Ireland’s Catholic cardinal hospitalized after falling ill at church service; condition stable

Irish Catholic cardinal falls ill, hospitalized

DUBLIN — The Catholic Church leader in Ireland, Cardinal Sean Brady, has been hospitalized after becoming ill while overseeing a service for children becoming confirmed in the faith.

Brady’s office declined to specify his illness but described his condition Tuesday in a Northern Ireland hospital as comfortable and stable.

The 70-year-old cardinal has been under pressure to resign since he admitted last month that he had interviewed child victims of a pedophile priest but failed to tell police.

Brady, a canon law expert, conducted a church investigation in 1975 into the late Brendan Smyth, who was permitted to keep molesting children in Irish, British and U.S. parishes until 1993. Brady told worshippers last month he felt ashamed of his inadequate action at the time.