Mirfield at the same time as many of the boys who were abused and who reported the abuse. As a Dundee man, Father David Glenday may find it even more difficult than Father Enrique Sanchez, to refuse to attend an enquiry into sexual abuse by the Comboni Missionaries at Mirfield to answer questions as to what he knew about the sexual abuse and the cover-up.

Father Romano Nardo

There’s a possibility, too, that the serial abuser, paedophile priest, Father Romano Nardo, could be the subject of an extradition order as an outcome of the committee’s findings.

Said Home Secretary Theresa May “An inquiry into historical child abuse should be able to compel witnesses to give evidence,

The panel still has no chairperson. Theresa May had previously left the decision as to whether there would be statutory powers to a new chairperson. However, this statement seems to go further than that.

Mrs May had previously said the inquiry could become statutory if that was requested by the person leading it.

Said Mrs May: “The overwhelming message I’m getting from those that I have been meeting, survivors and survivors’ representatives that I’ve been meeting, is that it’s important to make sure that we do get this right.

“I’m very clear that the inquiry should have the powers of a statutory inquiry.”

Statutory Powers for the Enquiry

This is something for which campaigners have been calling. Labour MP, Keith Vaz, asked if it was now accepted that the Committee would have Statutory Powers to call witnesses.

Mrs May replied “The message I am very clearly getting is that this is an inquiry that should have the powers to compel people to give evidence and to enforce.”

Instant Karma’s Gonna Get Ya

This is very good news for those seeking the truth about sexual abuse at the Comboni Missionaries Seminary in Mirfield and very bad news for Misioneros Combonianos and those who have shielded, or are shielding, paedophile priests.

There are even men who were abused as boys at the seminary at Mirfield who became part of the cover-up. They will be forced to attend the enquiry too and forced, under oath, to tell the truth. They are on the wrong side of history.

We live in interesting times. One feels the word Karma coming up. Another expression that comes to mind is ‘what goes around, comes around’.

One also feels is that time is running out for the Paedophile priests of Misioneros Combonianos and those who have protected and shielded them for some long. The time and tides are against them.