A VICTIM of paedophile priest Father Brendan Smyth who suffered horrendous abuse when the notorious cleric visited South Belfast has predicted “the end is in sight” for Cardinal Sean Brady.

Lower Ormeau man Sam Adair says he was subjected to sickening sexual abuse by Smyth in the years following 1975, when Cardinal Brady first heard details of the evil priest’s activities during a meeting with a 14-year-old victim.

Calls for Brady to resign have increased following revelations in a recent BBC documentary that he had the names and addresses of several of Smyth’s victims, but did nothing apart from giving them to a senior cleric.

Sam told the South Belfast News that had Brady “done his duty as a human being” upon learning of the abuse, he could have been spared much the horror he suffered at the hands of Smyth, who died in 1997.

Recounting in stark detail his “care” by the Catholic Church as an orphan living in various homes, he claimed Smyth was “enabled” to abuse him by staff at the Nazareth Lodge orphanage on the Ravenhill Road, where the predatory priest was a regular visitor.

“Brady will be going soon, he won’t be able to stay after this row,” Sam said.

“I was just one of potentially thousands of children abused by that one man alone. He made use of a bedroom at Nazareth Lodge and took children in all the time to be abused.”

Sam described how evil Smyth came across as “kind” – offering sweets and money to his victims – compared to the barbaric behaviour of the home’s staff, which was comprised of nuns.

But once alone with children he committed vile acts of abuse that have stayed with the local man since.

“Smyth had no connection to Nazareth Lodge, yet he was provided a bedroom in which he did what he wanted, and staff sent us to see him,” Sam continued.

“This was from 1975 onwards, and knowing that at that time Cardinal Brady was aware of the name Brendan Smyth and what he was up to makes my blood boil. He let me and many, many more like me down and I can’t forgive him for that.”

Tragically for Sam, he was later to endure further abuse at the hands of clerical staff of the Rubane House institution in County  Down, where he said young children were abused “24/7” at the hands of Christian Brothers.

“Brother Florence, who we called ‘Hitler’s Brother’, was in charge and he would blatantly sexually abuse children in the corridors as he passed them. These people operated without fear at that time, and no wonder, when it seems no-one was prepared to tackle them on what they were doing.

“I predict Brady will not survive this scandal, and that he will go soon. The end is in sight for him, and he should do the decent thing and resign immediately, rather than give excuses and pass the blame.”